KOTA KINABALU – The Sabah Local Government and Housing Ministry will rope in the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to eliminate corruption elements among local authorities.
Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun (Karanaan-Bersatu) said he is aware that there are flaws in the works and management of local authorities in Sabah, and the ministry will take measures to ensure a smooth workflow.
He also said the ministry will be working on increasing the efficiency of local authorities in collecting assessments, given poor performance over the years.
“I agree that our (assessment) collection needs to be focused on; the percentage of collection by our local authorities is still poor. So one of the ministry’s focal points is to ensure that all local authorities collect assessment tax,” Masidi said during the Sabah assembly sitting here today.
He was answering an additional question by Datuk Darell Leiking (Moyog-Warisan) about the ministry’s action to tackle low collection by the Penampang District Office as well as the unlicensed developers in Penampang, as reported in the Auditor-General’s Report 2019.
Masidi said the ministry’s other measure will be conducting courses for personnel in the Penampang District Office, as one of the steps to have it upgraded into a district council.
“Personally, I have changed officers who are not performing well, through rehabilitation or redesignation – to a position that does not require them to meet with a lot of people (would be the way to go),” he said. – The Vibes, July 18, 2022
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