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By Wilfred Pilo and Karen Bong
KUCHING, Aug 4: Sarawak plans to implement and introduce ‘e-Residency’, a digital identity that provides foreigners, especially investors, remote access to Sarawak to manage their business operations even if they do not live here.
Drawing inspiration from Estonia’s successful model, the e-Residency programme aims to create a favourable environment for global business expansion without the constraints of geographical boundaries.
Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said this system is implemented in Estonia, which has a multilayered system, and the e-Residency offers the freedom to easily start and run a global business without borders in a trusted environment.
They are called the e-Estonian.
“Investors coming into Sarawak will bring their expertise, and Sarawak now provides a straight five-year work permit (for foreigners) who can then live and work here.
“But this (measure) is temporary. What we want to do next is e-Resident where foreign experts and professionals can run their business or operations in Sarawak while based in their own home country,” he said at the inauguration of Tun Abang Haji Openg Digital Centre (TAHODC) in University Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) today.
Abang Johari emphasised that e-Residency will facilitate not only the way for foreign investors to do and run their business in Sarawak but also ease their travel into Sarawak with digital identification.
“But of course, there will be regulations as well as terms and conditions. There will be criteria to meet before we issue this special card for those eligible.
“We will try this out so that young and future generations of Sarawakians have the chance to become e-Sarawakian,” he said.
With Sarawak now planning for the ‘Sarawak Pass’ as an e-identity for Sarawakians, Abang Johari said it could be applied to the e-Residency system with a few tweaks.
Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development and Kota Samarahan MP Datuk Rubiah Wang, Kota Samarahan Municipal Council (MPKS) chairman Dato Peter Minos and Unimas vice-chancellor Datuk Dr Mohamad Kadim Suaidi were present. — DayakDaily
