Caption:- Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister, Datuk Ceasar Mandela Malakun, visited the exhibition held in conjunction with the opening ceremony of the 18th Digital@Sabah Seminar and Digital Tamu 2026 at SICC on Tuesday.
KOTA KINABALU: The State Government wants the government technology (GovTech) agenda to focus on citizen experience and proactive service delivery, in line with efforts to make government services easier, faster and more user-friendly.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor said the GovTech philosophy places the people at the centre through a people-centric design, meaning the government should no longer wait for people to come looking for services or have them deal with burdensome bureaucracy.
“Instead, technology should be harnessed so that government services can reach the people directly, seamlessly and in a user-friendly manner,” he said in his speech at the opening of the 18th Digital@Sabah Seminar and Digital Tamu 2026 at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) here today.
His speech was delivered by Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Ceasar Mandela Malakun.
Hajiji said digital transformation is crucial to improving the ease of doing business in Sabah, thereby attracting investment and advancing the State’s economy.
“However, we must remember that sophisticated technology is merely a tool. GovTech will be meaningless without a change in attitude and a mindset shift among civil servants,” he said.
He said the efficiency, integrity and empathy of civil servants are the “main engine” that gives life to technology for the well-being of the people of Sabah, while public sector modernisation through GovTech would also enable State and Federal government agencies to break down siloed working systems.
He said data and system integration among agencies at the Federal and State levels is a prerequisite for creating government services that are fast, simple and transparent, particularly in efforts to narrow socioeconomic gaps and ensure that the benefits of digital development reach people in rural and interior areas.
Hajiji also reminded that increasing dependence on the digital ecosystem must be accompanied by strong cybersecurity safeguards, including the protection of citizens’ personal data entrusted to government agencies.
Meanwhile, he said the Digital Tamu programme, held concurrently, reflects the commitment of the State and Federal governments to support and catalyse the local digital economy ecosystem, particularly involving Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Sabah.
He said Digital Tamu brings together up to 30 exhibitors, including local technology companies offering the latest digital and technology solutions, as well as support agencies such as the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and the Sabah Creative Economy and Innovation Centre (SCENIC), which act as facilitators to accelerate the digitalisation of MSMEs in the State.
“I sincerely hope that local entrepreneurs will fully utilise this platform to ensure the sustainability of their businesses in this digital era,” he said.
