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According to him, a state’s success depends on the talent, skills, creativity and leadership of its citizens. While roads can be built in a few years, developing capable people takes decades and requires sustained investment in education and training.

“Building a road will take you 10 years. But you want to really develop, you build your people, it’ll take you 100 years. So developing the talent takes a long time,” he said.

Sheng said many countries have made the mistake of believing economic growth alone is enough to guarantee progress.

He argued that development should not be measured solely through statistics such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), but by whether people are able to adapt, innovate and build a sustainable future.

Drawing on his experience working across Asia and with international organisations such as the World Bank, Sheng said the world is undergoing rapid changes driven by technology, artificial intelligence (AI), geopolitical tensions and shifting economic power.

He said these changes mean Sabah must place greater emphasis on developing its human capital, especially among younger generations. “If you want to develop, build a road. That may take 10 years. But if you want to really develop, build your people. That may take 100 years,” he said.

Sheng noted that knowledge and information are now more accessible than ever before. With smartphones and AI tools readily available, young people can learn, acquire skills and access information at a speed unimaginable to previous generations.

Because of this, he believes Sabah should focus on preparing its youth for future challenges instead of relying solely on traditional industries. He also addressed the issue of Sabah’s long-standing brain drain, where many talented Sabahans leave the State in search of better opportunities elsewhere.

Rather than viewing the situation entirely as a loss, Sheng said Sabah should recognise the value of its diaspora. He pointed to countries such as India, China, South Korea and Taiwan, where citizens who gained experience overseas eventually returned home and helped build globally competitive industries.

“The advantage of the diaspora is that those who have worked abroad can reflect on what they have learned and bring those experiences back home,” he said.

He added that Sabah should not expect to transform into a highly developed economy overnight.

“If you expect today to immediately create a Finland of ASEAN, it is not possible. It cannot happen that fast. Education starts at home, and if we educate properly and move in the right direction, I think we have a great chance of success,” he said.

Another key point raised during the podcast was the need for Sabah to chart its own path instead of blindly copying development models from elsewhere.

Sheng argued that many governments and policymakers tend to search for “best practices” from successful countries, assuming what works in one place will automatically work in another.

However, he said every region has unique characteristics that must be taken into account. “What we should now think about is not best practice, but best fit,” he said.

He explained that policies suitable for major global cities or developed economies may not necessarily suit Sabah’s circumstances. Sabah’s geography, population distribution, cultural diversity and natural environment differ significantly from many other places.

Unlike densely populated urban centres, Sabah has scattered rural communities, vast forest areas, mountainous terrain and a multicultural population consisting of dozens of ethnic groups.

Because of these differences, Sheng said development policies should be designed around local realities rather than imported wholesale from elsewhere. He noted that solutions that work in desert economies, for example, may not be suitable for a state rich in rainforests and biodiversity like Sabah.

Similarly, policies developed for highly urbanised societies may not address the challenges faced by remote communities in the interior. Sheng said one of the lasting effects of colonial influence was the tendency to view Western systems and ideas as the universal standard for success.

He recalled that during his school years, students learned more about British history than the history of Borneo itself. As a result, many people grew up assuming that development models from the West represented the ideal path forward.

However, recent global developments have shown that there is no single formula for success.

He pointed to growing economic challenges in advanced countries, geopolitical rivalries and changes in the global order as evidence that nations and regions must think independently about their future.

For Sabah, this means identifying its own strengths and building policies around them. Sheng said the State possesses significant advantages, including its rich biodiversity, natural landscapes, cultural heritage and relatively small population.

However, these assets can only be fully utilised if Sabah succeeds in developing its people and creating institutions capable of supporting long-term growth. He stressed that the goal should not be to imitate another country or region, but to create a development model that reflects Sabah’s own needs and aspirations.

As the world enters an era of rapid technological change and economic uncertainty, Sheng believes the states and societies that invest in their people and remain adaptable will be the ones best positioned to succeed.

“The people who grab these new tools will be winners, and those who don’t learn are going to be losers,” he said.

His message to Sabah was simple, “build people first, and build a future that fits Sabah’s own unique identity.”