|
Interview
with Encik Philip Mejin, District Officer, MUKAH
What are your roles as a DO in
Mukah?
- Leadership role as seen and accepted
by the public since the day of the Rajah administration.
- Administrative role in ensuring
that the administration of goverment runs smoothly and effectively.
- Co-ordinator's role by networking
with all goverment bodies/agencies and community to achieve government's objective.
- Development role in ensuring
that the needs of urban and comunity development are planned and effectively
implemented.
- Protocol role in officiating
functions.
Do you go out to meet and have dialogues
with the people?
Due to a constraint of Transport
and Travelling (T & T) vote, I don't go to have dialogues unless a Minister
visits the longhouse of kampungs or there is a land dispute especialy on NCR
Development. Most of the dialogues, when necessary are done in the office itself.
A few nearby kampungs have been selected as our pilot project for JKKK-managed
community development, e.g. Kpg. Judan, Petanak, Penipah, uala Lama, Matedig
and Rh. Puak. Visits are made once in two weeks. We visit Kpg. Judan frequently
as we have a successful Tiger Prawn project there. The size of the district
itself (5,020km.p.s) and the fact that we have only 37 kampung and 298 longhouses
with a total population of approximately 50,000.
On the things that you talk about
with the people...
We mainly talk about government policies
and programmes, agricultural projects, the need for communitu development, promoting
good will amongst themselves and with the private sector, NCR land development
and the JKKK's role in the area. I can communicate with the Ibans in Iban language
and the Melanaus in Malay.
On liasing with the State Secretary's
office...
Not often, unless the communication
starts from the State Secretary's Office. This is because all correspondence
needs to be channelled to the Resident.
On empowerment...
I feel that I am not fully empowered,
especially in terms of financial control whereby part of the approval allocation
is subwarranted to us. This also applies in some administrative matters.
On interacting with other departments
or agencies...
Yes, especially as the head in the
district, through District Development Committee, as chairman of various committees,
at social and official functions.
On keeping in touch with other
DOs...
Not often, except on occasions such
as District Officer's Conference and attending courses. They provide opportunities
to share views and experience on common issues and problems. An example is when
I resume my post as District Officer, I had lost touch on lots of matters on
the ground as I had been in Wisma Bapa Malaysia for about 15 years. This is
especially so implementation of Minor Rural Project during which I managed to
get the advice of Assistant District Officer Sibu, and District Officer Kuching
which helped me quite a lot.
On potentials of your district...
I see the strength of economic potentials
in the aquaculture, agro-based and tourism industry. However in most cases,
I feel there is a conflict in some cases between policies and realities that
hinder the progress and maximisation of these potentials. Below is a brief description
of the potentials:
Aquaculture
Mukah can be the leading Tiger Prawn
producer in the country because of the suitability of the area and tiger prawns
have been reared in the district since 1970. A processing centre is available
at Lembaga Kemajuan Ikan.
The constraints faced at the moment
are that the land for tiger prawn rearing must be titled land whereas most of
the land owned by natives are customary rights (NCR) land and this has discouraged
many interested farmers from going into industry. Furthermore, there is a lack
of co-ordination among agencies such as Agriculture Department, Marine Fisheries,
Lembaga Kemajuan Ikan, Persatuan Nelayan, Persatuan Peladang which means that
the progress of aquaculture is very slow.
Agro-based Industries
A few oil palm plantations have already
started showing satisfactory growth. In view of the good market for palm oil,
development of NCR land could be speeded up. The office have received a lot
requests for participation and so far some have already got off the ground.
Tourism
Mukah has been established as a district
since 1860. Also it has a rich Melanau culture, the most well known being the
Kaul Festival. In addition, fresh sea products are available with well known
delicacies such as "umai". An interesting feature is the nesting of the Egrets
across the river in front of the town. In general, Mukah is a tranquil and serene
place and a good hideaway for those who wants to get away from the concrete
jungle of the city. It is recommended that the tourism board make a study of
the potentials and help to promote Mukah as one of the places for tourists to
visit.
Light Industries
The potential for wood-based and
sago-based light industry is good. Abundance of timber especially those in NCR
development areas for oil palm which are simply destroyed and wasted and waste
products from sago are good basic raw materials for light industries. Examples
are wood for furniture or produced into wood chips, Sago and oil palm waste
can be produced into animal food.
Food Industries
The present small scale food industries
such as "keropok, sagu, tebaloi", can be produced on a commercial scale for
export. A fish processing and packaging industry can be set up to provide value-added
business to the fishing industry.
On the effectiveness of the Divisional
Development Committee in achieving integration and co-ordination...
The Divisional Development Committee
is useful in the sense that it is a forum for all departments and agencies to
get together to discuss issues and problems. It's effectiveness is limited to
the fact that it has little decision-making power and do not have a lot of necessary
information needed to decide and discuss issues effectively.
