Santa arrives early in Sabah

Professor Tan Sri Dato' Dzulkifli Abdul Razak
My View - The Sun Daily
November 28, 2017

LAST week many "good" things descended on the Land Below the Wind. Universiti Malaysia Sabah celebrated its 19th Convocation spread over three days involving some 4,000 graduands. This coincided with the unveiling of another package of the Pan Borneo Highway, stretching 20km from Putatan to Inanam, costing RM900 million. Another was the announcement of a surplus budget for the state for the fourth year in a row with many "goodies" to be distributed. It looks like Santa Claus decided to drop in earlier than usual this time, much to the delight of many Sabahans.

On top of that some have other reasons to be euphoric. A village tucked away more than an hour's drive from the state capital, finally has found reason to celebrate – the "return" of regular water supply after more than four decades of "deprivation". This means that the overdue agony of having to pump dwindling underground water is about to be over, although how extensive and sustained the supply will be is yet to be seen. Still many are hopeful so much so that some are thinking about restarting rice planting to supplement their income which plummeted when the water supply ran out and the irrigation system failed. As a result, the paddy fields were left idle and will have to be rehabilitated to be economically viable again. Still the villagers were upbeat about the possibility. The 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) somehow did not cross their minds.

Perhaps this may have something to do with the issue of electricity supply, or rather the lack of it. Very notable is a five-year-old school computer lab for about 40 pupils. After a few years, the lab could not be used for its original purpose allegedly due to the uncertain supply of electricity. No one has access to the lab now despite a sign nearby that reads: Tanpa Wayar Internet 1Malaysia. This is a clear case of Industrial Revolution 2.0 disconnect (something the column has brought up earlier) to the 3.0 and 4.0 versions that the country is eager to embrace. The recent boast was – the world's first Digital FTZ outside China.

Seemingly this may not be an isolated case based on a report from a local daily. It quoted the Sabah deputy chief minister calling on "Minister WiFi" to also pay due attention to the state's "superhighway" in terms of internet services; not just the physical ones spanning Borneo. When officiating the Sabah Digital Economy Symposium 2017, he was quoted as saying: "We want the excitement of having yourself (Minister WiFi) involved and yet, you are disappointed because the areas that you go do not have WiFi, of (sic) there is WiFi depending on where you stand and the terrible internet speed level."

Such statements could easily point to a number of other places throughout the country, not just in Sabah. In other words, as in the Semenanjung, Sabah and Sarawak too should have their Digital FTZs in the effort to keep them at par by digitalising their economy in tandem. To paraphrase the deputy CM, digitalisation of businesses must also be backed by "solid physical processes and logistically roots" in a more equitable way to reduce the present disparities. Similar to the development of university campuses located away from the urban centres so as to better distribute the impact of development, Digital FTZs warrant the same considerations. This will certainly assist in realising the last mile effort which is often the ultimate barrier. Needless to say, this is a matter of mindset and, policy orientation and willingness at least learning from the many decades of water "deprivation". Invariably there must be some critical lessons learnt to resolve the power supply issue as soon as possible.

As expected, many are eagerly looking to Santa for yet another early delivery, other than calling on the good office of "Minister WiFi" as suggested by the deputy CM. Only then will the aspiration to realise the 4th Industrial Revolution nationwide become a little more meaningful.