KOTA SAMARAHAN: the Kota Samarahan Municipal Council (MPKS) today launched two important documents, namely the Strategic Anti Bribery Plan Book and the Organisational Anti-Corruption Plan (OACP) Book, in an official ceremony that also saw the appointment of MPKS Child Council Members.

The ceremony, which took place at the Sarawak State Farmers' Association Hall, Kota Samarahan, was officiated by the Deputy Premier of Sarawak and Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government of Sarawak, Datuk Amar Prof. Dr. Sim Kui Hian.

A total of 22 students aged between 9 and 16 years from primary and secondary schools around Kota Samarahan were appointed as members of the Child Council in line with the implementation of the Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI) programme as a result of the collaboration between MPKS and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) since July 2024.

The launch of this strategic and anti-corruption book is the result of a mid-term review to assess the performance of the implementation of the MPKS initiative, in line with the direction of sustainable development by 2030.

The MPKS Strategic Plan introduces new branding with the vision of "Kota Samarahan To Become Vibrant and Sustainable City by 2030" and the mission of "To Establish Sustainable Quality of Life Through Excellent Municipal Services".

Meanwhile, the Organisational Anti-Corruption Plan saw a reduction in corruption risks from 23 to 16 as a result of the implementation of 11 main initiatives and the remaining 16 initiatives are currently in the implementation stage.

MPKS emphasises its commitment to a work culture of integrity and corruption-free.

The ceremony also witnessed the official launch of the Child Friendly City Initiative Programme and the appointment of the Kota Samarahan Child Council, which acts as a medium for the children's community to the council.

Among its objectives are to champion the safety and education of children, voice development issues and encourage active involvement in the community.

The Children's Council is comprised of 22 members with a membership period of two years and will meet at least four times a year.

At the same ceremony, MPKS also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) to strengthen cooperation in the fields of teaching, research and community involvement.

The MoU was signed by UNIMAS Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Ahmad Hatta Rasit and MPKS Municipal Secretary, Gustian Durani, which will be in effect for six years.

The focus of this collaboration is to make Kota Samarahan a Healthy City, Low Carbon City and Child Friendly City by 2030.

Among the main scopes include student placement, organising workshops and seminars, community projects and studies related to public health.

Previously, the collaboration between MPKS and UNIMAS has produced the publication of the “Community Outreach Training Module in the Prevention and Control of Rabies Disease”, which is the first publication of its kind by a local authority in Sarawak.

Also present were the Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development and Kota Samarahan Member of Parliament, Datuk Rubiah Wang, MPKS Chairman, Abang Ismawi Abang Ali, UNICEF representative, Yong Li Na, Samarahan Division Deputy Resident, Rais Ahmat, Ministry Permanent Secretary, Bong Lin Sze and Samarahan District Officer, Ahmad Abdul Razak.-UKASnews