KUCHING: It is common courtesy for any authority or agency to refer an issue or public complaint to the right channel and work together to resolve the problem.
Kuching South City Council (MBKS) councillor Kho Teck Wan said that each relevant authority has specific responsibilities and boundaries of jurisdiction.
She said it is not a good practice to handle other agencies’ property without informing, and knowing the specific details about how the specific property is operated.
“Some property may pose a danger to the operator if it is not handled with proper operating procedures. Therefore it is only right to channel the issue to the right and relevant agency,” she said in a statement today.
Kho was responding to Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen’s special assistant Michael Kong, who had accused MBKS Mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng of sidestepping his responsibilities on the maintenance of escalators at both ends of the overhead bridge in front of Timberland Medical Centre, which are under the preview of the Sarawak Public Works Department (JKR).
Based on JKR’s press statement, the frequent non-functioning of the escalators of the overhead bridge was cause by the emergency stop button being pressed by the public intentionally.
Therefore, aside from the regular maintenance and service of the public facilities, it is necessary to focus reducing vandalism and increasing public awareness of our civic responsibilities.
“While we call the relevant authorities out to rectify vandalism issues, it is also our civic duty to educate the public on protecting public facilities as well as not littering and reducing the use of plastics,” she added.
