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Kota Kinabalu: Sabah entrepreneurs have potential to become economic powerhouses if they embrace bold thinking and stop playing it safe, said entrepreneur-cum-former Singapore politician Prof Inderjit Singh Dhaliwal).

“You have a very capable Sabahan diaspora that is all over the region,” said this engineer by training in his keynote address at the recent CEO Masterclass Sabah 2025 held at the Sabah International Convention Centre.

The event was co-organised by the Sabah Young Business and Industry Leaders (Sybil) and the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MICCI) in support of the Sabah Trade and Tourism Office Singapore with Daily Express as the media partner.

Describing Sabahan diaspora as talented locals who have moved abroad but retain strong emotional ties to their homeland, Inderjit who has built a technology company worth billions, cited Amazing Borneo Tours Founder cum Chief Executive Officer Kenji Yeo as an example. 

Kenji, who is from Tamparuli, is also the Founder cum Director of Borenos Fried Chicken, a popular homegrown fast food brand from Sabah, known for its peppery-spiced fried chicken flavour. 

“Kenji lives in Singapore and I know there are many of them (Sabahan diaspora) all over Asia, Australia and so on. How can you bring these diaspora to want to come back to Sabah and invest?

“In fact, there are some Sabahan diaspora who are already making a move back to start something in Sabah. 

“Thus, I think Sabah does not need to look far for talent and investment, it just needs to convince its own people to return home,” said Inderjit who has started several successful companies in the last 20 years, including one in Silicon Valley. 

Indirjet who was a four-term Singapore Member of Parliament also spoke about the concept of smart villages, whereby rural areas are connected to global markets through technology. 

“In the past you will hire a banker from Kuching or from Kota Kinabalu. He has to pack his bag, go to New York and earn New York salary but pay New York rental.

“But what if you can do this all from the village? You can have your bankers now working from somewhere in a remote village, smart villages,” he said. 

With satellite internet technology like Starlink, Inderjit believes remote villages could become micro engines for growth where skilled workers serve global clients without leaving their communities.

He also thinks Sabah’s real opportunity lies in thinking beyond state borders. 

“You need to think regional and act global. The BIMP-EAGA is your playground. You also have Asean. 

“With the right infrastructure and mindset, Sabah businesses could serve the 82 million people in the broader region, then expand globally,” he said. 

For small and medium enterprises struggling with innovation costs, he proposed a practical solution.

“You cannot invest. You do not have enough money, you do not have people to invest in Research and Development. But I think if we can work with the universities where there is some research done, there are professors, there are experts. Let that be your innovation centres. 

“This approach would require government funding but could turn universities into innovation hubs for local businesses,” he said. 

He also shared his three-star alignment formula for entrepreneurial success, namely Star of Opportunity, Star of Team and Star of Investors. 

“For Star of Opportunity, ask yourself is there a real opportunity that can scale up? For Star of Team ask yourself ‘do you have a great team?’ and for Star of Investors ask yourself “are you getting the right type of investors?

“If any of this is missing, your chances of success will be very low. If two are missing, you will not succeed,” he said. 

For Sabah’s funding challenges, Inderjit suggested creating a local angel investment network. 

“You have got so many successful entrepreneurs, so many people who have exited traditional businesses that may not be sexy anymore for investment, but have the money. Invest in up-and-coming entrepreneurs.

“Let’s say 10 of us get together and then we as a team, we assess together and we put in 100,000 each, we actually can fund a company that needs a million dollars,” he said, giving an example of how this could work practically. 

He also sees the trend toward de-globalisation and regional supply chains a chance for Sabah to become part of global value chains.

“Global disruptions should not be feared but seen as an opportunity for Sabah. 

“Localisation does not have to mean, it must be sub-art, it could be regional localisation. I would see disruption as an opportunity for you to become part of the supply chain, of a bigger global supply chain,” he said. 

He said most important is for Sabahans to change their thinking. 

“You can be an entrepreneur no matter what you do in life. You can be a minister, you can be a civil servant and you can be a school teacher.

“There is no problem in the world that cannot be solved and that is why I have been able to solve those things and create my company,” he said. 

His credentials speak for themselves. In 1998, he founded his first technology Unicorn Company United Test and Assembly Centre (UTAC), raising millions in the process. 

UTAC was listed on the Singapore Exchange in 2005 as a leading independent global provider of semiconductor assembly and testing services. 

“I saw an opportunity coming my way that was waiting to be solved and a huge opportunity. This opportunity will not wait for me forever. I decided that I want to tap this opportunity,” he said. 

“History rewards those who take action. Do not wait for opportunity. Create it. Transform challenges into opportunities.

“For Sabah, the tools for economic transformation are available from technology to talent to global markets. What is needed now is the courage to use them.

“See your disruption as an opportunity. Do not fear the disruption. We must not be afraid. But we must lead the change that is going to come.

“Ask yourself, do you want to scale beyond limits or remain content with the status quo. Are you passive observers or are you active shapers?” he said.