Riot: Digitalisation key to attracting more investors from East Asia

SERIAN: Sarawak must improve its digital infrastructure in order to attract more investors, particularly those from South Korea and Japan, said Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to East Asia (South Korea, Japan and Taiwan) Datuk Seri Richard Riot.

He said in his conversations with ambassadors and investors from these countries, digitalisation was mentioned numerous times as the new way of doing business.

As such, he expressed support to Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg to move Sarawak’s economy towards digitalisation, but he also hoped that the implementation could be expedited and also expanded to the rural areas.

“If you do not have Internet, you can’t work these days. That’s what the Japanese and the South Korean ambassadors were telling me.

“To be fair to the Chief Minister, he’s doing his best to increase Internet penetration in Sarawak; we hope this would reach completion soon,” he told reporters after a meeting with the Small and Medium Entrepreneurs Association Sarawak (SME Sarawak) at a hotel here yesterday.

Riot said much more could be done to improve Internet penetration in Sarawak, so that more Sarawakians could participate in digital economy and also in online learning.

“For example, in my own ‘Kampung’ (village) Pichin, there is no Internet although it is located only 15km away from Serian. I have raised this matter in Parliament.

“Even in Tebedu, when you go there, the telco signal from the neighbouring country is stronger,” he said.

On a related matter, Riot said his task as a special envoy to East Asia was not only about attracting investors from South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, but also facilitating joint collaborations to enable penetration of local products into those countries.

He also expressed his regret that he had yet to initiate trade missions to these countries in view of the restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“As a Sarawakian, of course I want to lure the investors to Sarawak – not forgetting Serian where I am the member of Parliament,” he said.

He also said within two months following his appointment as special envoy, he had met the presidents of Taipei Investors Association in Malaysia and the Japanese Chamber of Trade and Industry in Malaysia, and discussed various issues with them including new investment opportunities in Malaysia.

“I will be meeting the Korean Investors Association in Malaysia president at my office in Putrajaya on Monday.”

On yesterday’s meeting with SME Sarawak, Riot said it was a fruitful session where they discussed potential business opportunities for these SMEs in the East Asian market.

He pointed out that the next Olympics in Tokyo next year would present a good opportunity for companies from Sarawak, especially in the halal food market slated for athletes and visitors going to Japan for the Games.

“During the discussion, I also suggested why not they invest in ‘tuak’ (local rice wine) and ‘terung asam’ (sour brinjals) for export. Those in East Asia are familiar with rice wine, and I am sure they would be interested in our ‘terung asam’, which cannot be found elsewhere,” he added.

Meanwhile, SME Sarawak advisor Dato Raymond Jolly and president Datuk Seri Charles Voon also expressed their support for digital infrastructure to be improved, in view of it being a new norm.

They also expressed their hope to have more collaborations and form joint ventures with their East Asian counterparts.

Duat (sixth left) witnesses the presentation of the food donation from Duncan (front, seventh left) to a representative of the longhouse women’s bureau. Looking on are (from right) Fung, Inting, Andrew and Blawan.