MIRI: Leaders are the go-between for the government and the people, Assistant Minister of Communication Datuk Lee Kim Shin said.
As leaders, he said they must be able to give input including feedback and complaints from the people to the government.
“Vice-versa, leaders should also able to give output from the government including policies to the rakyat in a two-way relation,” he said at the closing ceremony of 11th Grassroots Leadership Seminar for Miri Division recently.
He described leaders as comprising the Resident, district officers, temenggong, pemanca, penghulu, village heads and longhouse chiefs.
“To deliver the two-way relation at the grassroots level, it means the leaders need to go to the ground meeting the people directly to gather feedback and response from the people under their care.
“Going to the ground means having a face-to-face interaction with the people, thus good rapport can be nurtured and it will ease the deliverance of government policies to the people and ensures successful implementation of all development projects not only infrastructure but also socio-economy,” he said.
He advised them to have face-to-face communication with the people to share information and updates despite the convenience of communicating through WhatsApp and other social media applications.
Meanwhile, he said the right channel for leaders to reach the government is through the Resident’s Office and District Office in their respective areas.
“In Miri the relationship between the Resident’s Office/District Office and community leaders is systematic due to the availability of the chief community offices through which people can easily reach them,” he said.
At the same time, he received a proposal from the leaders to establish an integrated council or committee of various races.
“This integration of cooperation will directly enable us to strengthen our relationship and foster strong solidarity that lead to peace, harmony and stability of Sarawak as well as Malaysia,” he acknowledged.
Meanwhile, the two-day seminar which ended yesterday was attended by 414 leaders from Miri, Sibuti and Baram areas.
One of the longhouse chiefs, Tr James Biri of Sg Kuap in Sibuti, said the seminar was crucial as a platform to share information and experience on their role as leaders.
“This is the only time all leaders of Iban, Malay, Kayan, Kedayan, Bidayuh or Chinese communities are able to gather together, getting to know one another and sharing experiences for the people’s development and growth,” he said.
Lambir assemblyman Ripin Lamat and Miri Resident Antonio Kahti Galis also attended the closing ceremony.