TUTONG

GRASSROOT leaders can use the media as a platform to forward their suggestions and concerns to the relevant departments as part of their efforts to improve the well-being of their villages, said the acting director of Information.

The acting director Mawardi Haji Mohammad was speaking on the sidelines of the ‘Program Jalinan Mesra’ which aimed at fostering closer ties between the department and the community leaders in Tutong yesterday.

Mawardi explained that the media played a specific role in linking these grassroot leaders to the government department; and that their voices should be relayed through the media as suggestions instead of complaints.

Mawardi also said that the media should also be careful as some issues can be sensitive.

“The media should also consider what the government has done and promoted; there may have been mistakes and some even overlooked with the possibility of the related government agency being unaware,” he said.

“That is why the information department and the media is there, to serve as a link and a platform so the government knows what needs to be done from there,” he added.

The ‘Program Jalinan Mesra’ in Tutong was the second of its kind held in Tutong yesterday, where besides visiting community leaders; members of the Information Department also took note of some of the concerns, problems and suggestions raised by the grassroots leaders to improve their welfares.

The programme was also similar to the department’s “Personal Contact programme” where they also visited grassroots leaders to be updated of their situations only that the ‘Programme Jalinan Mesra’ was carried out in light of the Aidil Fitri festivities.

The residences of Mukim Kiudang’s Penghulu, head of Kg Pengkalan Mau/ Bakiau and head of Kg Birau were visited yesterday as part of the programme.

Based on what had been done, Mawardi shared that the common problems raised by these community leaders includes those related to electricity supply, roads, street lights and rubbish.

While the matter may be simple, Mawardi urged relevant government agencies to attend to the issues raised by the grassroot leaders.

“They may be reasons why they raised the matter and they know best what is going on in their villages,” he said.

“This is because they are the ones living in the area, seeing everything everyday; so matters they had raised may be something that is big for them,” he added.

He also urged the relevant government agencies to go down to the “field” to investigate the problems they had faced as one of the better ways to solve them.

The Brunei Times