KUCHING: Datu Aloysius J. Dris, who retired from government service in 2003 after 32 years’ stint in both the federal and state civil services, will remain the General Manager of Yayasan Perpaduan Sarawak. Yayasan Perpaduan Sarawak is under the chairmanship of the Yang di Pertua Negeri of Sarawak, Tun Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud.
After graduating in May 1970 from Carleton University, Ottawa where he majored in Political Science & Sociology, Aloysius started his career in the public service, as Information Officer in Malaysian Information Sarawak, a federal department, in March 1971. He opted to serve in a state statutory body (STIDC) to do marketing and management for 11 years from 1984 – 1995. While in the state service, he offered to set up the State Ministry of Tourism in Sarawak and establish Sarawak Tourism Board (STB). He became the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry and later, the Chief Executive of STB from 1999 – 2003. He worked under seven State Secretaries, which is quite a record for a civil servant.
Aloysius was one of the founding Board members of Angkatan Zaman Mansang (AZAM) Sarawak in 1983 and sat as a Board Director till 2003. He is also a founding Board Member of Sarawak Development Institute which was set up in September, 1995 and sat as one of its Board members till 1999. After that, he remained active in the Membership Committee till 2002.
After retirement, Aloysius was appointed Chief Executive Officer of AZAM and SDI on 1 August, 2003. After leading AZAM and Sarawak Development Institute (SDI) for 13 years, he decided to call it a day. The Board members and senior members of both SDI and AZAM recently threw a thank you dinner for Aloysius for having done an exemplary job in both organisations. He will remain professionally linked with SDI, which provides the secretariat for Yayasan Perpaduan Sarawak.
