SINGAPORE – A major retreat for Sarawak’s senior government officials has concluded, with a focus on building upon past successes and formulating new strategies for the state’s civil service.
The Sarawak Civil Service One Team Retreat (SCS OTR) 2025, which continues the work of the High Performance Team initiative, aims to foster a more collaborative and integrated approach to governance.
Presiding over the event, Datu Hii Chang Kee, the Sarawak Deputy Secretary to the State Government (Operations), outlined the programme’s three core objectives: to celebrate achievements, evaluate previously implemented proposals, and develop fresh plans to enhance performance.
He revealed that of the 48 proposals presented at last year’s gathering, half have been successfully executed, with the remainder under continuous review due to their longer-term nature.
He stressed that the retreat is a impactful exercise, not merely an annual event. “This demonstrates that the SCS OTR has a tangible effect on the efficacy of the Sarawak Public Service,” he stated during his opening address on Tuesday.
Datu Hii, who also chairs the event’s working committee, highlighted the ‘Revisit, Rethink, Recharge’ (3R) methodology as a guiding principle for the discussions. This approach was introduced by the Sarawak State Secretary, Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki.
The retreat’s agenda was comprehensive, beginning with a morning exercise session before moving into a series of three specialist forums. These panels featured fourteen senior officials sharing insights on economic development, workforce transformation, and infrastructure advancement.
The first forum, concentrating on long-term economic strategy, included presentations from permanent secretaries of several key ministries, including International Trade, Industry and Investment and Energy and Environmental Sustainability. A second forum tackled human capital development, while a third explored critical projects and technology as a catalyst for progress.
The programme concluded with a special briefing from the World Bank on transitioning towards revenue-based budgeting. The event was attended by numerous high-ranking officials, including the Attorney-General of Sarawak and several state secretaries.