KUCHING: The appointments of both Kuching South City Council (MBKS) mayor and Kuching North City Commission (DBKU) Datuk Bandar have been extended toDecember.
This was announced by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg after attending a function at Dewan Hikmah in Petra Jaya yesterday.
The announcement quashed talks that MBKS would see a new mayor following the current term of appointment of Datuk James Chan that expires on May 31.
“No, it (the appointment) has been renewed up to December,” said Abang Johari when asked if a new mayor candidate would succeed Chan, who is the second MBKS mayor with no political background.
He was quick to add “both mayors” even though the question focused only on the MBKS mayorship.
Chan was sworn in on June 4, 2008 to succeed Chong Ted Tsiung, the first non-politician MBKS mayor in the history, who died on Aug 3, 2007.
Chong took over the mayorship from former Batu Lintang assemblyman Chan Seng Khai, a Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) heavyweight who was defeated by Democratic Action Party (DAP) Voon Lee Shan in the 2006 state election.
The post of MBKS mayor had been held by the SUPP until the oldest political party in Sarawak suffered its first major election defeat in 2006. Then Chief Minister and now Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud decided to let a non-political leader to assume the role to, among others, enhance service delivery to enhance the outreach towards the local community.
A source told The Borneo Post that some quarters on the ground had already started the guessing game of who will succeed Chan as the next mayor.
The source even mentioned a couple of names who are likely to be Chan’s successor. Among those names are current councillors Simon Lau and Tan Kay Hock as well as former councillor Phillip Chang.
“Personally I think they are qualified professionals suitable for this high post. One important factor is that they have gained in depth experience in the administration and operation of a city council,” said the source.