Bau District Council jumps from 63rd to 5th nationally in 2026 star rating

Datuk Henry Harry Jinep (seated centre) in a group photo with Bau District Council councillors and staff following the council’s five-star rating achievement.

By Shikin Louis

BAU, Oct 5: Bau District Council (MDB) has jumped 58 places from 63rd to fifth nationally among 92 district councils in the 2026 Local Authority Star Rating System (SPB-PBT), recording an overall score of 91.61 per cent.

The achievement earned MDB a five-star rating and placed it first among district councils in Sarawak.

Deputy Minister of Transport (Riverine and Marine) Datuk Henry Harry Jinep, who is also Tasik Biru assemblyman, said the result was announced during the 2026 Malaysian Local Authorities Convention held at Bertam Resort, Seberang Perai, Penang, on Sept 12.

He said MDB’s score also improved from 86.17 per cent in 2024 to 91.61 per cent this year.

“This achievement is the result of the joint efforts of all councillors, management and staff of the Bau District Council.

“Everyone has been committed to improving governance, management and the level of service delivery provided by the council,” he said during a press conference at the Bau District Council meeting room here today.

The SPB-PBT, an assessment system by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT), evaluates the service delivery performance of local authorities nationwide using a standardised star-rating system.

A score of 90 to 100 per cent earns five stars, followed by four stars for 75 to 89.99 per cent, three stars for 60 to 74.99 per cent, two stars for 46 to 59.99 per cent and one star for scores of 45.99 per cent and below.

Henry said MDB’s fifth-place national ranking demonstrated that its service performance had reached a level comparable with local authorities in Peninsular Malaysia.

He added that the assessment covered areas including management, core services, customer management and community participation, as well as governance and audit-related performance.

Henry said the council would continue reviewing its work and improving its services, while welcoming feedback from the public.

“Public complaints should not be viewed as something negative. Instead, they can help the council identify areas that need to be improved,” he said.

He expressed hope that MDB would continue to excel, move further forward and maintain its five-star local authority status. — DayakDaily