Hii (second right) hands over the SMC’s Best Service Counter award to Tiong as Wong (third right), Ngieng (right) and others look on.
SIBU: The success of collecting 95 per cent of assessment rates for 2013 by Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) is a pleasant surprise to Local Government Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh.
Wong, who is also the Second Finance Minister and Minister of Community Development, said SMC surpassed all other local authorities in the state in rates collection.
“I’m quite taken aback for other councils had only managed to collect between 80 and 84 per cent,” he pointed out.
“That’s a reflection of how efficient and serious you are in managing your tasks,” he told councillors and council staff at their annual dinner held at RH Hotel here Monday evening.
Urging the councillors not to rest on their laurels, he said he looked forward to greater achievements from them in the coming year.
“There is greater rural-urban migration. Urbanization is an in-thing in many parts of the state.
“This could force local authorities, especially the municipal councils to stretch to their limits,” he noted.
Wong also cautioned the councillors to accept that with internet complaints and criticism could spread very fast and they must act fast to address or explain grievances brought up by rate payers.
“A grievance of one person in the past remained the grievance of that person. But time has changed. A grievance of a person can appear on the Internet and shared by tens, hundreds and thousands of people instantly.
“SMC is at the forefront of the three tiers of local, state and federal governments. So being the ‘fighters’ at the forefront on behalf of the government as a whole, it needs to be caring at all times by providing quality services to the people.”
Wong also congratulated SMC for winning the national award for counter service,
The minister added that in view of the different segments of the community and to cover wider spectrum of the community, the government had proposed to appoint five members from the non-governmental organizations to sit in every council.
“This will add up to 30 councilors, with five coming from the NGOs. In other words, it will not be appointed by political parties. It will be from the community at large.
“From 2014 onward, local councils will each have 30 councilors instead of 25. Plus the chairman and deputy chairman, each council will have 32 councilors.
“With a bigger group, it will be given heavier responsibilities.”
Sibu Resident Sim Kok Kee, SMC chairman Datuk Tiong Thai King, deputy chairman Daniel Ngieng Kiong Ann and secretary Hii Chang Kee were among those present.