KUCHING: Sarawak-owned enterprises (SOEs) must demonstrate visible and measurable progress within the first 100 days of the transformation programme to show that they have adopted a new way of operating.
Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said the pledge made by SOEs must translate into immediate action and measurable results, rather than remaining as commitments made during the ceremony.
“The first 100 days should therefore produce visible evidence that the organisation has entered a new way of working,” he said in his speech during the Sarawak SOEs Transformation Programme: A Pledge for Good Governance, High Performance and Value Creation Phase 2 here today (Sept 22).
Abang Johari said each SOE should identify actions that could begin immediately instead of waiting for another study to be completed.
He said the first 100 days would also serve as a test of each organisation’s seriousness in implementing its transformation agenda.
“If an initiative is supposed to generate revenue, begin customer validation.
“If a cost initiative is supposed to save money, start the process redesign. If digital adoption is planned, begin the pilot. If a consolidation is proposed, give the detailed study a clear timetable,” he said.
Abang Johari said the transformation playbooks must serve as living management documents and should not become documents that ended with the pledge ceremony.
He said boards must provide the necessary oversight, while chief executive officers (CEOs) and general managers must take ownership and be accountable for implementation.
“Ministries and state agencies must support where issues extend beyond the entity, while the State Financial Secretary’s Office will continue to monitor progress and outcomes,” he said.
He said successful initiatives should be scaled up, while delayed implementation must be addressed and strategies adapted when circumstances changed.
“Where initiatives succeed, scale them. Where implementation is delayed, intervene. Where circumstances change, adapt.
“But where there is persistent failure to execute, there must be accountability,” he said.
Abang Johari said the ultimate objective is to achieve real transformation through stronger businesses, new revenue streams, higher productivity, meaningful use of technology, stronger partnerships, better utilisation of assets and greater contributions to Sarawak’s development.
He said the opportunities identified under the transformation programme provided reasons for SOEs to be ambitious, but such ambition must be matched by discipline and effective execution.
“Transformation becomes credible when people can point to something that has changed,” he said.
He also called on SOE chairpersons to provide the leadership and oversight needed to turn the commitments made under the programme into tangible results.
