KUCHING: Kuching City South Council (MBKS) has kicked off its cleaning-up campaign with an aim to keep the city clean.
It was also meant to revive the spirit of gotong-royong among the public.
About 60 MBKS staff together with 30 local residents and shop owners joined hands in a collaboration for the cleaning-up campaign at Jalan Padungan here today.
MBKS mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng said the spirit of gotong-royong was fading, and there was a need for widespread participation of every Kuching citizen to help take care of the environment.
“Otherwise, we will see wasteful use of resources, excessive production of wastes and over dependence on enforcement measures to keep Kuching clean and green.
“This is not optimal and not sustainable,” he said during the cleaning-up campaign.
He said in order to achieve a widespread participation of Kuchingites in all aspects of remaking Kuching, everyone must embrace a new mindset.
“We must become more innovative and enterprising, and embrace lifelong learning. We must also have a greater sense of ownership towards ourselves, our families, our community, our environment and our nation. And we must have a greater sense of responsibility towards our actions,” he stressed.
Wee said Kuching had enjoyed a clean image because cleaners had done a real good job in cleaning up the thoughtless acts of litterbugs.
“But, this is not the best way of keeping Kuching clean. Therefore, I call on fellow Kuchingites to work together, to adopt a new mindset towards non-littering,” he said.
The cleaning-up campaign will be expanded to more areas under the jurisdiction of MBKS and will be carried out every weekend.
Besides Jalan Padungan, the campaign will cover other areas namely Chan Chin Ann, Ban Hock, Lumba Kuda, Padungan, Chang Bee Kiew, Ang Cheng Ho, Jalan Datuk Abang Abdul Rahim, Icom Square, Wan Alwi, and Pending.
Meanwhile, areas in Sekama, Mendu, Central Timor, Chong Lin Park, Chawan, Rengas, Tabuan Haji Drahman, Milan Square, Soho and Selangan Batu will also be involved.
