KUCHING: The signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between the Sarawak Government and Universiti Malaya (UM) to establish the Sarawak Premier's Endowment Chair will focus on four main pillars of the new economy being practiced by the region.

Sarawak Premier, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Datuk Abang Openg said the four pillars are the green economy, hydrogen economy, biotechnology healthcare and artificial intelligence (AI).

He explained that through this MoA, UM will launch an annual lecture series entitled 'Kuliah Yang Amat Berhormat Premier Sarawak' which is designed to encourage public discourse, knowledge exchange and policy dialogue in the relevant fields.

“The lecture will focus on key areas in the new economy such as the green economy, which includes carbon trading and carbon credits — important initiatives aimed at protecting the environment and reducing pollution, and it will also focus on the hydrogen economy, including bioenergy and hydropower, which are clean energy sources for the future.

“Biotech healthcare is also a focus, where science is used to improve health, medicine and disease prevention, and not to be missed is the importance of AI, which has the potential to make work more efficient and faster, but requires good regulation to ensure it remains fair and safe.

“All these initiatives are in line with support for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which also play an important role in the fight against climate change,” he said.

He said this when speaking at the Signing Ceremony of the Memorandum of Agreement for the Sarawak Premier’s Permanent Endowed Chair between the Sarawak Government and UM, held at Wisma Bapa Malaysia, here, on Wednesday.

Elaborating further, he said that this initiative will serve as a platform for agencies and policy makers in Sarawak, especially from a critical and up-to-date perspective, thus leading to more informed decision-making and encouraging the development of practical solutions for the progress and growth of the region.

“I hope that this lecture series will bring together not only policymakers and industry leaders, but also our academic community such as universities, researchers and intellectuals who play a vital role in shaping new ideas.

“In the long run, this effort will strengthen Sarawak’s intellectual capacity, support good governance, and prepare our people to lead in a rapidly changing world,” he explained.

Also present were Sarawak Deputy Premier, Datuk Amar Professor Dr Sim Kui Hian; Sarawak Secretary, Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki; Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department of Sarawak (Corporate Affairs, Information and UKAS), Datuk Abdullah Saidol; Advisor in the Office of the Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Amar Jaul Samion; Sarawak Legal Advisor, Dato Sri Talat Mahmood Abdul Rashid; UM Vice-Chancellor, Dato Seri Ir Dr Noor Azuan Abu Osman and Sarawak Deputy Secretary (Economic Planning and Development), Dato Sri Dr Muhammad Abdullah Zaidel. -UKASnews