Riot’s absence at HRDF event raises few eyebrows
KUCHING: Questions were raised after Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Richard Riot Jaem ‘disappeared’ from an official function here yesterday, despite being seen earlier talking to ministry officials and other guests.
He was originally scheduled to attend and give a speech at the launch of the Industrial Revolution 4.0 ( IR4) Initiatives in Sarawak by the Human Resources Development Fund ( HRDF).
Assistant Minister of ECommerce Datuk Mohd Naroden Majais officiated at the ceremony on behalf of Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, who was supposed to represent Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg at the event.
Nonetheless, Riot prepared a montage speech which was aired at the start of the function, where he stressed on the importance of Sarawakians being aware of and prepared for the challenges of this new era of IR4.
He said there are 16,000 small and medium enterprises ( SMEs) in Sarawak and each of them plays the vital role of becoming gamechangers in the business field.
“The IR4 businesses, in general, will move towards digitalisation and this will change some of the ways we do business. There are strategies and initiatives in place to smoothen the impact of IR4 in Malaysia.
“In this instance, l anticipate that there will be more to come in Sarawak, especially with regard to the digital infrastructure, to ensure that fair transformation could be made throughout Malaysia,” he said.
Riot also said he generally supported the statement made by Abang Johari that Sarawak needs to be involved for digital technology to be able to create healthy competition with neighbouring countries such as Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.
“With the launch today, it is my sincere hope that this would be a paradigm shift to help bring businesses in Sarawak to greater visibility on the international platform,” he said.
It is not immediately known if Riot’s absence at the function was due to other urgent matters.
The six- term Serian MP has stated publicly his readiness to defend the seat again in the next parliamentary election.
Riot has been embroiled in political uncertainties after his political secretary Major ( Rtd) Datuk Peter Runin was arrested by the Malaysian Anti- Corruption Commission ( MACC) on Sept 28 for embezzlement involving RM40 million.