Chan (fourth left) presents a framed painting of a cat to Dr Sim, as others look on.
KUCHING: Some of the units in the rebuilt KMC Flat Complex in Padungan will be reserved for staff of Kuching South City Council (MBKS), said Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian.
Speaking at an appreciation dinner for MBKS staff here on Sunday, he said the reservation of the units is to reduce the travelling time to work for council staffers who live far away.
“When we rebuild the KMC flats, I will make sure some of the flats are reserved for staff of KMC (MBKS) so that you (the staff) don’t have to travel far away to come to work,” he said.
Dr Sim, who is also minister-in-charge of MBKS, did not however elaborate on when the redevelopment of the flats will commence.
The flat units in Padungan were constructed by MBKS’ predecessor Kuching Municipal Council (KMC) in 1957.
It currently houses 821 families as tenants. There are four types of KMC flats with a total of 531 units divided into 22 blocks, each named after a town in Sarawak.
Based on recent news reports, there are plans to rebuild the flats and re-develop the area as an urban renewal initiative for Kuching.
On another matter, Dr Sim said MBKS will celebrate its 30th anniversary on Aug 1 this year, and urged council staff to continue providing excellent service to the people.
He said as MBKS is the biggest of the 25 local governments, he wants the council to be more people-centric and cited the newly-installed smart traffic lights as one of the people-centric initiatives.
With Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg now making efforts to develop a digital Sarawak, Dr Sim said he hopes to see MBKS emulate China’s digitalisation efforts by making it easier for its customers to make payment and utilise services using smartphones and other gadgets.
Meanwhile, MBKS Mayor Datuk James Chan said the chief minister’s vision for the digitalisation of Sarawak is a good move, and he will ensure MBKS will follow through.
“I think it is good for the people. We should think about submission of plan, and payment of rates should be done digitally.
“Whatever technology which can be used, MBKS will stay in line and apply the technology to come up with better efficiency for the people,” said Chan.
Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) chairman Lo Khere Chiang, Sarawak Public Service Commission chairman Datu Abdul Ghafur Shariff, political secretary to the chief minister Tan Kai, MBKS deputy mayor Hilmy Othman and MPP deputy chairman Dato Ahmad Ibrahim were among those present at the dinner.