By Christine T
KUCHING, Oct 6: The SarawakPass initiative has clinched both the Premier’s Digital Economy Award and Digital Government Award at the Digital Economy Awards 2026 (DEA2026), recognising its role in transforming public service delivery.
The initiative, titled “SarawakPass: Powering Proactive, Citizen-Centric Government Services”, was recognised by the Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) at the International Digital Economy Conference Sarawak 2026 (IDECS26) Gala Dinner held at a local hotel here tonight.
The Premier’s Digital Economy Award, the highest honour of DEA2026, was presented by Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg to the Sarawak Civil Service Digitalisation Unit (SCSDU), Department of the Premier of Sarawak, which developed the SarawakPass initiative.
SarawakPass was also named the winner of the Digital Government Award.
DEA2026 received 128 submissions this year, up from 116 in 2025, an increase of about 10 per cent. Of these, 75 were accepted for the first assessment, compared with 70 last year, before the evaluation and pitching sessions before the judging panel.
SCSDU also won the Smart Solution Award for SERVICE SARAWAK: One Government at Your Service – Transforming Public Service Delivery.
The other DEA2026 category winners were NEUON AI Sdn Bhd for the AI Innovations Award, One Medicare Sdn Bhd for the Environmental Sustainability Award, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) for both the Research & Development Award and Digital Technology Award, and OB Research Sdn Bhd for the Digital Creative Industry Award.
SarawakPass has since expanded beyond its role as a gateway to Sarawak government services, with its integration with MyDigital ID enabling users to access participating Sarawak and Federal digital services through the respective platforms.
The platform has also been integrated with services including Sarawak Energy Berhad’s SEB Cares, Sarawak Water and AirBorneo, as part of efforts to build a broader digital services ecosystem.
The recognition comes as Sarawak continues to expand digital transformation across public service delivery, artificial intelligence, research and development, sustainability and the creative economy — areas reflected in the DEA2026 winning initiatives.
DEA2026 is organised by SMA in conjunction with IDECS26.
Also present at the gala dinner were the Minister for Utility and Telecommunication Dato Sri Julaihi Narawi and SMA general manager Dato Dr Anderson Tiong Ing Heng. — DayakDaily
