Department commits to providing legal aid

SRI AMAN: The Legal Aid Department (JBG) is committed to providing legal aid services to residents in rural and remote areas.

Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development, Datuk Francis Harden Hollis, said that the ‘Justice On Wheels’ (JoW) programme will benefit people living in the interior by providing them with legal aid services offered by JBG.

The JoW programme aims to provide mobile advisory services to the public in selected locations.

“During the programme, the public can receive advice from JBG officers on duty.

“The process of receiving advice during the JoW programme is the same as in legal clinics held at booths or public halls previously,” Harden explained.

He said this when launching the JoW mobile legal clinic in Sri Aman, recently.

The Simanggang assemblyman said the JoW Sarawak programme began in June in Simunjan and will continue to Sri Aman, Lingga, Mukah and Lundu, ending in October 2024.

He added that the average time for one consultation, including reviewing documents brought by the public, is 30 minutes.

“During the advisory service, eligibility and merit tests will also be conducted for those who wish to apply for legal aid,” he said.