KUCHING: Awards for excellent service have been presented to 173 recipients from 22 local councils, Housing Development Corporation, and Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) Sarawak under the Ministry of Local Government and Housing (MLGH).
The awards were presented at the annual Excellent Service Award (APC) 2019 Ceremony organised by MLGH and the Miri City Council (MCC) at Pullman Miri Waterfront Hotel on Wednesday (Nov 25).
Award recipients from the agencies were mainly from outside Kuching District. An APC 2019 Ceremony for those in Kuching District will be held at a later date when the Covid-19 situation there has improved.
This will involve 200 APC 2019 recipients from the ministry itself and the agencies under it, namely Kuching South City Council (MBKS), Padawan Municipal Council (MPP), Housing Development Corporation, DID, and the Sewerage Services Department.
Additionally, in line with state directives, MLGH has developed its own Organisational Anti-Corruption Plan (OACP) and Corruption Risk Management (CRM). MLGH OACP 2021-2025 is a five-year anti-corruption plan.
The symbolic handing over of the plan from permanent secretary to MLGH Datuk Antonio Kahti Galis to Assistant Minister of Local Government and Housing Datuk Dr Penguang Manggil was conducted at the APC 2019 Ceremony as well.
The plan has six main sections, six strategies, ten objectives, and 117 initiatives to be implemented from 2021 to 2025.
OACP is a fundamental anti-corruption document at the organisational level to curb weaknesses and issues regarding governance, integrity, and anti-corruption within an organisation. In the long term, the ministry is expected to extend the implementation to all the local councils under its purview.
The councils also received recognition from MLGH for their roles as frontliners in the battle against Covid-19, including working with other enforcement agencies to ensure compliance with the standard operating procedure (SOP) as well as sanitising public spaces.
A sum of RM74,000 was presented to the councils; MCC received RM5,000; MPP, Kota Samarahan Municipal Council (MPKS), and Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) received RM4,000 each while the other 19 district councils received RM3,000 each.
Present at the ceremony were Penguang representing Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian, MCC mayor Adam Yii, and other representatives.
