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Hamzah says Stakan, like Muara Tuang, falls under MPKS’s jurisdication and is currently facing a severe lack of manpower. – Photo via Facebook/Majlis Perbandaran Kota Samarahan

KUCHING (May 23): The Sarawak Ministry of Public Health, Housing and Local Government has been urged to address the staffing shortage at the Kota Samarahan Municipal Council (MPKS) to ease the burden on existing personnel and enhance services for residents.

Stakan assemblyman Datuk Hamzah Ibrahim said Stakan, like Muara Tuang, falls under MPKS’s jurisdication and is currently facing a severe lack of manpower.

“What I want to highlight is the lack of manpower in MPKS. In serving the people of Samarahan, MPKS currently has fewer than 91 personnel across all departments,” he said during the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting here today.

He noted that this shortage significantly hampers MPKS’s ability to provide effective services to the community.

Touching on the issue of community leaders (KMKK), Hamzah also pointed out that many are overstretched due to large coverage areas and high population density.

“For example, in Stakan, particularly in areas such as Samarindah, Unicentral, Unigarden, and the surrounding neighbourhoods, there are at least 8,000 houses and 25,000 residents.

“Yet, the area is served by only two penghulu (community leaders), which makes effective administration and communication very difficult,” he said.

To address this, he proposed the creation of additional community leader positions in large residential areas to improve local governance and community management.

Hamzah also urged the Sarawak government to consider introducing a special assistance allocation for military veteran associations active in the state, such as the Malaysian Armed Forces Veterans Association (PVATM) Sarawak, the Sarawak Malaysian Armed Forces Veterans Association (PVTMS), the Malaysian Army Rangers Veterans Association (PVTKR), and the Malaysian Indian Armed Forces Veterans Association (PERIM).

He suggested that this assistance could include dedicated funding and special grants to support the operations of these associations, particularly for retired military personnel who have chosen to settle in Sarawak.

In addition, he called for more intensive training programmes tailored for retired veterans to help them transition into civilian life and improve their livelihoods.

Hamzah also proposed the introduction of a special housing scheme for military retirees who permanently reside in Sarawak, to ensure access to stable and secure living conditions.

Furthermore, he recommended providing special privileges such as discount cards or free access to public facilities, including public transport, state healthcare services, utility payments, and supermarkets, as a token of appreciation for their service to the nation.

“Among the existing forms of assistance already available are those provided through the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Veterans Affairs of the Malaysian Armed Forces (JHEV), and the Sarawak Social Welfare Department (JKMS).

“However, these efforts are still seen as insufficient in fully addressing the needs of military veterans in the state,” he said.

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