Do a good job, Sandakan councillors told
SANDAKAN: Councillors and personnel from Sandakan Municipal Council (SMC) were reminded to always practice high integrity when doing their jobs to ensure that SMC’s role in delivering its services to the local community could be improved.
SMC president Datuk Peter Hii Chang Lik said councillors needed to be proactive and practice the concept of going to the ground (turun padang) to have a closer look in identifying the problems faced by the people who were tax payers.
“Duties that are entrusted to them (councillors) have to be carried out as best as possible, and they have to act strategically to achieve excellence, as expected by the tax payers.
“Every councillor must also be alert to any problems and complaints in their respective zone as they were appointed to be the ‘middle person’ between SMC and the local residents.
“This is because there may be locals who do not know a way to get their complaint across to SMC, thus causing some problems to be overlooked or to be responded late.
“Hence, all councillors must be aware that their positions were entrusted to them and they carry the responsibility to do their duties the best they can; not for personal interest and not for show,” he said.
Peter also advised councillors not to take the complaints by locals to the social media or mainstream media as it would make them look unprofessional in handling problems that the people are facing.
“Councillors should take these problems to the knowledge of the council or during SMC meetings so that they can be resolved. Putting these complaints on social media or mainstream media will not solve any problem,” he stressed after a luncheon event with SMC councillors at a hotel here, yesterday.
Also present during the event were smc deputy president mohd hamsan awang supain and other smc senior officers.
Meanwhile, Peter asked all appointed councillors to keep the confidentiality of SMC as stated by law, and meet the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) that was set, including being present at SMC meetings.
He said as part of the management and administration mechanism of the local authority, councillors were entrusted with a heavy responsibility in ensuring the local authority remained relevant with the country’s development trend as well as local issues.
He added that their roles were important and vital in assisting the development of Sandakan and would contribute to the growth and direction of SMC.