Councillors bridge govt and people

KUCHING: Local councillors are a bridge between the government and the rakyat (people), hence should always be prepared to update the people on government policies and programmes.

Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) chairman Lo Khere Chiang said they were tasked with implementing government policies through the local authorities.

“We are the closest government representatives to the public and we have to represent the GPS state government well,” he said after the swearing-in ceremony of councillors at Pullman Hotel here yesterday.

Lo was re-appointed as MPP chairman for the 2019 to 2021 term. He was sworn-in together with 16 newly appointed councillors and several old faces who were re-appointed for a two-year term.

Lo urged his councillors to work hard and serve the people under the jurisdiction of the Padawan municipality sincerely and efficiently.

He cited the council’s recent programme to repair 63 dilapidated houses of poor families in Padawan district under the Sarawak Poor Home Improvement Programme (PPRMS) as an example of the council’s service to the people.

“It is important for the people to realise that the government is serving them and for us in Sarawak, GPS is the only government that will look after Sarawakians,” he added.