Datu Dr Sabariah Putit
DATU Dr Sabariah Putit is the first woman in the history of Sarawak civil service to hold the position of a Deputy State Secretary (DSS). Many hailed her appointment in August 2016 as a watershed moment for women in Sarawak.
Sabariah does not disappoint. During her tenure, feminine traits in the Sarawak civil service have emerged, demonstrating the strength of female leadership.
In her leadership, she uses her gentle persona to demonstrate empathy, intuition, flexibility, interdependence and kindness.
The female qualities are indeed great stores of power for effective leadership. She points to the fact that women in possession of knowledge and feminine traits are capable of taking charge.
Her ability to network and capitalise on local, national, global expertise and organisations has enabled her to move forward in assisting the state in its transformation agenda.
“I consider it a privilege to be part of the government’s machinery in raising the civil service’s capability in support of the state’s collective agenda. In doing so, we can never stop learning and acquiring knowledge.
“For us as public servants, it is an honour to serve. We should take pride in contributing to creating a civil service that upholds core values such as integrity, kind and caring service, professionalism, teamwork, sense of urgency and result-driven performance,” says Sabariah.
Women in leadership positions
More women are rising to leadership positions as a result of the government’s efforts to provide opportunities for all, regardless of gender or ethnic background, and to work toward an all-encompassing culture in which performance and quality of service delivery reign supreme.
“Those who aspire to be in higher positions in the public sector, whether they’re men or women, must prepare themselves with the ability to deliver and willingness to sacrifice and go the extra mile to bring about positive changes,” says Sabariah.
“As I observe, women have so much to contribute and in most cases, they’re very hardworking and reliable as men. If we aspire to be an advanced country, we must be performance and merit based. We need to select leaders regardless of gender on the basis of their potential, talent and competence.”
Sabariah published a book on Sarawak women in the public service in 2018, in her capacity as DSS in charge of Performance and Service Delivery Transformation (PSDT), highlighting the roles and contributions of women public servants in positions of leadership.
“The number of women in high positions in the civil service has increased in recent years and of course, we’re still looking forward to having more of the fairer sex up there.”
Sabariah’s rise up the organisational hierarchy, like that of the majority of female civil servants in leadership positions, has been the result of sheer determination and hard work. She echoes the well-known axiom: “Women have to work three times more than men to be up there.”
“The multiple roles of a mother and housewife and at the same time, as a leader in the public sector, demand them to make sacrifices.”
This year marks her 34th year in the civil service having served under former chief ministers Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud and Pehin Sri Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem, and also the present Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
In her 34 years in the Sarawak civil service, Sabariah has worked with former chief ministers (clockwise, from top left) Taib and Adenan, and now with Abang Johari.
Humble beginning
Sabariah has come a long way to where she is today. Her years of working in various capacities with people at all levels had equipped her in her quest to take the Sarawak civil service to a higher level of transformation.
She began as a research officer in the Agriculture Research Centre in 1988, two years after having graduated from Universiti Malaya with a Bachelor Degree in Science, majoring in Genetics. Her task was to undertake research on indigenous edible plants in Sarawak.
The job took her to various parts of rural Sarawak in search of the plants, which led to the publication of a book she co-authored titled ‘Indigenous Fruits and Vegetables of Sarawak’.
Sabariah places importance on proper documentation of the various phases and aspects of development and progress in the state for posterity. As she prides, the documentations will serve as an authoritative source of knowledge and information to researchers, academics and future generation.
Another publication that she initiated was the special edition of the Sarawak Gazette in honour of the late Datuk Patinggi Dr Laila Taib. Published in November 2009, the book highlighted Laila’s contributions and charity work in Sarawak as well as women’s involvement in non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other fields.
Following her return from the UK after completing her PhD in Human Resources Development at the University of Wales, Bangor, Sabariah was appointed the principal assistant director of the Human Resources Development Unit. She was director of Sarawak Women’s Bureau under then-Ministry of Social Development before she left for the UK for her doctorate degree. As head of the bureau, she worked closely with various government agencies and women NGOs on issues and programmes pertaining to women and family.
Her involvement with local communities in various parts of Sarawak has given her a better understanding of people. She strives to give her all in every field in which she works.
Organising a delegation, led by Laila Taib, to the Fourth World Women’s Conference in Beijing in 1995 was one of her significant contributions while with the women’s bureau.
Photo taken at the Fourth World Women’s Conference in Beijing in 1995 shows delegation leader Laila Taib (centre) with Sabariah (right) and other members. Also in the photo, on Laila’s right, is the former assemblywoman for Padungan constituency Datuk Lily Yong.
