Infographic: The curious business of measuring happiness. It turns out money is not quite the decisive factor we often assume it to be. According to the latest World Happiness Report, income does matter, but far less than social and relational factors. thesarawakian.substack.com

Issue 68: Some of us may not be entirely familiar with the idea of an ombudsman, but it plays a crucial role in a government’s ability to self-correct when things go off track. thesarawakian.substack.com

Infographic: Airscape in Sarawak

Issue 67: With just 2 weeks left in 2025, Singapore has finally become the richest country in the world on a per capita basis. Perhaps there is some comfort in noting that the Malaysian ringgit may test the MYR4 to USD1 threshold before long? thesarawakian.substack.com

Infographic: Singapore has received approval to open a consulate office in Sarawak. This week’s infographic highlights the countries that planted diplomatic roots here earlier, and how Singapore is now joining that landscape. thesarawakian.substack.com

Issue 66: As the year winds down, Abang Jo reports encouraging progress on Sarawak’s economic growth. Still, the path to 2030 remains demanding. Doubling the state’s GDP in the next five years is no small harvest. thesarawakian.substack.com

Issue 65 infographic: The Global Talent Competitiveness Report inspired the clickable infographic this week. It is no surprise Singapore is leading the high income nations. As a consolation, Malaysia is second among upper middle income countries. thesarawakian.substack.com

Issue 65: Kuching is actively trying to age gracefully. Aren’t we all? All that hard work has to land somewhere nice, surely. A city that can accommodate the aged can also accommodate the young, but not necessarily vice versa. thesarawakian.substack.com

This week’s infographic looks at one of our favourite drinks: coffee. Copious amounts have been consumed in the production of The Sarawakian, among other things. thesarawakian.substack.com

Issue 64: This week’s big headline is Prime Minister DSAI’s promise to rebalance federal representation by having more seats for Sabah and Sarawak before the next general election in about three years. Bold promises aside, a lot rests on the Sabah state election next weekend.

Issue 63: Demographic infographic This week’s infographic compares selected 2020 population census indicators, placing Sarawak alongside Selangor and Johor (two big states) as well as Japan and the Netherlands (two rich countries). thesarawakian.substack.com

Issue 63: Government clinics across Sarawak are being digitalised to improve efficiency and delivery, yet the challenges of serving a population that is thinly spread across a vast landmass is considerable. Sarawak population growth rate is slowing as well. thesarawakian.substack.com

Issue 62: A headline that didn’t quite make it into this week’s issue deserves mention: the Borneo Cultures Museum outpacing the Louvre in an online popularity poll. I enjoy a good poll, but I like data even more. Check out the infographic. thesarawakian.substack.com

Issue 62: The MACC has been working hard in recent years - with good reason. In the past five years alone, it has recovered more than RM31 billion in assets. That is significant. So when the MACC praises Sarawak, it’s not something to dismiss lightly. thesarawakian.substack.com

Infographic: Rare earth elements - what are they and what are they used for? Subscribe here: thesarawakian.substack.com or join the Whatsapp Community: chat.whatsapp.com/IUIhdFtz7tBD...

Issue 61: Abang Jo’s idea of a Sarawak Complex in Kuala Lumpur may sound extravagant, but at heart it’s an act of care - a way to give our young people a home base and a sense of belonging as they begin their working lives. Join the Whatsapp Community: chat.whatsapp.com/IUIhdFtz7tBD...

Infographic: Sarawak 13th Malaysia Plan thesarawakian.substack.com

Issue 60: While the big news that came out of the Sarawak Economic Conference was the Sarawak 13th Malaysia Plan, the news that a Sarawakian company has successfully launched a satellite into orbit in China seems to come out of the blue. thesarawakian.substack.com

Issue 59: A look at global state owned enterprises (SOEs). Sarawak government is working with the World Bank to develop policies on managing SOEs. Here's a high level look at the global landscape. thesarawakian.substack.com

issue 59: The number of students taking hardcore science subjects has fallen through the floor. As a man of science myself, this is not how gravity should work. In this week’s A String of Thought, I make a case that it’s a serious issue that demands urgent attention. thesarawakian.substack.com

Top 5 Sarawak wins in Budget 2026 thesarawakian.substack.com

Issue 58: The big news this week is, of course, the 2026 national budget. Sarawak gets a clean RM6 billion allocation, up slightly from last year’s RM5.9 billion. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’d have seen the many breakdowns, highlights, and analyses floating around.

