Sarawak Civil Service unit bags international award in Singapore

KUCHING (July 10): The Sarawak Civil Service Digitalisation Unit (SCSDU), under the Department of the Premier of Sarawak, has won the Malaysia Social Equity and Inclusion Initiative of the Year – Community category at the GovMedia Conference & Awards 2026 in Singapore. The award recognised SCSDU’s Service Sarawak initiative, titled “One Government at Your Service – Bridging Communities through Inclusive Digital Transformation”, which integrates multiple government services into a single access point through physical, digital, and mobile channels. Receiving the award was SCSDU director Datu Grace Huong Siew Hung, who was invited to participate in a panel discussion held in conjunction with the conference at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore on Thursday (July 9). SCSDU said the Service Sarawak initiative was developed as part of the Sarawak Civil Service Digital Transformation Journey to improve access to government services across the state’s vast geographical landscape, particularly for rural and remote communities. It said citizens previously had to travel long distances and visit multiple agencies to complete government transactions, but Service Sarawak has streamlined these processes by providing a single gateway that caters to different user preferences and levels of digital access. The initiative has benefited both rural and urban communities by reducing travel time, lowering associated costs, and improving service efficiency. SCSDU said service counters operating under a client charter have reduced waiting times, with overall service delivery time shortened by up to 75 per cent. To date, Service Sarawak has served more than 3.4 million customers and facilitated over 5.5 million transactions, generating total collections of RM6.1 billion across all service channels. Customer satisfaction has also remained above 97 per cent over the past three years, reflecting the platform’s consistent service delivery performance. As of May this year, Service Sarawak has expanded its presence across Kuching, Serian, Sri Aman, Betong, Sarikei, Sibu, Miri, and Lawas, improving access to government services in both urban and rural areas. SCSDU said it will continue expanding service coverage, improving kiosk and mobile application interfaces, strengthening customer experience management, and integrating more government services to ensure that no one is left behind. The initiative supports Sarawak’s Post Covid-19 Development Strategy 2030, particularly its emphasis on social inclusivity, while also contributing towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10 on reducing inequalities. The GovMedia Conference & Awards is a Singapore-based regional awards programme that recognises outstanding public sector initiatives across the Asia-Pacific in government innovation, service delivery, and digital transformation. Speaking at the panel discussion, Huong shared Sarawak’s digital transformation journey, strategic initiatives, and best practices with government and industry leaders from across the region.