Enhance skills to strengthen village administration, community leaders told

SIBU (Feb 11): Continuous capacity building and professionalism among village and community administrators are vital to ensure effective grassroots governance in the Tamin constituency, said Tamin assemblyman Ir Christopher Gira Sambang.

He said enhancement programmes involving community leaders should not be viewed as one-off training sessions, but as a long-term foundation to strengthen administrative efficiency, leadership quality and service delivery at village and longhouse levels.

“This programme is not merely about completing a training course.

“It forms the basis for continuous improvement in efficiency and professionalism in village and community administration in Tamin,” he said when officiating at the closing of the Personnel Capacity Enhancement Programme for Community Leaders (KMKK) and Village Security and Development Committee (JKKK) for the Sibu District here on Tuesday.

Gira said heads of community and village chiefs, together with JKKK secretaries, play a strategic role as frontline administrators and key intermediaries between the government and the people, particularly in conveying policies, addressing local issues and ensuring government assistance reaches the intended recipients effectively.

He stressed that integrity, transparency and fairness must underpin every decision and action taken by community leaders, adding that good governance at grassroots level is crucial in maintaining public trust and social harmony.

“With a strong understanding of integrity and accountability, community leaders will be better equipped to carry out their duties professionally, which in turn strengthens public confidence in local leadership,” he said.

Gira also noted that exposure to the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy 2030 (PCDS 2030) through the programme was important to ensure community leaders understand Sarawak’s development direction and actively support its implementation at the grassroots level.

In line with increasing responsibilities shouldered by community leaders, he said the Sarawak government, under the 2026 State Budget, has increased the monthly allowance for heads of community and village chiefs to RM400 as recognition of their service and commitment.

He also reminded community leaders to obtain prior approval from the District Office and Resident’s Office before organising any courses, workshops or seminars related to their roles, to ensure alignment with existing policies and guidelines.

As the elected representative for Tamin, Gira reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening cooperation between community leaders, the District Office and the Tamin Service Centre to ensure effective coordination and sustainable development in the constituency.

Also present were Sibu District Office representative Sylvia Lau, Sarawak Economic Planning Unit representative Bernard Upieh and Penghulu Eddy Jemat Jemat Jelian.