KUCHING: Major development projects should have a public communication blueprint alongside their technical plans to ensure communities understand how they will be affected, said Datuk Abdullah Saidol.
The Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Corporate Affairs, Information and UKAS) said development could not be considered complete if policies and projects were technically sound but poorly understood by the people they were intended to serve.
“Every major development project has, in effect, two blueprints.
“Number one is the technical blueprint — the design, infrastructure, financing and implementation. And the second one is the blueprint for public understanding and public engagement,” he said.
He said this when officiating at the International Communication and Media (i-COME’26) Conference at the Borneo Cultures Museum here on Friday.
Abdullah said people needed to understand why projects were being implemented, how they would affect their daily lives and how they stood to benefit from development.
They should also be given opportunities to raise questions and concerns while being assured that the benefits of development would be shared fairly, he added.
“A policy may be technically sound, but if a family in Kapit, an entrepreneur in Miri or a student in Kuching can’t understand what it means for them, then our work is not yet complete,” he said.
Abdullah stressed that communication should no longer be regarded merely as a supporting function undertaken after policies had been formulated.
“Without communication, even a good policy may be misunderstood. Without public engagement, even a valuable initiative may face resistance.
“Without trust, even the most advanced technology will struggle to reach its full potential,” he said.
He added that communication had instead become a strategic tool for connecting the public with the government’s aspirations.
Abdullah said this was also among the reasons the Sarawak Public Communications Unit (UKAS) was established, to narrow the gap in understanding between the government and the people.
He noted that effective communication was particularly important as Sarawak continued its development under the Post COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030 and accelerated its digital transformation.
Sarawak, he said, was pursuing its goal of becoming a developed and high-income region while balancing economic prosperity, social inclusion and environmental sustainability.
