Govt Can Consider More UTCs For S'wak Once Each State Capital Has One - PM

KUCHING, Feb 26 (Bernama) -- When the government realises its objective of having an Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) in each state capital, phase two of the initiative will possibly see more UTCs in Sarawak considering the vastness of the state, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

He said, however, this would depend on increased revenue for the government and the nation being on a very strong fiscal footing.

The UTCs, he said, became testimonies of the government's commitment towards realising its "People First, Performance Now," philosophy when they turned out to be a resounding success in facilitating the people in dealing with not only government agencies but also the private sector.

"Once the first phase is settled (to have a UTC in each state capital), we can consider a second round towards meeting the call by Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem for more UTCs in the state," he said when opening UTC Sarawak in Jalan Bukit Mata here tonight.

Having a floor space of 29,000 square feet, UTC Sarawak, which is the eighth UTC in the country and started operations at the end of last September, now houses 47 government and private agencies under one roof.

The UTC is a brainchild of the Prime Minister to provide a one-stop centre for urban communities to deal with key government agencies and is part of the country's National Blue Ocean Strategy (NBOS).

It was introduced to improve the delivery system to the people via strategic partnerships between government agencies and the private sector.

According to Najib, with the full commitment of the government, UTC Sarawak costing RM48.5 million was up and running within 12 weeks and since January, has received more than 260,000 visitors.

He said transformation in terms of finding solutions to challenges required creative and strategic thinking, and that the UTC, which came about through brainstorming, was a fine example of this.

"This is the end result, we could come up with these UTCs which no other country has been able to do. Hopefully, it will inspire greater confidence of the people in the government which is very committed and serious not only about improvements, but transformation across the country, no matter urban or rural areas," he said.

Najib said he was also committed to working with Adenan and other state leaders in bringing about transformation for a better future for Sarawak.

Meanwhile, he said this year, 200 imams or Village Security and Development Committee chairmen in Sarawak would be selected to perform the Haj under the sponsorship of the 1MDB Foundation.