SICTA History

The history of the Sarawak ICT Association (SICTA) is a story of two organizations, one from Sibu and one from Kuching, that eventually merged to form a single, statewide body.
The main story line begins with the formation of the Computer Sales and Services Association (CSSA) in Sibu, with the history of the Kuching Computer Business Association (KCBA) summarized and integrated at key points.

The Formation of CSSA Sarawak

The idea for an association for local computer firms in Sarawak was first proposed in October 1998. An application was submitted to the Registrar of Societies on November 23, 1998, for the formation of "Persatuan Jualan & Perkhidmatan Komputer Sarawak".
Due to all the pro-tem committee members being from Sibu, the Registrar of Societies requested a name change to "Persatuan Jualan & Perkhidmatan Komputer Sibu" on March 13, 1999. After submitting amended documents, the registration for "Persatuan Jualan & Perkhidmatan Komputer Sibu (CSSA Sibu)" was approved on October 6, 1999.

The Rise of KCBA in Kuching
Simultaneously, following a dispute at a computer fair in Kuching, a dialogue was initiated by Mr. Alvin Sia to form a local computer association to protect the interests of dealers in the area. On December 26, 1999, an interim committee was formed to draft a constitution.
A meeting on May 7, 2000, accepted the draft constitution, and the Kuching Information Technology Association (KITA) was organized. The name was later changed to the Kuching Computer Business Association (KCBA) on the advice of the Registrar of Societies.
A temporary permit for the association was granted on November 22, 2000. KCBA's official incorporation and constitution approval occurred on January 25, 2002.

Statewide Expansion and Affiliation
At the Annual General Meeting held on February 11, 2001, CSSA Sibu resolved to change its name to "Persatuan Jualan & Perkhidmatan Komputer Sarawak (CSSA Sarawak)" to allow computer dealers from across the state to join. The name change was approved by the Registrar of Societies on January 14, 2002.
This paved the way for the new Rules & Constitution of CSSA Sarawak, which were approved on June 17, 2003. These new rules allowed for the setting up of branches and affiliated associations. Three branches were established in Sibu, Bintulu, and Miri.

KCBA was admitted as an affiliated member of CSSA Sarawak. On March 23, 2003, KCBA sent three representatives to attend the first Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting of CSSA Sarawak in Sibu. This affiliation also provided KCBA access to the network of PIKOM, the national ICT Association of Malaysia.

Collaborative Milestones
Both associations were active in promoting the ICT industry. KCBA held its first IT exhibition, the "COMBASS PC Fair 2002" , and later organized the "KCBA ICT EXPO 2004," with 37 participating companies and 93 exhibition booths.
KCBA also introduced a Lifetime Membership for companies paying a lump sum of RM 500 in 2005.
In 2007, to create a better impact for ICT events, CSSA Sarawak and KCBA collaborated to launch a new fair called "The Sarawak ICT EXPO 2007".
To prevent the negative effects of too many PC fairs being organized in Sarawak, CSSA Sarawak, with KCBA's support, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with PIKOM in 2011 to regulate the hosting of such events. This agreement ensured each party would only hold one fair per town in Sarawak. That same year, KCBA moved its main ICT EXPO to the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK), which attracted over 60,000 visitors.

Rebranding and Unification
In 2017, the two parallel histories merged when KCBA decided to consolidate with CSSA Sarawak. This move resulted in KCBA's members being placed under a newly formed Kuching Branch, which was approved by the Registrar of Societies on February 13, 2018.
To keep up with the times and include all ICT players, the association's rules were re-written, which included changing the name to "Persatuan Teknologi Maklumat Sarawak (Sarawak ICT Association)". The new name and rules were approved by the Registrar of Societies on December 6, 2017.
Today, SICTA's Central Committee is composed of representatives from its four branches: Sibu, Miri, Bintulu, and Kuching.
The Central Committee is made up of 3 representatives each from each branch, namely Sibu Branch, Miri Branch, Bintulu Branch and Kuching Branch.
The Rules & Constitution allows independent management of branch finances and in carrying out the activities beneficial to their members at each branch while the Central Committee deals with matters which affect the ICT industry at State & National Level.

The Chairman of the Central Committee (CWC) is to be elected by rotation among the Chairman of the branches for one term (2 years) and the term of office is as follows:
1st Term - Mr. Wong Chi Tieng (2003-2004)
2nd Term - Mr. Alex Jong Choon Teck (2005-2006)
3rd Term - Mr. Michael Kho Chung Kang (2007-2008)
4th Term - Mr. Wong Chi Tieng (2009-2010)
5th Term - Mr. Victor Kuan Wai Teck (2011-2012)
6th Term - Mr. Lee Kim Seng (2013-2014)
7th Term - Mr. Nicky Yong Kheng Ling (2015-2016)
8th Term - Mr. Wong Chi Tieng (2017-2018)
9th Term - Mr. Jong Choon Teck (2019-2020)
10th Term - Mr. Foo Shau Lung (2021-2022)
11th Term - Mr. Wong Ing Ang (2023-2024)
12th Term -Mr. Yong Chee Tak (2025-2026)

The Central Committee has endorsed the following persons (who have served the Committee at branch level and/or Central committee level for over 10 years) as Honorable Chairman of our Association.

Victor Kuan Wai Teck	Chong Choon Chiang	Wong Chi Tieng