by Karen Bong
KUCHING, Sept 3: Newly-appointed Kuching South City Council (MBKS) mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng is planning to establish a team of traffic wardens as part of the measures to address worsening traffic congestion faced by the public daily.
Traffic wardens, he said, will be placed at strategic junctions, crossroads, and ‘hot spot’ areas to assist in relieving congestion.
“They will be subject to vigorous training and re-skilling to perform the job well,” he told attendees after his swearing-in as the new MBKS mayor witnessed by Local Government and Housing Minster Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian at the council’s headquarters today.
“Apart from that, the council shall install more ‘smart cameras’ and replace CCTVs (closed-circuit televisions) with them to improve security,” he said.
These smart cameras, he added, 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,” he disclosed.
Emphasising that it was important that MBKS maintain a strong working relationship with Kuching North City Commission (DBKU), Wee proposed the formation of a joint committee comprising commissioners and councillors from both councils.
“The proposed joint committee will function as a bridge between both councils, which will allow us to identify and subsequently manage issues arising from common areas of responsibilities,” he said.
With such an effort in place, he believes that both MBKS and DBKU can then allocate resources more efficiently and operate harmoniously, thereby making sure that Kuching residents enjoy only the best services.
On his personal vision as MBKS mayor, he said he wanted to address all the concerns of residents of Kuching South.
“To achieve this, our mission must be re-aligned, to promote better responsiveness, consistent stakeholder engagement, high level of productivity and efficient information disemmination between MBKS and the residents,” he added.
Wee also said that he will conduct visits and inspect MBKS services unannounced, so as to keep the council services accountable.
“This effort is not meant to penalise anyone, but to promote better accountability of the council to the people. Also, it is imperative that the council makes communication easier for the public to lodge their complaints and suggestions,” he added.
He thus urged all councillors responsible for zoned precincts, including himself, to share their contact numbers with the citizens of Kuching South.
“I’ll do my best for this city as I have listed out some of things to be carried out in the next few months especially to improve security and traffic congestion as I try to make this a loveable, safe and sustainable city,” he vowed.
“Today is my first day officially in office. Let me get to know the office first, then I’ll come up with more details of what are the things the council need to move forward on,” he added. — DayakDaily
