SIBU: The Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) has climbed an impressive 29 places to rank sixth among 42 municipal councils nationwide in the 2026 Star Rating System for Local Authorities (SPB-PBT).
Previously ranked 35th, SMC achieved an overall score of 91.95 per cent this year while retaining its five-star rating, placing it among the country’s top-performing municipal councils.
SMC chairman Councillor Clarence Ting Ing Horh said the achievement was not merely about securing a higher ranking, but demonstrated the council’s ability to continuously improve its performance and compete at the national level.
He said the achievement was particularly significant as SMC was the only municipal council in Sarawak to secure a five-star rating in the 2026 assessment.
“As Sarawakians, we are very proud that we have been able to achieve this position at the national level.
“We may be accustomed to seeing good performance in Sarawak, but when the Federal Government and the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT) place SMC sixth nationwide, it shows that our performance is on par with local authorities in Peninsular Malaysia,” he said at a press conference after the closing ceremony of the 2026 Borneo Cultural Festival (BCF) at Dataran Tun Tuanku Bujang here last night (Sept 12).
He said SMC had also demonstrated a consistent upward trend in its performance, with its score increasing from 87.60 per cent in 2022 to 91.55 per cent in 2024 and 91.95 per cent this year.
According to him, the assessment covered several key components, including management, core services, customer management and community participation.
“This achievement is not the work of one individual. It is the result of teamwork involving the councillors, management and all SMC staff,” he said.
However, Ting acknowledged that the high ranking did not mean SMC had reached perfection, noting that several areas still required further strengthening based on the findings of the 2026 SPB-PBT assessment.
Among the areas identified for improvement were staff training and job satisfaction, facilities for persons with disabilities (OKUs), the use of renewable energy, rainwater harvesting and recycling performance.
Other areas included library user satisfaction, the development of a command centre, smart city recognition, implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) initiatives and analysis of recurring complaints.
Ting said these areas would be among SMC’ priorities moving forward to ensure that its performance improvement would not stop with the current assessment.
“The five-star rating does not mean we are done. Instead, it serves as a benchmark for us to identify what can still be improved.
“We will continue working every day to further enhance our performance, and all feedback from the public is greatly welcomed,” he said.
He stressed that as a local authority closest to the people, public feedback was an important element in efforts to improve the quality of services provided.
He said criticism should not be viewed as a threat to the council’s image, but rather as an opportunity to identify weaknesses and areas requiring improvement.
“When members of the public say that something is not good or that there are things that need to be improved, we do not see it as something negative.
“Continuous feedback actually helps us to do better and better,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ting also expressed his appreciation to former SMC secretary Yong Ing Chu for his contributions and commitment to the council.
The SPB-PBT 2026 results were announced by KPKT at the National Local Authority Convention and National World Environmental Health Day Celebration 2026 in Penang yesterday.
Apart from SMC, the Bau District Council also achieved a five-star rating in the district council category in Sarawak.
Also present were SMC deputy chairman Councillor Mohammed Abdullah Izkandar Roseley and SMC deputy secretary Sait Enggang.
