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By Karen Bong
KUCHING, July 9: There is a possibility under Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) for Sarawak to establish its own cybersecurity law to protect Sarawak’s data.
Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) general manager Dato Dr Anderson Tiong emphasised this point and disclosed that Sarawak has in fact invested substantial financial resources towards safeguarding Sarawak’s data.
“I have discussed with the SAG (Sarawak Attorney-General) on the possibility to come up with and introduce a cybersecurity bill, such as being done by the federal government.
“This is only on the policy, procedures and standards. The next important thing is on data protection including determining in our policy which types of data should be shared and protected. SMA is on that,” he said during ‘Sunday Morning with Premier 2.0: Dialogue Session with Young Entrepreneurs on New Economy’ held at Imperial Hotel here today.
Tiong was responding to Clarence Chan, a partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers Risk Services, who asked whether the Sarawak government intends to align its policies and initiatives to encourage both private and public sector companies to prioritise cybersecurity.
Chan highlighted that effective risk management and security measures should underpin digitalisation and the adoption of advanced technologies. He expressed concern that companies are not dedicating sufficient time, effort, and resources to securing their digital systems, which could have long-term implications when striving to build a sustainable digital society.
Tiong added that the Sarawak government has established a security operating centre in 2017 with security analysts responsible for monitoring incoming and outgoing data.
“We possess comprehensive statistics that indicate which countries are attacking us and so forth. We have done a good job in preventing attacks,” he said.
Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg pointed out that Sarawak has also amended the law concerning telecommunications spectrum to grant Sarawak control over signal transmission through Sarawak’s airspace.
However, he stressed that there is also a need for some level of data and information filtration.
“There are two mediums through which data is stored and transmitted, with one being cloud storage. But data stores in the cloud are challenging to protect as it can be easily retrieved without adequate layers of security.
“Secondly is WiFi or fibre optic connections, which are more secure. What matters is implementing measures to safeguard data,” he explained.
Abang Johari expressed his skepticism about the cloud due to the lack of guarantees regarding data protection, noting that major platforms like Facebook utilise cloud storage.
“But for our strategic information, we don’t necessarily have to rely on the cloud,” he said.
Tiong further mentioned that during a cybersecurity conference held in Kuching recently, the Premier has pushed for the implementation of “Sarawakpass”, a digital identity system and initiative which will makes Sarawakians the first in Malaysia to adopt a digital identity.
“Sarawak acknowledged the importance of bolstering cybersecurity as it serves as an enabler for Internet banking and e-commerce.
“We are pulling up a secure infrastructure which is a platform for secure exchange of information. Also, the Sarawak government is actively promoting cybersecurity awareness among across various sectors,” he said.
However, Tiong said that the weakest link is the users as cybersecurity is not solely the responsibility of a single department or enforcement officers.
“Everybody must be involved. We are focusing on the government now but it will be extended to the private sector including entrepreneurs and so forth because we need a joint effort,” he added.
Organised by DayakDaily and Pertubuhan Wartawan Bebas Kuching (Pewarta), with the support of the Sarawak government, the dialogue was attended by some 130 young entrepreneurs as well as top government officials and heads of departments.
Minister of Sports, Youth and Entrepreneur Development Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Tebedu assemblyman Dr Simon Sinang Bada, Deputy Secretary (Economic and Development Planning) Datu Dr Muhammad Abdullah Zaidel and Sarawak Economic Planning Unit (EPU) director Lester Matthew were among those present. — DayakDaily
