Dr Sim (centre), flanked by Hii (on his left) and Tiang, speaks during the press conference. SIBU: The Sarawak Government will implement a pilot project to reform the process of starting a business in Sarawak, starting from August 1 until end of February next year. Announcing this, Deputy Premier, Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian, said the pilot project would take place in both Sibu and Kanowit Districts for a duration of six months. “This initiative is spearheaded by the Sarawak Government through Sarawak Transformation and Innovation Unit, Premier’s Department in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health, Housing and Local Government and the Malaysia Productivity Corporation. “At present, business registration in Sarawak involves various government departments and agencies such as LHDN, District Offices, Divisional Treasury Department and Local Authorities. “For instance, in Sibu District, the process involves Sibu District Office, Sibu Divisional Treasury Department and two Local Authorities (Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) and Sibu Rural District Council (SRDC),” he told a press conference held at a hotel here on Monday. On top of the agencies mentioned, Dr Sim, who is also Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government, stated that there were still agencies’ approval that might be required such as from the Fire and Rescue Department, Land and Survey Department, and the Health Department. Due to this requirement, he said that applicants had to deal with multiple agencies at various locations, making the process inefficient and time-consuming. In addition, he said, applicants were required to fill multiple forms, depending on the business type and licences applied for. He pointed out that studies showed that the licence processing time for business registration in Sarawak might take up to 60 days or more. “Therefore, starting August 1 (next Friday), the pilot project for business registration commences in both Sibu and Kanowit Districts. “All business registrations (Business Name, Trade Licence and Operating Licence applications) will be coordinated by one agency only – Local Authorities in Sibu and Kanowit Districts via one facilitation centre. “In Sibu District, for the two local authorities, namely, SMC and SRDC, the facilitation centre is at Sarawak Service Centre at UTC Sibu. “For Kanowit District, it is at the Kanowit District Council’s service counter. “Applicants will only need to fill in one composite form that captures all necessary information for Business Name Registration, Trade Licence, and Operating Licence applications,” he added. Dr Sim explained that the pilot project targeted a processing time (from application to licence collection) within 14 working days for low-risk businesses, and for businesses requiring only Business Name and Trade Licence, the licence could be collected within five working days. Adding on, he said for businesses, which also required an Operating Licence, the licence could be collected within 14 working days. This meant the applicants only needed to visit the counter a maximum of two times. However, the timeline, he stressed, was subject to applications with complete supporting documents. On the other hand, he said, high-risk businesses application (e.g. sales of gas, entertainment centres, elderly or childcare centres, reflexology centres) would be processed within 30 working days. In summary, he pointed out the timeline had been reduced from over 60 working days to only 14 or up to 30 working days. Additionally, Dr Sim stated that under the Sarawak Digital Economy Blueprint 2030, the Sarawak Government was actively driving digitalisation registration initiatives for business to boost public confidence in transacting with government via online platform. Existing systems such as e-R&DO and e-LA2 would also be upgraded in the near term to support this digital initiative, he said, adding, this effort was crucial to stimulate business activities in Sarawak and position the region as a more investor-friendly destination. “Therefore, Sarawak must act swiftly to seize this opportunity by accelerating and streamlining the investment and business processes. This pilot project is a strategic step in that direction. “We aim to ensure Sarawak remains competitive as an investment destination that offers administrative efficiency, process certainty and strong governmental support to the business community. “I urge all agencies involved to give their full commitment and support to ensure the success of this pilot project, which will serve as the foundation for statewide implementation across Sarawak,” Dr Sim added. Among those present were Deputy Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government, Datuk Michael Tiang Ming Tee, and Deputy State Secretary, Datuk Hii Chang Kee.

