KUCHING: The Sarawak government is prepared to consider new policies introduced by the Federal Government, provided they offer advantages to the state.

Sarawak Deputy Premier, Datuk Amar Professor Dr. Sim Kui Hian, stated that policies with a positive impact would support Sarawak's efforts towards nation building.

"Local authorities in Sarawak are not under the direct control of Malaysian local authorities because we maintain our own autonomy. However, we will consider anything that is good, but we will not follow things that are not beneficial.

"That is all I can say. Why should we follow something that is not good? We will follow good things as part of the effort to build a better Sarawak, and we will scrutinise matters to see what is appropriate for us to implement," he remarked.

He made these remarks when asked by the media to respond to the policy introduced by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, which proposes imposing a 12-hour community service penalty on any individual caught littering indiscriminately.

Datuk Amar Dr. Sim, who is also the Sarawak Minister for Public Health, Housing and Local Government, stressed that any such policy must take Sarawak's capacity into account before being adapted, particularly by considering the region's background and local environment first.

Earlier, Datuk Amar Dr. Sim officially launched the PAMSC Design Festival (PDF) 2025, held at a leading hotel here on Saturday.

Commenting on the festival, he explained that organising programmes of this nature would produce local engineers, architects, and quantity surveyors (QS) to develop a more sustainable Sarawak in the future.

"In the coming years, we will need the skills of the younger generation for our infrastructure development, such as architects, engineers, designers, QS, and all professionals in this field.

"Today's programme also provides exposure for our local architects, allowing them to highlight Sarawakian values in those projects," he added.- UKASnews

Translator: Ryan Lim