The Concert Economy in 2025 - this year's receipt is expected to be RM1.7 billion. thesarawakian.substack.com

Issue 57: Last week’s announcement by the Prime Minister confirming an increase in parliamentary seats for Sabah and Sarawak was undoubtedly the eyebrow-raising news of the week — and rightly takes its place as the main headline. thesarawakian.substack.com

Issue 56: When leadership fails, people leave. thesarawakian.substack.com

Issue 56: The Sarawak government is showing the way in how to build an equitable society through fair access to education for all. Abang Jo is in London to create opportunities for upskill our civil servants to the next level. In sports, the Sarawakian contingent is leading at the Borneo Games.

Infographics - red gold. thesarawakian.substack.com

Issue 55: Petroleum has fallen off the top spot as Sarawak’s biggest export - it is, instead, palm oil. One might argue that this is a soft landing for an economy that had been based on petroleum for over a hundred years. thesarawakian.substack.com

Borneo Games by the numbers

Issue 54: Three talented young ladies from Miri winning the World Robot Olympiad Europe Open 2025 is definitely headline-worthy this week. Robotics and automation is the future and these young ladies are off to a great start. They deserve all the attention they can get. thesarawakian.substack.com

Issue 53: On the subject of tourism, as Malaysia gears up for Visit Malaysia Year 2026, this week’s infographic reviews the 2024 numbers. Tourism is already a major contributor to Sarawak’s economy, but the figures suggest there’s still room for improvement. TheSarawakian.substack.com

Issue 53: Another week, another roadmap. Sarawak is charting its path to high-income industrialisation with growing clarity & the same principle now applies to visitors at Bako National Park - compulsory guided tours are being introduced to ensure a smoother experience. TheSarawakian.substack.com

Sarawak Water. Full coverage by 2030.

Issue 52: The first shipment of green hydrogen is ready to go! This is exciting as it evokes the first shipment of crude oil from the “Far East” to Europe in the 1800s. A new era is beginning. thesarawakian.substack.com

This week’s infographic takes a hard look at vaping. The Ministry of Health is weighing a nationwide ban, and Sarawak faces a particular challenge – we have the highest proportion of teen vapers in the country. thesarawakian.substack.com

Issue 51: The introduction of the 5-year visa for professionals is going to be one of the top few things that will unblock many of the bottlenecks that are facing mega projects in Sarawak, as decades of brain drain have resulted in a dearth of talents.

Infographic: Sarawak is far behind in reaching its aspirational goal of being self sufficient in rice production. thesarawakian.substack.com

Issue 50: The headline is Sarawak’s new Energy Transition Policy (SET-P). Unlike Net Zero targets, which are just destinations, SET-P may prove a more realistic approach to tackling climate change. thesarawakian.substack.com

Infographic: Alfred Russel Wallace - "Truth is born into this world only with pangs and tribulations, and every fresh truth is received unwillingly.” thesarawakian.substack.com

Issue 49: Last week we saw some big moves in healthcare, and more to come next week as the big honchos meet to talk. Sarawak is rightfully seeking autonomy in healthcare as the Sarawakian terrain offers significant challenges. thesarawakian.substack.com

Issue 48: Trade Door Opens to Kalimantan - A free-trade deal is allowing duty-free movement of goods and services across the Sarawak and Kalimantan border. Just like that, a market of nearly a million people is now available to Kuching businesses. thesarawakian.substack.com

Issue 47 infographic: Robotics... Malaysia is very far behind the leaders. thesarawakian.substack.com

Issue 47: Our hearts are stolen by the children of Sarawak who won big at the World Robot Olympiad China invitational - a nice surprise that we must be proud of considering the competition included teams from China, South Korea, the USA and Germany. Read in detail here: thesarawakian.substack.com

This article needs to be fact-checked. It appears the author conflates crude birth rate (‰) or TFR values with percentages - this is a misnomer or misuse of terminology. www.theborneopost.com/2025/07/26/d...

Infographic: how carbon capture, utilisation and storage works to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere.

If you missed the news a couple of weeks ago about Sarawakian buffalo producing mozzarella, don’t worry - this week, our cows are making headlines by producing hydrogen fuel from their dung. Whether this is the future or just a load of bull, time will tell.

BRICS: Among other differences, full members get voting rights and access to financing facilities from BRICS institutions such as New Developmen Bank. Partners (such as Malaysia) only get to join the dialogues with limited access to financing facilities.

Infographic - getting to know BRICS. Subscribe to The Sarawakian: thesarawakian.substack.com

Hydrogen certifcation may not spark as much chatter, but its long-term impact could be far greater. Establishing a credible certification system gives Sarawak structure, authority, and export legitimacy in the hydrogen economy - just as Malaysia once did with Standard Malaysian Rubber in the 1960s.

This week’s theme is on AI and digital tools. The Sarawak government is pushing the digital economy hard - it’s a wise decision. Interestingly, the adoption of AI tools has a large dependency on the grasp of the English language. Subscribe here: thesarawakian.substack.com