KUCHING – At the SME Community Outreach Programme (SCOP) on Wednesday, Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan warned local Bumiputera contractors that selling awarded projects is a short-term tactic that undermines long-term growth.
He stressed that, while more than RM1.09 billion 54 percent of RM2.02 billion in state-funded contracts awarded in Q1 2025 went to Bumiputera firms, real competitiveness depends on strengthening in-house capabilities rather than offloading work.
He encouraged ethical partnerships and on-the-job learning to foster technical know-how. “For them to grow, don’t take the easy way. If we want to collaborate with other contractors, we can do it. And we learn from there.
This is how we grow. So, if something like that happens, I hope it won’t happen,” he said, urging firms to seek skills transfers through joint ventures.
To back this shift, the state government and financial institutions, including CIMB, offer a suite of programmes: the Program Kontraktor Berdaya Saing (PKBS), which has trained 456 contractors; the Program Peningkatan Usahawan Bumiputera (PUTERA), distributing RM3.7 million to 611 participants; and 23 Pusat Inkubator dan Bimbingan Usahawan (PIBU) centres serving over 5,600 entrepreneurs.
Soft-loan schemes and digital adoption grants are also available to ensure projects stay on track and meet quality benchmarks.
“There are many opportunities. And to build capacity to implement all these projects. There are so many projects,” he added, highlighting the pipeline of infrastructure and development work across Sarawak.
In a related update, Datuk Amar Awang Tengah revealed that site selection for the Sarawak Trade and Tourism Office (STATO) in Pontianak is underway, with one unit identified but a larger premise preferred.
He remains confident the office will open by next year, strengthening cross-border trade and tourism ties with West Kalimantan.
These efforts align with Sarawak’s Post-Covid-19 Development Strategy 2030, aiming to cultivate a self-reliant network of skilled Bumiputera enterprises that can sustain the state’s economic momentum.
