By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, May 7: Giving the Sarawak Ports Authority explicit rights to oversee and enforce safety measures within ports is crucial for comprehensive governance, according to Bukit Assek Assemblyman Chieng Jin Ek.
He noted that incorporating safety as a designated function would enhance the Sarawak Ports Authority’s capacity to safeguard not only maritime operations, but also the well-being of personnel and the environment.
“While Part IV of the Bill (Sarawak Ports Authority Bill 2024) delineates the functions and powers bestowed upon the Sarawak Ports Authority, I believe that it appears to underestimate a crucial aspect: safety.
“As described in Part IV, Section 17(2)(b)(ii), which currently mandates ‘the promotion of measures to ensure for the safety of persons and property in the ports’, there is a necessity to strengthen the responsibility of the Sarawak Ports Authority.
“It should be able to reflect a heavier duty, compelling the Authority ‘to adopt and enforce necessary safety measures to ensure the comprehensive safety of ports, persons, and property in the ports’,” Chieng said when presenting his debate on the Sarawak Ports Authority Bill 2024 during the Third Term of the 19th Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUS) sitting, which was held today at the DUS complex here.
He went on to say that the Sarawak Ports Authority Bill 2024 is a timely and much-needed step towards consolidating and amalgamating all port authorities in Sarawak under one central authority, and to establish a body corporate to be known as the ‘Sarawak Ports Authority’ to manage, regulate, control, and administer all ports in Sarawak, and to provide for the functions and powers of the Authority, the licensing of port operators and port undertakings.
“With that, I fully support the Sarawak Ports Authority Bill 2024,” Chieng remarked. — DayakDaily
