GOGIGGERS PROGRAMME EMPOWERS 78 RAKAN RIDERS IN SARAWAK

KUCHING, Feb 6 (Bernama)  -- The GoGiggers Financial Literacy Programme 2025: Borneo Tour - Sarawak Leg concluded on a high note as 78 delivery partners, known as ‘Rakan Riders’, were celebrated for their commitment to financial resilience, marking a significant milestone in Sarawak’s push towards an inclusive and sustainable digital economy.

Speaking at the programme’s closing ceremony here, Kuching South Mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng praised the transformation achieved over the past six months, describing the participants not merely as gig workers, but as a growing community of empowered and financially resilient individuals.

“Our Rakan Riders are the heartbeat of Kuching’s digital economy. Every time a Sarawakian uses an app to order food or a parcel, they are participating in the digital transformation we speak of in the State Legislative Assembly,” he said. 

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He expressed confidence that the programme proved that gig work could be a  sustainable, professional and financially secure career if equipped with the right tools, especially since the sector was seen as ‘temporary’ or ‘unstable’.

“By mastering your finances, you are directly contributing to the social inclusivity pillar of Sarawak’s Post-COVID Development Strategy (PCDS 2030). You are showing that in Sarawak, no worker is left behind,” he said.

Drawing on the Sarawakian saying, “Steady jak… simpan sikit-sikit pun boleh, lama-lama jadi bukit,” (take it steady… save a little at a time and eventually it becomes a mountain), Wee noted that Rakan Riders are now standing on that very “bukit,” serving as role models for over 230,000 gig workers across the state.

Wee also extended appreciation to the programme organised by Credit Counselling and Debt Management Agency (AKPK) in collaboration with Foodpanda, Bank Simpanan Nasional and Employees' Provident Fund (EPF).

The six-month hybrid programme, conducted since July 2025 aims to equip participants with essential financial knowledge through interactive learning methods.

Meanwhile AKPK Household Financial Education Department Head Nirmala Supramaniam said in Sarawak alone, Ringgit Diary, a financial management tool used in the programme to help Rakan Riders track their income, expenses and savings, recorded total savings of RM28,000, with seven riders successfully saving more than RM1,001 each.

Nirmala said what moved her the most was not the figures or statistics, but the personal stories of change, and shared a story of a delivery partner who started out as a walker, with limited income and mobility.

“By saving consistently RM5, RM10 and RM20 at a time, the rider managed to build up RM2,000 in savings. That discipline eventually enabled him to buy his own motorcycle, transforming not only his earning capacity, but his future,” she said. 

-- BERNAMA