KUCHING: The move by the federal government to enhance the image of the local authorities, especially in terms of service delivery is very welcomed, Local Government Assistant Minister Datu Dr Penguang Manggil said.
However, he pointed out that the local authorities in Sarawak would not be able to do exactly what the federal government instructed.
“We are governed by our own sets of laws which may not necessarily be the same as those in Peninsula Malaysia as each local authority has its own autonomy in many aspects,” he explained when commenting on the announcement by Federal Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin that the role and image of the local authorities would be enhanced to raise their quality and government management efficiency.
Zuraida was reported as saying that the time had come for the government to uplift the standard of services of the local authorities as these bodies were important in any government administration.
She said their role needed to be enhanced by giving them a new image. She added their uniforms would also be standardised nationwide soon in line with their tasks.
According to Dr Penguang, based on the Star Rating Exercise carried out by the Federal Housing And Local Government Ministry since 2009, the local authorities in Sarawak did very well. They obtained five 5-star ratings, nine 4-star rating and 12 3-star ratings.
“In fact, all the 20 district councils and the ministry were certified as a single entity under the MS ISO 2015 Standards.
“In other words, even though there is still room for improvement, much has been done and therefore, the move by the federal government to enhance the image of the local authorities, especially in terms of service delivery, is indeed very much welcomed,” he said.
Sarawak, Dr Penguang said, had 26 local authorities, three city councils and 20 district councils.
“All these local authorities are governed by our own Local Authorities Ordinance 1954 and dozens of other legislations and by-laws,” he said.
