The Sarawakian

Infographic: Singapore has received approval to open a consulate office in Sarawak. This week’s infographic highlights the countries that planted diplomatic roots here earlier, and how Singapore is now joining that landscape.

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Issue 66: As the year winds down, Abang Jo reports encouraging progress on Sarawak’s economic growth. Still, the path to 2030 remains demanding. Doubling the state’s GDP in the next five years is no small harvest.

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Issue 65 infographic: The Global Talent Competitiveness Report inspired the clickable infographic this week. It is no surprise Singapore is leading the high income nations. As a consolation, Malaysia is second among upper middle income countries.

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Issue 65: Kuching is actively trying to age gracefully. Aren’t we all? All that hard work has to land somewhere nice, surely. A city that can accommodate the aged can also accommodate the young, but not necessarily vice versa.

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This week’s infographic looks at one of our favourite drinks: coffee. Copious amounts have been consumed in the production of The Sarawakian, among other things.

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Issue 64: This week’s big headline is Prime Minister DSAI’s promise to rebalance federal representation by having more seats for Sabah and Sarawak before the next general election in about three years. Bold promises aside, a lot rests on the Sabah state election next weekend.

Issue 63: Demographic infographic

This week’s infographic compares selected 2020 population census indicators, placing Sarawak alongside Selangor and Johor (two big states) as well as Japan and the Netherlands (two rich countries).

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Issue 63: Government clinics across Sarawak are being digitalised to improve efficiency and delivery, yet the challenges of serving a population that is thinly spread across a vast landmass is considerable. Sarawak population growth rate is slowing as well.

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Issue 62: A headline that didn’t quite make it into this week’s issue deserves mention: the Borneo Cultures Museum outpacing the Louvre in an online popularity poll. I enjoy a good poll, but I like data even more. Check out the infographic.

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Issue 62: The MACC has been working hard in recent years - with good reason. In the past five years alone, it has recovered more than RM31 billion in assets. That is significant. So when the MACC praises Sarawak, it’s not something to dismiss lightly.

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Infographic: Rare earth elements - what are they and what are they used for?

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Issue 61: Abang Jo’s idea of a Sarawak Complex in Kuala Lumpur may sound extravagant, but at heart it’s an act of care - a way to give our young people a home base and a sense of belonging as they begin their working lives.

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Infographic: Sarawak 13th Malaysia Plan

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Issue 60: While the big news that came out of the Sarawak Economic Conference was the Sarawak 13th Malaysia Plan, the news that a Sarawakian company has successfully launched a satellite into orbit in China seems to come out of the blue.

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Issue 59: A look at global state owned enterprises (SOEs). Sarawak government is working with the World Bank to develop policies on managing SOEs. Here's a high level look at the global landscape.

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issue 59: The number of students taking hardcore science subjects has fallen through the floor. As a man of science myself, this is not how gravity should work. In this week’s A String of Thought, I make a case that it’s a serious issue that demands urgent attention.

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Top 5 Sarawak wins in Budget 2026

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Issue 58: The big news this week is, of course, the 2026 national budget. Sarawak gets a clean RM6 billion allocation, up slightly from last year’s RM5.9 billion. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’d have seen the many breakdowns, highlights, and analyses floating around.

The Concert Economy in 2025 - this year's receipt is expected to be RM1.7 billion.

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Issue 57: Last week’s announcement by the Prime Minister confirming an increase in parliamentary seats for Sabah and Sarawak was undoubtedly the eyebrow-raising news of the week — and rightly takes its place as the main headline.

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Issue 56: When leadership fails, people leave.

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Issue 56: The Sarawak government is showing the way in how to build an equitable society through fair access to education for all. Abang Jo is in London to create opportunities for upskill our civil servants to the next level. In sports, the Sarawakian contingent is leading at the Borneo Games.

Infographics - red gold.

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Issue 55: Petroleum has fallen off the top spot as Sarawak’s biggest export - it is, instead, palm oil. One might argue that this is a soft landing for an economy that had been based on petroleum for over a hundred years.

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Borneo Games by the numbers

Issue 54: Three talented young ladies from Miri winning the World Robot Olympiad Europe Open 2025 is definitely headline-worthy this week. Robotics and automation is the future and these young ladies are off to a great start. They deserve all the attention they can get.

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Issue 53: On the subject of tourism, as Malaysia gears up for Visit Malaysia Year 2026, this week’s infographic reviews the 2024 numbers. Tourism is already a major contributor to Sarawak’s economy, but the figures suggest there’s still room for improvement.

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Issue 53: Another week, another roadmap. Sarawak is charting its path to high-income industrialisation with growing clarity & the same principle now applies to visitors at Bako National Park - compulsory guided tours are being introduced to ensure a smoother experience.

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Sarawak Water. Full coverage by 2030.

Issue 52: The first shipment of green hydrogen is ready to go! This is exciting as it evokes the first shipment of crude oil from the “Far East” to Europe in the 1800s. A new era is beginning.

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