Sarawak’s push to become a regional leader in green energy, hydrogen technology and modern urban mobility will be difficult to achieve if the state continues relying on outdated legal and governance frameworks, says Daro assemblyman Safiee Ahmad.
In support of the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) (Amendment) Bill 2026, Daro assemblyman Safiee Ahmad said the amendments were necessary to ensure SEDC remains structurally and legally prepared to drive Sarawak’s economic transformation under the Post COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030.
“As we deliberate in this august House, we must recognise that we are at a transformative juncture in Sarawak’s history,” he said during debate time today (May 12).
Safiee stressed that Sarawak could no longer pursue a modern economic vision using outdated institutional systems.
“A 21st-century vision cannot be executed using a 20th-century legal framework,” he said.
He pointed out that the principal ordinance governing SEDC was first enacted in 1958 and had not undergone substantive reforms of this scale since 1996.
“For thirty years, the world has transformed, and today, this Bill ensures that our primary economic vehicle, the SEDC, is legally and structurally equipped to drive us toward 2030,” he said.
“Among the key amendments is renaming the Principal Ordinance to the ‘Sarawak Economic Development Corporation Ordinance’ to align with the internationally recognised SEDC brand.
“In the world of high finance and international joint ventures, where SEDC is now a key player, brand consistency is synonymous with institutional stability,” he said.
Safiee further welcomed provisions to strengthen the composition of the SEDC Board by including representatives from key state and federal agencies, as well as experts in science and technology.
“As SEDC ventures into complex fields like hydrogen fuel cell technology, electrolysis and automated rapid transit, we cannot rely on generalist oversight alone.
“We are moving from a Board of administration to a Board of innovation,” he added.
Safiee also praised provisions aimed at strengthening transparency and governance through the formalisation of the Secretary’s role and stricter integrity requirements regarding fraud, dishonesty, and money-laundering offences.
