Lo Khere Chiang: MPP all for healthy community activities’

Lo Khere Chiang(left) presents a certificate of attendance to a participant, witnessed by Politeknik Kuching deputy director for academic Mohd Shah Yunus on Lo’s left.

KUCHING: The Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) has built playgrounds at almost all housing estates in areas under its jurisdiction for the residents to interact with one another.

Council chairman Lo Khere Chiang said MPP would, from time to time, provide recreational facilities to the people in housing areas.

In this respect, the ‘Knowledge Sharing: Ferro-Cement Making’ course conducted by the council at Mile 10 Wild Orchid and Pitcher Plant Garden near here yesterday was a practical and useful programme, in that the tables and seats made would be placed at playgrounds for public use.

“Organising the event gives the participants a sense of belonging as they come together to make the items. Volunteerism and neighbourliness among city folk, especially youths, are getting less. Their hectic and busy lifestyle causes them to be less caring about their neighbourhoods,” Lo said at the closing of the programme yesterday.

“This situation must be corrected if we want to have a harmonious and united community – one with members who help and respect one another.”

Lo hoped that the first-time participants of the ferro-cement course would put the knowledge gained into good use and at the same time, it could provide them with an opportunity to start their own business.

The programme, jointly run by MPP and Politeknik Kuching, involved some 40 students, council staff members and members of the public.

Meanwhile Lo, who is the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for Batu Kitang in the upcoming state election, clarified that there would be no need for him to resign from his post as MPP chairman as he was not a government servant.

As council chairman, he did not receive any salary from the state government – only allowance. He explained that councillors were elected every two years, and the current term would expire in June this year.

Lo has been MPP chairman for six years. On the advantage of being chairman and also a political candidate, he said: “I cannot deny that I have a platform, but I will not say it is an advantage. Should I not do my job well, I would not have any advantage because the people would know.

“But if I did my job well and the people agreed that I had tried my best, then it would be a job well done. So I won’t say that it is an automatic advantage,” he said.

Batu Kitang is one of the 11 new seats to be contested in the 11th state election. Nomination day is on April 25, while polling day is on May 7.

April 18, 2016,

reporters@theborneopost.com