(Seated, from left) Sempurai, Tiang, Dr Sim, Hii, Loh and others pose with the thumbs-up gesture during a photo-call. SIBU (July 22): A pilot project to reform the process of starting up a business in Sarawak will be implemented effective this Aug 1, in the districts of Sibu and Kanowit, and will be running for six months. According to Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian, the project was spearheaded by the state government through the Sarawak Transformation and Innovation Unit in the Sarawak Premier’s Department; Ministry of Public Health, Housing and Local Government; and Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC). He said under the pilot project, all business registrations involving business name, trade licence and operating licence applications would be coordinated by one agency, namely the local authorities in Sibu and Kanowit, via one facilitation centre. “Applicants will only need to fill in one composite form that captures all necessary information for business name registration, trade licence and operating licence applications. “The pilot project targets a processing time from application to licence collection within 14 working days for low-risk businesses, while high-risk business applications such as sales of gas, entertainment centres, elderly or childcare centres and reflexology centres will be processed within 30 working days,” he said in a press conference here yesterday. Dr Sim added that for applications requiring only the business name and trade licence, the licence could be collected within five working days, while licences for those requiring an operating licence could be collected within 14 working days. “This means applicants only need to visit the counter a maximum of two times. Studies show that licence processing time for business registration may take up to 60 days or more. “Through this project, the processing time will be reduced from over 60 working days to only 14 or up to 30 working days.” Earlier, Dr Sim said business registration in Sarawak typically involves three main components depending on the type of business, namely the business name registration, trade licence and operating licence. These are governed by Chapter 64 of the Business Names Ordinance 1958, Chapter 33 of the Businesses, Professions and Trades Licensing Ordinance 1958, Local Authorities Ordinance 1996 and other various regulations and bylaws. “At present, business registration in Sarawak involves various government departments and agencies such as Inland Revenue Board, District Offices, Divisional Treasury Department and Local Authorities. “For instance, in Sibu District, the process involves the Sibu District Office, Sibu Divisional Treasury Department, and two local authorities namely the Sibu Municipal Council and Sibu Rural District Council (SRDC). “On top of the agencies that I have mentioned, there is still approval from agencies that may be required, such as from the Fire and Rescue Department, Land and Survey Department and the Health Department. “Due to this requirement, applicants are required to deal with multiple agencies at various locations, making the process inefficient and time-consuming. In addition, applicants are required to fill in multiple forms, depending on the business type and licenses applied for,” he said. According to the Deputy Premier, this effort was crucial to stimulate business activities in Sarawak and position the region as a more investor-friendly destination. “Therefore, Sarawak must act swiftly to seize this opportunity by accelerating and streamlining the investment and business processes. This pilot project is a strategic step in that direction. “We aim to ensure Sarawak remains competitive as an investment destination that offers administrative efficiency, process certainty, and strong governmental support to the business community. “I urge all agencies involved to give their full commitment and support to ensure the success of this pilot project, which will serve as the foundation for statewide implementation across Sarawak,” he said. He added that under the Sarawak Digital Economy Blueprint 2030, the Sarawak government had been actively driving digitalisation initiatives for business registration to boost public confidence in transacting with the government via online platforms. “Existing systems such as e-R&DO and e-LA2 will also be upgraded in the near term to support this digital initiative,” he said. Also present were Deputy Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government Sarawak Datuk Michael Tiang, Deputy State Secretary Datu Hii Chang Kee, the ministry’s permanent secretary Datu Elizabeth Loh and SRDC chairman Sempurai Petrus Ngelai.

Ting (front table, centre) seen here chairing the meeting, says domestic waste arriving in plastic bags make proper compaction difficult. Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) is grappling with the challenge of plastic waste overwhelming the Kemuyang sanitary landfill with its second cell nearing capacity. SMC chairman Clarence Ting said excessive plastic content in domestic waste was hindering effective compaction at the landfill, leading to faster-than-expected cell saturation. “Most of the domestic waste arrive in plastic bags, making proper compaction difficult. “This is why the second cell is overflowing,” Ting said at a full board meeting. With the upcoming third cell still under preparation, concerns are mounting about the lack of suitable equipment to manage waste volume. Ting said SMC was considering in­­­vesting in a shredder to allow for better compaction as well as extending the lifespan of landfill cells. “Unless we have a shredder, the situation remains challenging. “Shredding the plastic waste will make compaction more feasible. “SMC should seriously consider acquiring this equipment because building a new landfill cell is far more costly,” he added. 

Tiang (second right), accompanied by other officials, inspects the ongoing road improvement project at the intersection. SIBU (July 17): A road improvement project aimed at easing traffic congestion at the Jalan Wong Soon Kai-Jalan Ling Kai Cheng-Jalan Deshon traffic light intersection has commenced this month, said State Deputy Minister for Public Health, Housing and Local Government, Datuk Michael Tiang. The RM900,000 project, implemented by the Sibu Municipal Council (SMC), is expected to be completed within four months. “The project involves constructing an extra 400-metre right-turn lane from Jalan Wong Soon Kai into Jalan Deshon. “Traffic in this area is particularly heavy during peak hours when people commute to and from work,” Tiang said during a site inspection yesterday. “We observed long queues in front of the traffic lights, so SMC proposed expanding the road by constructing a right-turn lane to Jalan Deshon. “This addition is expected to significantly ease traffic movement along Jalan Ling Kai Cheng and Jalan Deshon.” Tiang, who was accompanied by SMC chairman Clarence Ting, expressed confidence that the project could be completed ahead of schedule, given its current progress. He also called on the Public Works Department (JKR) to implement a complementary improvement by constructing an extra right-turn lane from Jalan Deshon into Jalan Ling Kai Cheng. “This will complement the existing project and help further resolve the bottleneck problem at the intersection,” he added.