Sarawak, Johor boost digital push for public service delivery

KUCHING, 1 OCTOBER 2026 —

Sarawak and Johor forge digital pact to accelerate AI-driven public services

Sarawak and Johor today launched a formal collaboration to exchange digital transformation strategies, including artificial intelligence adoption, marking the first interstate initiative to standardise public service delivery through technology.

The agreement, announced at a meeting in Kuching’s Sarawak Legislative Assembly, aims to streamline government operations by sharing best practices in digitalisation, AI integration, and ecosystem development—an approach both states say is critical to improving efficiency and citizen access.

The session, organised by the Sarawak Public Communications Unit (Ukas), brought together high-level officials from both states to discuss Sarawak’s "whole-of-government" digitalisation model, which prioritises the automation of public services. Johor’s delegation, led by Education and Information Committee Chairman Dr Muhammad Naqib Md Ghazali, expressed interest in adapting Sarawak’s methods to meet Johor’s own digital objectives.

Sarawak Deputy Secretary (Operations) Datu Hii Chang Kee welcomed the partnership, stating that the exchange would allow both states to "work together" on digitalisation efforts. "We see this meeting as an opportunity to collaborate," he said, highlighting Sarawak’s focus on digital public service delivery as a key area for knowledge-sharing.

Key figures from Sarawak’s digital infrastructure attended, including Director of the Sarawak Civil Service Digitalisation Unit (SCSDU) Datu Grace Huong Siew Hung, General Manager of the Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) Dato Dr Anderson Tiong Ing Heng, and Chief Executive Officer of Sarawak Information Systems Sdn Bhd (SAINS) Busiai Seman. Johor’s ICT team and officers from the Education and Information Committee Office also participated.

The meeting follows Sarawak’s ongoing push to modernise its administrative systems, with initiatives like the SCSDU leading efforts to integrate AI and digital tools across government agencies. Johor, meanwhile, has been exploring similar reforms to enhance service delivery, particularly in education and public communications.

While no specific projects or timelines were announced, the collaboration signals a broader regional trend toward interstate cooperation in digital governance—a development that could influence Malaysia’s national digital strategy, particularly as the government seeks to align state-level innovations with federal priorities.

The next steps for the partnership remain unclear, but officials indicated that follow-up discussions would focus on identifying concrete areas for joint implementation, including potential pilot programs in AI-driven public services.