KUCHING: Public complaints management through Talikhidmat needs to be more efficient by taking into account the values of empathy and sympathy in resolving the spread of complaints received.
Deputy Sarawak Secretary (Operations) Datuk Hii Chang Kee said public complaints management is not just a process of investigation and official responses but it is a process of restoring the people’s confidence.
Takikhidmat, he said, is a space to prove that the government system is fair, transparent and accountable.
“A quick answer that does not resolve the issue will not be enough and an accurate answer without empathy is also not enough.
“We need to remember, empathy without action is just sympathy but empathy accompanied by efforts to find solutions, that is real public service.
“The people do not just want to be heard, they want to see our determination to act and they want to see a responsive, not defensive system so that they feel that their voices carry meaning,” he said when speaking at the Talikhidmat Agency 2026 Administration Workshop, here, on Thursday (Feb 12).
A total of 255 Talikhidmat administrators from agencies participated in the workshop, to strengthen quality complaint management, be empathetic and resolve complaints within the specified period.
Referring to last year’s data, Hii said that the Talikhidmat system had received 71,972 responses and 71,958 were resolved by the agency.
“There are still 14 responses in the Talikhidmat system that have not been resolved by the agency and I request that any agency that has not yet resolved the feedback must resolve it immediately,” he stressed.
In this regard, he stressed the need to instil a culture of monitoring and continuous improvement, including complying with the set response time, providing prompt and quality replies, analysing the root causes of complaints, and using Talikhidmat data as strategic input to enhance services and support management decisions.
