KUCHING: Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg has proposed that Amanah Saham Sarawak (ASSAR) enables savings through SPay Global so rural users can set aside small amounts regularly.
He said the move is aimed at building a savings culture in rural communities by making it easier for them to convert income from daily activities into savings and investment once infrastructure is completed.
He linked the proposal to how assistance is delivered through SPay, describing the channel as effective because it avoids cash handouts.
“We deliver our assistance through the use of SPay and it is very effective. We do not have to give cash, but we deliver it through the use of SPay.
“Meaning our rural community now can make use of SPay, and they can cooperate with SPay,” he said.
He said this when announcing the ASSAR interim dividend distribution at Kompleks Satria Pertiwi here today.
He said the same route could be used for saving into ASSAR, with rural users going from SPay Global into ASSAR once infrastructure is completed.
“After the completion of our infrastructure, the rural communities can also save. They just click the SPay app and go to ASSAR in it.
“They can save from RM10 or RM20 per month. It does not take much time. It is just a click away,” he said.
Moreover, added Abang Johari, rural communities could also channel proceeds from business activity, including farming and retail activity, into ASSAR, citing durian sales as an example.
“If their income from their business activity, including farming, is bountiful, especially during durian season when they sell a lot of durian, they can channel the proceeds into ASSAR.
“At the end of the day, they get both the real durian and the money durian, then the dividend,” he said.
He also called on Sarawakians to continue supporting ASSAR’s investment products and initiatives as part of building a more sustainable financial future.
“I take this opportunity to call on the people of Sarawak to continue supporting the investment products and initiatives offered by ASSAR, as a form of cooperation in building a more sustainable financial future.
“Insya-Allah, our economy will continue to grow with our development foundations, which I believe are more forward-looking through the use of digitalisation,” he said.
