(Kuching, 25th) To help Sarawak with three major projects from next year until 2030, the professional expertise of engineers from various fields is required.
Prime Minister of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari, stated that earlier an announcement was made to inject RM100 billion to cover three strategic projects, namely the deep-sea port, a new international airport, and development infrastructure for electricity, water, and telecommunications.
Therefore, he explained, to jointly make the project successful over this 5-year period, the services of experts in the engineering field are necessary, possibly required for a period longer than this timeframe.
“Many engineering tasks are essential, for instance, expertise in hydraulic engineering, especially in the water system. These are large-scale projects as they involve gas terminals and natural gas, involving pipeline systems, where we need the professional knowledge of engineers from this field for gas distribution.”
He said this while attending the dinner of the Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) Sarawak Branch last night.
The Prime Minister of Sarawak also hinted that the construction of this deep-sea port would involve building an 'island'; however, he did not elaborate further.
Meanwhile, the initiative to build the international airport itself aligns with Sarawak's aspiration to own its own airline when the Malaysia Airlines wing sale agreement is finalized next month.
Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari reaffirmed that due to the region yet not manufacturing these airplane components, expertise in the engineering field for aircraft component manufacturing is needed.
“It is possible that we also need this field's engineers to produce our own aircraft components, such as wings, airplane parts, etc. When we can produce such components, it can help us produce our own aircraft.”
Meanwhile, he explained, since the federal government identified Sarawak as a platform for launching satellites into space, aerospace expertise also needs attention.
“Given the importance of telecommunications networks requiring satellites, we will continue to strive to ensure that electricity and water can be distributed throughout Sarawak. The federal government has confirmed that Sarawak has the potential to launch satellites into space, which requires aerospace engineers.”
As an initial measure, the Sarawak government has established the Aerospace Engineering School through i-Cats University to train generations in Sarawak's development in this field.