On the Chief Minister's call for
DOs to be more proactive and be more involved in planning for projects...
By right, being the chief executive
in the district, the DOs should be directly involved in the planning stage of
any projects. At least he should know about the projects being planned, so that
he will not be in the dark when inquiries are made. Actually, the DOs are involved
only in the planning stage in respect of MRP and many of the other projects
carried by other various agencies are made on their own. To overcome this, I
have recently call upon all departments and agencies to give a briefing during
the District Development Committee meetings. However, this is also not very
effective because the offices a the district level are not aware of some of
the projects planned at the headquarters.
On suggestions to improve the
discharge of DOs functions...
- All allocations approved for
District Offices be given to and controlled by DOs themselves instead of being
allocated piecemeal by the Resident's Office.
- DOs should have at least one
technical staff attached to assist in implementation of development projects.
- all DOs should have access to
e-mail and be on line with Residents and State Secretary's Office for fast
and effective communication and feedback.
- Cost incurred in attending courses
should be from separate vote instead of Transport & Travelling and allocation
for Transport & Travelling should be increased as it affects the performance
of core functions.
(Editors' Note: The view and concerns
of the other District Offices will be published in the December 1998 issue)
Sarudu bin Hoklai (DO, Belaga): Generally,
most of our jobs are carried out independently. In some cases, we are required
to refer to the Resident for approval.
Hillary Mukit Guroh (DO, Kapit):
In most matters, the DO is fully empowered to do his task as provided for in
the Statutes, General Orders and other rules, regulations and circulars. Development
matters are referred to the Divisional Development Committee for action or approval
as the case may be. The Resident is kept informed on decisions taken and events
and activities in the district.
Jeffrey Ursee Iboh (Distrcit Officer,
Daro): The power of the DO seem to be diminishing from day to day. He lacks
authority over the other departments operating in the District; we have limited
manpower and most approval to do things come from the Resident of the Division.
What potentials can you identify
in your district?
Sarudu bin Hoklai (DO, Belaga): There
is excellent potential for eco-tourism programmes in Belaga due to the vast
areas under forest reserves and national parks. The unique culture and traditions
of the local communities in the Belaga area will be good tourism attractions.
Belaga could also be good for agro-based industry such as vegetables and fruits
farming, fresh water fish culture and processing. Other industries that could
be sited here would be oil palm plantation and processing as well as timber-based
industry.
Hillary Mukit Guroh (DO, Kapit):
Kapit has great potential in timber-based industry. In fact, timber-based industry
is already quite established in this area. With sustainable forest management,
Kapit may be able to rely ont his industry for a long time. Kapit can also be
good for tourism, with its rich natural and cultural attractions. But because
of its location, it is difficult for tourists to come here. So, Kapit still
have a long way to go in this area. Because of the hilly nature of the terrain
in the district, agro-based industry is not suitable on large-scale basis here
in Kapit. Difficulty in transportation as well as the lack of suitable landform
would make cultivation and transportation of commercial crops difficult and
expensive.
Jeffrey Ursee Iboh (District Officer,
Daro): Pulau Bruit at the Northern part has potential for tourism development.
The nature of soil in the district is swampy. With proper drainage and irrigation,
the land will be good for oil palm, pineapple, padi and sago planting.
Your suggestions on how DOs can effectively
perform their duties and function.
Sarudu bin Hoklai (DO, Belaga): DOs
should have greater involvement in the planning stages of major projects in
the areas under his jurisdiction. They should also have more training on areas
such as management and Information Technology. Attachment with semi-government
agencies, corporate bodies or private companies will also give the DOs exposure
and experience, and thus, improve their abilities to formulate government policies.
Hillary Mukit Guroh (DO, Kapit):
There should be more funds allocated to Minor Rural Projects to make the rural
areas more pleasant places to live in. Good transportation infrastructure should
also be given priority in the rural areas to facilitate fast and efficient travel
within the district. Increase, hasten and upgrade the use of IT in the office
work process. Officers should not serve more than 3 years in one District (especially
the remote areas) to avoid boredom and familiarity with the environment. this
may cause complacency.
Jeffrey Ursee Iboh (District Officer,
Daro) In order for a DO to effectively discharge his duties, the following must
be taken into account: A DO must have enhanced power or part in the Panel Pergerakan
gaji; he must be informed of all activities in the District by the other departments;
the human and financial resources in the District must also be increased.
An effective DO should be able to
come up with a 5-year District Development Plan for his district and must have
up-to-date comprehensive data of his district. To help him accomplish this,
a DO must be involved in the overall master plan preparation and must be involved
in all discussions at State-level on matters that involve his district.
| 
