Four new courthouses planned for S’wak under 12MP
KUCHING: The federal government is proposing to build four new courthouses in Sarawak under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP), Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said.
Wan Junaidi, who is Santubong MP, said the new courthouses are necessary to accommodate the rising number of cases.
“The new courts will be located in Kapit, Limbang, Mukah and Sri Aman, and are being evaluated by the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister‘s Department,” he said when met at the Kuching Court Complex yesterday.
He said he also found out that many courts in Sarawak are housed in shared buildings with other government departments and because of that, the judges in some of the courts in the state have to enter via public areas.
He said this was not appropriate as judges should have private entrances and not be with the public before entering court.
“The safety aspects of judges, magistrates and the public as well as all parties dealing with the court, as well as the constraints on the use of common buildings as court locations, are key factors in planning the development of new court complexes in Sarawak,” he said.
Wan Junaidi also said that under the 12MP, the government is proposing to build an official residence in Kuching for the Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak, adding this was in line with the qualifications as stated in the Judges’ Remuneration Act 1972.
Meanwhile, he revealed that the government had approved 14 projects to upgrade, refurbish and preserve court buildings in Sarawak with an allocation of RM9.2 million, involving the court complexes of Kuching, Bintulu and Miri, as well as the courts in Kota Samarahan, Sibu and Sarikei.
“This project is implemented in line with the main focus of the 12MP, which is to improve the efficiency of public service delivery,” said Wan Junaidi.