The newly installed UPP Community Service Board committee in a photocall with UPP top leaders Wong (seated centre), flanked by Dr Jerip (fourth right) and Lo, Ranum (third right), Rayong (third left), Chou (second left) and Yap (left).
KUCHING: United People’s Party (UPP) reiterated its pledge of total loyalty and fullest support towards Barisan Nasional (BN) in its collective responsibility in the BN family, and to rally support from people from all races for the BN government.
As such, its president Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh said UPP would aspire to become a force to be reckoned with in the BN family under the prime minister and chief minister at federal and state level respectively.
“We are in fact part of the BN family and we would like to become an indispensable part of the BN family, and during the next parliamentary election, I would like to urge all our members to work hard to make ourselves a force to be reckoned with and to make ourselves indispensable.
“When it comes to selecting the candidates, we will be among the winnable candidates who will be selected to represent BN as Direct BN candidates in the coming parliamentary election,” he said at the launch of the UPP Community Service Board at KTS Garden here yesterday.
Wong said the launch of UPP Service Bureau was the pledge of the party to continue to engage fully, in its collective responsibility in the BN family, while rising up to the challenge and offer the best it could in serving the people.
“The people’s wish for a better life is our mission. Our say is to act as an advocate for the community at large, ensuring that their voices are heard by the respective local councils.
“We will get feedback from all strata of community and from all sections of our community, we will listen to them and then we will analyse and categorise their feedback. In other words, we will systematically listen to voices on the ground, stay engaged with the people so that we will be able to provide better services to them.”
Wong said what had been outlined was not easy. Achieving all might seem a very tall order but work had to begin somewhere.
(From second left) Rayong, Lo, Wong, Dr Jerip, Ranum and others witness the installation of the UPP Community Service Board members.
He added that the UPP Community Service Board would mirror the set-up of the respective local council and form an alternative avenue for the local councils to gain input from the general community, as well as acting as a ‘check and balance’ measure for each and every decision which had been and would be made by each local council in future.
Meanwhile, the newly appointed UPP Service Board (South) chairman Yap Min Su said the installation of the southern community service board yesterday marked a new milestone for UPP.
“Right from the party’s inception since two years ago, it has been always the aspiration of the party to consistently engage with the people by servicing and providing financial assistance to the community and schools.
The setting-up of the Community Service Board would provide an additional avenue for UPP to enhance its service to the local community in the seven local services that the party leadership had identified, namely hawkers, traders and business development; infrastructure development; public health and environmental conservation; rural development; social and community development; women affairs; and youth leadership and development.
“The seven local services are important as they are the heart of the matter for the people
who love and live in this beautiful city. Therefore, the primary focus of the Community Service Board is to intensify the party’s effort in serving the local community.
“These are the fundamental ingredients to develop social stability, a progressive city and a prosperous society in the state.
“In practice, all the standing committees will play an important role to ensure the services are effectively delivered and community issues resolved. This is a task with great responsibility.
“As such, this is a call for greater team work and for greater collaboration among all the standing committees to work in unity to ensure the board is effective in delivering services to our community.
“To be effective and diligent in delivering the services, I would like to encourage all my comrades in the standing committees who have been appointed by the party central leadership to start off on the right track and put our best effort to serve and not to be served,” he said.
The purposes of UPP Service Board are: to engage and build people’s knowledge of local councils and its decision-making processes on the range of issues covered by the councils; to ensure that local councils better understand the people’s needs and suggest alternative ways with which these can best be met by ensuring that the councils take into account the general community’s perspectives on a wide range of issues; and to assist and put forth to local councils a long-term economic and community development initiative.
UPP Service Board aims to find, create and push for activities to engage with the general community; look at ways to improve the social and economic environment of the local community; promote the cohesiveness of various races; and facilitate forums for the local community in order to have a strong public voice.
UPP deputy president Datuk Dr Jerip Susil, senior vice-president Datuk Ranum Mina, vice-president and central youth chief Dr Johnical Rayong, secretary-general George Lo, party advisor Dr Chou Chii Ming and other dignitaries were also present at the launching.