Wisma Wanita Sarawak
The conference led to the formulation of the National Women Action Plan by the Women Affairs Department, Kuala Lumpur and later, the Sarawak Women Action Plan. The latter paved the way for the settling up of a women’s centre, the present Wisma Wanita in Petra Jaya, Kuching.
Known for its efforts to promote entrepreneurial skills among women, the centre has become an icon of a long-term commitment of the state to the development and progress of women in all spheres of activity.
Not surprisingly, Sabariah took the lead in producing the book titled ‘Sarawak Women – Treading the Path of Post-Independence Years’ as chief editor, which was launched in 2010. The book, published by the Ministry of Social Development and Urbanisation and co-sponsored by the Chief Minister’s Office, provided an overview of women’s progress in Sarawak since the formation of Malaysia in 1963.
Encapsulating the changing roles, challenges and strives of women in various areas of development, the book was to be the first of a series of publications on Sarawak women.
Sabariah became involved in publishing books through her own initiative with encouraging support from the government.
“It’s a privilege to be able to publish what our country and people have done in the past and present. We have a rich diversity of cultural resources and subjects that go with them.
“There is still a dearth of books written on this subject by local writers and I hope to see more of these in the future,” she enthuses.
Civil service transformation
During her eight month stint as chief executive officer of Centre for Modern Management (CMM), Sabariah earned a reputation as a transformational leader who had persevered and endured the rough journey in spearheading the secretariat for the Sarawak Civil Service Transformation Plan – known as SCS10-20.
The plan, designed to build the capability of the Sarawak civil service in terms of its culture, talent and good governance, has gained recognition globally and was awarded the Commonwealth Association for Administration and Management International Innovation Award (CAPAM IIA) 2016 for the Innovative DNA Category.
By the time she was promoted to DSS, she had been project leader and chief editor of numerous civil service publications, including the book ‘People Development: A Leader’s Journey in the Transformation of Sarawak – Taib Mahmud’, which she co-authored.
Sabariah was director of Service Modernisation and the State Human Resources Unit prior to her present appointment. Among her key responsibilities as director was to lead in the transformation and positioning of the state human resources in meeting contemporary challenges.
Today, in her seventh year as a DSS, Sabariah is involved in strengthening further the civil service’s capability in support of Abang Johari’s Post Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) to ensure that the civil service would not only remain relevant, but also steadfast in realising the state’s aspiration through good governance.
Chairman of Old Kuching Smart Heritage
Sabariah comes across as a comely hospitable individual, very dedicated to her work. Apart from overseeing the State Human Resources Unit, State Services Modernisation Unit and State Public Relations Unit, she is also the chairman of Old Kuching Smart Heritage (OKSHE) and Sarawak Heritage Innovation: ‘Songket’ and ‘Keringkam’ respectively on a voluntary basis.
With aggressive efforts in reintroducing the traditional Sarawak Malay textiles, ‘songket’ and ‘keringkam’ through the Sarawak Heritage Innovation project, the textiles are getting more appreciated and recognised.
“The project gets the community on board the digital economy, empower them by developing their skills and connecting them to the market. It is aimed at developing an integrated and sustainable ecosystem, improving the socio-economy of the locals, generating employment opportunities as well as protecting, preserving and conserving these valuable heritage products,” she explains.
Through the project, Sabariah is also privileged to work closely with the Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah who is an aficionado of traditional textiles – ‘songket’ and ‘keringkam’ in particular; and the Premier of Sarawak’s wife Datuk Amar Juma’ani Tuanku Bujang, the patron of Sarawak Songket and Keringkam Project.
For the Queen, Sarawak is like a second home as Her Majesty visits the state often.
OKSHE is a Sarawak Digital Economy initiative aimed at promoting the richness of Kuching’s historical and cultural heritage as a tourist attraction as well as for posterity.
The objective of the project is also to create business and job opportunities for the community and empower them for sustainable socio-economy.
(From right) File photo shows Tunku Azizah, Sabariah and Juma’ani during Her Majesty’s visit to the Songket and Keringkam Gallery in Kuching.
Family, career finely balanced
Sabariah prioritises family and career.
“Yes, my work takes a lot of my time. That’s leadership. It entails commitment and passion.
“If you are committed and passionate about something, then time is not an issue. You will always find time. I find time for everything whether it’s about family or work.
“If we were to be an advanced country, we have to have shared values, high level of competence and knowledge. A performance based public service should be the order of the day.
“And yes, it has to transcend gender and race,” she points out.
Thirty-four years in the civil service have taught Sabariah a lot about resilience, leadership, integrity, and loyalty to service.
“Leadership begins with service. This exercise of power begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve with purpose.
“Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. In the civil service, it has evolved into servant leadership,” she says.
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