KUCHING: The Ministry of Utility and Telecommunication Sarawak (MUT) must re-evaluate and strengthen its corporate and strategic communication efforts to more effectively convey messages to its target groups, including the general public and external parties dealing with government departments or agencies.

Its Minister, Dato Sri Julaihi Narawi said it is time to revamp the communication approach to ensure that public perceptions of key issues, particularly those related to the gas aggregator, can be managed more effectively.

“I want to share this, when we issued reminder letters regarding compliance with the Distribution of Gas Ordinance (DGO) 2016, and the letter was leaked to the media, the perception that emerged was overwhelmingly negative.

“We were slow to respond with clarifications, and on social media, it seemed like the entire Peninsular Malaysia was attacking us. I believe many were not even aware of the full context, but we were late in providing our counter-explanation.

“However, we gradually rebuilt the narrative and provided the actual explanation, so that perceptions could be balanced, especially among those who misunderstood or received inaccurate information,” he said.

He spoke at an Appreciation Ceremony held in conjunction with the 19th Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) Sitting at a leading hotel, here on Monday.

Therefore, Dato Sri Julaihi proposed that MUT Permanent Secretary, Datu Jafri Lias meet with heads of departments and agencies to reassess the current communication approach.

This includes formulating a more comprehensive communication strategy that can be easily understood by all parties, including those outside Sarawak who engage with the ministry, he said.

“I think this is crucial, especially in this day and age where information can go viral instantly, whether it’s true or not,” he emphasised.

Also present were Deputy Minister for Utility (Sarawak Energy Berhad and PETROS), Dato Ibrahim Baki, and Datu Jafri. -UKASnews