Sabah participants who volunteer receive reward points

KOTA KINABALU: A Social Time Bank system, which “rewards” volunteers with credit hours for their work in Sabah, will be launched in July.

“It allows awards or points in the form of credit hours that can be exchanged with certain offered items,” said Sabah Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Juhar Mahiruddin.“This is to give a lifetime record to volunteers and encourage volunteerism among the community as well as government and public agencies in social services,” he said during his opening remarks at the state assembly meeting yesterday.

The current meeting will run until Thursday.

Juhar said the system, which is expected to be launched in July, was part of the many community development and people-centric initiatives being worked on by the state.

Two other initiatives that could help increase the financial situation of single mothers and women in the B40 category would also be implemented, he said.

He said these programmes, known as “Program Santuni Komuniti”, were aimed at increasing the productivity and product sales of these women.

It was also meant to increase the production of instant food packs for displaced victims of natural disasters, he said.

In Juhar’s opening speech, he touched on the various initiatives taken by the government to boost the economy and improve the living condition of the people in Sabah.

He also spoke about Sabah’s plans to ensure economic, environmental and social security in the state.

These include continuing to boost tourism promotions and initiate direct flights from more partner nations to and from Sabah, putting more focus on eco-tourism, upgrading of tourism facilities, especially at tourism hotspots and emphasising more on Sabah’s culture and heritage.

Other matters being looked into included those that involved agriculture and rubber industries, he said.

He said plans were being made to increase self-sustenance, eradicate dangerous and fatal zoonotic diseases, expand the fisheries and marine industry, as well as continuously encouraging upskilling, reskilling and vocational training.

Juhar said there would also be a push for information technology, satellite development, connectivity and development of other related fields.

“Infrastructure and facilities must be maintained and upgraded to support the ongoing developments in Sabah,” he said.

He mentioned land management initiatives, poverty eradication programmes, youth empowerment and better care for the underprivileged including the disabled as part of the state’s agenda to focus on, among other matters as well.