Dr Sim (fifth right) receives a memento from Tan during the event in Kuching, while others look on.

KUCHING (Aug 29): Local authorities in Sarawak have been urged to benchmark themselves against international standards, expanding their focus beyond basic infrastructure maintenance and routine public services as part of the state’s ongoing nation-building efforts.

Speaking at the Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) 70th Anniversary Dinner at a hotel here on Friday night, Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian said local councils should learn from Sarawak institutions that had achieved international recognition.

The Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government cited the Sarawak Heart Centre and Sarawak General Hospital’s clinical research facilities as examples of local institutions that had raised their standards to an international level.

“Learn from them, so that we can innovate, improve and make ourselves an international benchmark here in the jungle of Borneo,” he said.

In line with this, he highlighted MPP’s achievements, including its participation in UNICEF’s Child Friendly Cities Initiative and its recent inclusion in the WHO Global Network for Age-Friendly Cities.

He also stressed the importance of inclusive development, saying local councils should ensure public spaces and facilities were accessible to persons with disabilities.

“We don’t want a situation where you go to a shopping centre and there are no wheelchair-accessible ramps,” he said.

Citing Batu Kawa Riverbank Park, Dr Sim said local authority projects should create spaces where people of different ethnicities and age groups could interact and participate in activities together.

“That is nation-building at its best,” he added.

He said local councils should also identify abandoned or underutilised spaces and explore ways to turn them into productive community and recreational assets.

“Abandoned places can be rejuvenated and appropriately restored for modern use. That is what Sarawak nation-building is about: creating value,” he said.

Also present were MPP chairman Tan Kai, Senator Datuk Ahmad Ibrahim, Consul-General of the People’s Republic of China in Kuching Xing Weiping, and other distinguished guests.