SMC launches texting hotline to serve public better

by Jane Moh.

BETTER SERVICES: Tiong (fourth right) launching the SMC SMS hotline while (from third right) Hii and Ngieng looks on.

SIBU: Communication between the Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) and the public has been made easier with the creation of ‘SMC SMS Hotline’ that was launched yesterday by SMC chairman Datuk Tiong Thai King.

Speaking at the launching, Tiong said the council has taken the initiative to ensure it handles public requests in a speedier, friendlier and more transparent manner.

To use `SMC SMS Hotline’ to send requests or complaints to the council, type Space then send to it to 39993 or mobile number 016-8533000

Council secretary Hii Chang Kee said the text messages can be in either in English or Bahasa Malaysia and only genuine requests would be acknowledged by an SMS reply.

“All messages must have ‘SMC’ in front or else it would not reach us and all messages must include a specific address, including the road, lane or even the name of the house or else it would not be entertained,” he pointed out.

According to him, unlike the current hotline, public members could send their complaints and requests even during weekends.

Once the complaints are accepted, the council will send a reply SMS with a reference number (RN) by the next working day.

Through this, public members could follow up on the progress with the given reference number.

“Just quote RN to the SMC helpdesk for any further correspondence and enquiry,” he said.

Hii pointed that, apart from being friendly and transparent, the alternative way showed that the council was trying to catch up with the technology.

“More people are texting messages than writing letters nowadays because it is faster and efficient,” he pointed out.

All text messages would be charged according to individual call rate packages.

Tiong said in the past there had been numerous requests and complaints from the public but the council could not handle them immediately all at once.

Basically, we receive three types of complaints, he said.

For complaints about services, like filling up potholes, cutting grass, garbage collection, indiscriminate dumping, missing man-hole covers, faulty traffic lights and so on, the council has been able to take immediate action, Tiong said.

“But the type of complaints that need to go through legal procedures, we need time to resolve them,” he pointed out, citing illegal building extensions, noise pollution, smell nuisance, dereliction of properties as a few examples.

“The third type of complaints requires funding, like the raising and upgrading of sinking roads, repairing collapsed drains, landscaping and so forth.”

“SMC has less than RM7 million for road maintenance annually.  The amount will not be enough to cover all the requests from the public,” lamented Tiong.

He said if the council was to upgrade all the roads in their list of requests, they would require more than RM100 million.

Also present at the launching yesterday was council deputy chairman Daniel Ngieng.

[Source : Borneo Post Online posted on October 28, 2011, Friday]