By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 18: Pasir Gudang City Council (MBPG) Mayor Datuk Mustaffa Kamal Samsudin paid a courtesy call to Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, reaffirming the commitment of both parties to enhance economic and educational networks, as well as to create more strategic opportunities that directly benefit the people of Sarawak and Pasir Gudang in Johor.
According to a TVS news report, during the courtesy call, Mustaffa also acknowledged the significant contributions of Sarawakians, who, since the early 1980s, have played an important role in the development of various industries in Pasir Gudang.
“Today, the role of the younger generation of Sarawakians has grown beyond manufacturing, commerce, and housing development, with many now actively expanding into diverse business and service sectors,” he said in a statement.
During the meeting, Abang Johari also shared the State’s strategies in exploring new economic sectors, including methanol production in Bintulu, ESG-compliant ammonia (NH₃) development, Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) technology in Miri, hydrogen energy, biomass (microalgae) for sustainable aviation fuel, and floating solar power—all of which are key drivers under the Sarawak Prosperity 2030 agenda.
The Premier also emphasised human capital development, with a target of achieving household incomes of RM7,000 in urban areas and RM4,500 in rural areas by 2030.
In line with this, he also said that the Sarawak government will allocate RM600 million in the 2026 Budget to provide free higher education for Sarawakians.
To strengthen educational cooperation, MBPG and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in May 2025.
Under the collaboration, a learning centre will be established at Menara Aqabah, Pasir Gudang, to enable Sarawakians in Johor to pursue their studies offshore.
In addition, 26 UNIMAS Foundation in Science students also had the opportunity to meet the MBPG mayor through a special programme focused on industrial training during semester breaks, aimed at improving their employability after graduation. — DayakDaily
