Newly-installed mayor Wee proposes MBKS, DBKU joint committee to handle issues in common areas of responsibilities
Wee takes his oath of office as the fifth mayor of Kuching South. — Photos by Tan Song Wei
KUCHING: Newly appointed Kuching South mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng is proposing for the formation of a joint committee comprising councillors and commissioners from Kuching South City Council (MBKS) and Kuching North City Commission (DBKU).
According to him, the proposed joint committee will function as a bridge between MBKS and DBKU, thus allowing both councils to identify and subsequently manage issues arising from common areas of responsibilities.
“With such effort in place, both MBKS and DBKU can then allocate resources more efficiently and operate harmoniously, thereby making sure Kuching residents shall enjoy only the best services,” he said after taking his oath of office as mayor yesterday.
The swearing-in ceremony was witnessed by Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian at the MBKS building.
As the fifth mayor of Kuching South, Wee said his priority is to address all concerns of residents under the jurisdiction of MBKS, such as the worsening traffic congestion.
Wee (seated, seventh right) in a group photo with Dr Sim (seated centre) and MBKS councillors.
“One of the initiatives that MBKS shall pursue in regards to handling this problem is to establish a team of traffic wardens which will be placed at strategic junctions, crossroads and ‘hot spot’ areas to assist in relieving congestion.
“They will be subjected to vigorous trainings and re-skilling to perform the job well.”
He added that the council will also be installing and replacing closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs) in the city with more ‘smart cameras’ to improve security.
“These ‘smart cameras’ work better than conventional CCTVs with higher definition and recognition ability. We plan to see the rolling out of these initiatives soon within the next few months.”
Apart from that, Wee said it was also imperative that the council made communication efforts easier for the public to lodge their complaints and suggestions.
“As such, I shall request that councillors responsible for every zoned precincts, including
myself, to share our contact numbers with the citizens of Kuching South.”
The former DBKU commissioner also gave his assurance to continue the legacies of MBKS that he inherited from his predecessor Dato James Chan, who frequently engaged with various stakeholders such as MBKS corporate partners, non-governmental organisations and hawkers associations, among others, and had organised regular meet-and-greet sessions with the people in areas such as Stutong Community Market and more.
Chan had served as Kuching South mayor for the past 11 years from June 2008 till the end of last month.