KUCHING: The Voluntary Local Review (VLR) initiative based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is helping Sarawak to not only assess its current development status but also to transparently identify gaps and make progressive improvements at the grassroots level.
Sarawak Deputy Premier, Datuk Amar Professor Dr Sim Kui Hian, emphasised that this approach reflects the Sarawak Government’s genuine intention to understand and improve the well-being of its people through data-driven governance.
“Through VLR, we can identify what else we need to do, what gaps we need to address, and all of these things actually show our sincerity—that we want to know and then we want to make improvements based on the data,” he said.
He made the remarks after witnessing the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Padawan Municipal Council (MPP), Kota Samarahan Municipal Council (MPKS), Sarikei District Council (MDS), and URBANICE Malaysia at a hotel in Kuching on Friday.
Datuk Amar Dr Sim, who also serves as the Sarawak Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government, said the roadmap for sustainable development would be tailored specifically to the needs of each local authority (PBT), city, and council.
He highlighted the value of implementing SDGs at the PBT level, noting that it helps local councils benchmark themselves against international standards and identify areas for development.
He also commended URBANICE Malaysia and the participating local councils for leading the VLR effort, which provides a clearer understanding of on-the-ground challenges.
“This report will be part of the index and through it, the needs of each city are assessed. We look at indicators such as the frequency of power outages and more, allowing us to compare performance,” he explained.
“We want to know if we are improving, how much better we are becoming, or why certain issues like power outages still persist. These insights are essential for Sarawak’s overall progress.”
Also in attendance were Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health, Housing and Local Government (MPHLG), Desmond Douglas Jerukan; CEO of URBANICE Malaysia, Ts Norliza Hashim; MPP Chairman Tan Kai; MPKS Chairman Abang Ismawi Abang Ali; and MDS Chairman Stephen Wong Kie Yong.
