Sabah Trade and Industry Minister Wilfred Madius Tangau intends to make use of his knowledge and experience as the science, technology and innovation minister to uplift industrial development in the state.
Tangau said it was critical for the state and federal agencies to forge a strong working relationship to help elevate the status of industries in Sabah.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Trade and Industry Minister Wilfred Madius Tangau has outlined several of his initial key focuses as the ministry looks to revitalise the state’s industrial development and attract big-time investors to Sabah.
Speaking to FMT today, Tangau intends to utilise his knowledge and experience being the federal science, technology and innovation minister previously to achieve these targets.
He said it was critical for the state and federal agencies to forge a strong working relationship to help elevate the industries in Sabah, adding he also wanted to work closely with the private sector.
“The mandate given is to create jobs, bring in investors and create a vibrant industrial development for the state.
“We also need to strengthen the linkages between the state government apparatus as well as the federal agencies and then how to make Sabah much more attractive as an investment destination.
“I will make full use of my connections, my contacts at the federal level and experiences I had there, especially in bridging the federal and state agencies,” he said.
Tangau, who is also Sabah deputy chief minister, said he will see to it that his ministry becomes a resourceful unit to develop the state amid limited funds.
“Say for instance the Lahad Datu POIC (palm oil industrial cluster). Strictly speaking, if we are dependent on government allocation to provide enabling facilities or infrastructure, we might not be able to overcome key challenges.
“So we might have to think outside the box, for instance, on key facilities. We have to work with the private sector to make it work. We cannot just say we don’t have the funds and we can’t do it.”
Tangau said he was looking to emulate a programme in the federal ministry called the Sirim-Fraunhofer.
“Essentially what they do in this Fraunhofer institute in Germany is they have about 2,000 researchers and audit firms in terms of technology.
“They will look at the level of efficiency and productivity of that firm, based on the technology that’s being used. They will then recommend technology that will enhance efficiency and productivity.”
He intended to audit 1,000 factories in Sabah, he added. “We want to try enhance their efficiency and productivity,” Tangau said.
He said, however, his ministry would need to build up better rapport with these industries.
“I know for a fact that when we were trying to do some technology audit, they were quite apprehensive. These industries are suspicious and sceptical.
“We want to work closely with them, including trade organisations and the federation of manufacturers,” he said.
He said Sabah possesses all the facilities now at the Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park and the Sipitang Oil and Gas Industrial Park, among others.
“We need to strategically communicate to investors all over the world what we have here,” he said.
Meanwhile, Tangau said his ministry will explore the possibility of getting automobile companies to set up assembly plants in Sabah, adding he will also enhance the downstream and processing industries.
“These are big plans … considering when I was in the federal ministry, we had 30 agencies. Here (in Sabah) there are only six agencies. So that’s why the working relationship between federal and state agencies is critical,” he said.
Tangau, who is Upko acting president, was also named as deputy chief minister in Parti Warisan Sabah president Shafie Apdal’s state cabinet on Wednesday.
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