The UTC in Kuching.
KUCHING: Many Sarawakians have expressed disappointment over the new operating hours for Urban Transformation Centres (UTC) in Sarawak.
Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Chong Chieng Jen said today that he would meet Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng to discuss the matter.
Based on the recent announcement made by Ministry of Finance, the operating hours of UTCs in Sarawak will be changed to 8am to 5pm from Monday to Sunday, beginning Jan 22 this year.
“While there are no complaints about the said operating hours on weekends, many have expressed disappointment in the closure of the UTCs after office hours on weekdays,” he said.
Chong, who is also DAP Sarawak chairman, said he has scheduled a meeting with Lim (who is also DAP secretary general) early next week to discuss the optimal operating hours of UTCs in Sarawak.
At the same time, he said feedback was still being gathered from the general public.
“Many have called up to propose that the UTCs in Sarawak begin their operating hours at around noon time till 9pm, so as to cater to those who wish to do their official business after office hours without having to take one-day or half-day leave from work,” he said.
Previously, the operating hours of the UTCs throughout the country were from 8am to 10pm or 14 hours, seven days a week.
For some UTCs, the new operating hours are from 1pm to 10pm while in Sarawak, the new operating hours are from 8am to 5pm.
According to Chong, such extra-long operating hours have added to the financial strain on the government’s operating expenditure and has proven not an efficient and optimal use of government resources.
He pointed out that the new proposal reduced the operating hours to nine hours a day, with varying operating hours at different locations in the country.