THE difference in atmosphere and even mood in the new office of the mayor of Kuching City South Council (MBKS) on the fourth floor of the local authority’s building at Jalan Padungan was perceptible — spacious, airy and well-lit.

REACHING OUT: Chan emphasising a point. His crutches are in the background.

The new office, converted from a meeting room, has a whole different vibe compared to the old one from where three previous mayors oversaw the administration of the city until their tenures were abruptly ended.

Residents of Kuching South will surely be debating why their new mayor, James Chan, has chosen to move out of the old office. The coffeeshop talk is likely to be that it begets ‘bad luck’.

But whether or not it was prompted by ‘feng shui’ or just a matter of taste is really immaterial. What is certain is that MBKS is starting a new chapter in the city’s 20th anniversary with Chan at the helm, and in the grander scheme of things, the move from the old office could be a good omen.

Last Wednesday, thesundaypost called on the mayor with hopes to find out who he is and what makes him tick.

Apart from the fact that he was the general manager of Harwood Timber Sdn Bhd and the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) did not recommend him, very little is known about James Chan Khay Syn until he was sworn in on June 4.

In a nutshell, Chan was born on June 1, 1950, in Kuching. Coincidentally, his term as mayor also started from June 1. He grew up at Main Bazaar in Kuching, went to St Thomas’ School, got his accountancy degree in New Zealand and never held any public office before.

Several months ago, he injured his right knee in a plane and has been in and out of the Normah Medical Specialist Centre for the past few weeks after his knee became infected following an operation. He is currently undergoing physiotherapy and praying for a speedy recovery.

When thesundaypost met him in his new office, he walked in with the help of crutches and cracked a wicked joke about not wanting the interview.

Indeed, Chan seems easy going with a sense of humour but it is also apparent that he tolerates no nonsense when it comes to work.

Q: After reporting to office for one week, how do you see the overall situation in MBKS?

A: I actually still have to go to Normah for this treatment, and that takes up a bit of time in the morning. After that, I come here.

I started, I think, last Thursday. Time was so occupied with everybody wanting to see me. Association people also. I have to prioritise. As I have said, I want to find out what is in MBKS itself.

That’s why I had a long briefing on Monday. So at least, I have some clue on what sort of things the management is controlling here. Of course, there are also councillors trying to contact me due to the urgency of City Day.

And apart from that, I still have to read your newspapers about issues like Stutong Market and so on. I’m not fully that well yet but I’m trying my best to absorb whatever I can on the job itself

So give me some time because I have to go deep into the management team itself. I think this is the first time, apart from the late Chong (Chong Ted Tsiung, MBKS third mayor), there’s a really working mayor. A working mayor means a mayor very much deep into the job itself.

In fact, I want to know what each head of department is doing. What sort of areas are we covering for the people of Kuching South? What are they doing at the moment?

Next step is to have more detailed discussions with them. Perhaps, to tickle them on how to do things better.

I’m aware MBKS is also under some financial constraints but it’s okay. Problems like that can be resolved … not something impossible. Immediately, what I can think of is perhaps we should review the way we do things … making it more cost-efficient.

The other way is looking at how well we do things. We must also educate the public. One of the strong things, I think, I want to impose in MBKS is to ensure my management team is trying to educate the people.

MBKS may have done a lot of things but these are not really known. And I think we should inculcate a sense of excellence in our service providers.

For example, hygiene. I know the council has this grading thing for eateries — A, B, C. If it’s C, what do we do about it? Are we just going to tell the public? Is that what we want?

So I think our style of doing things is that at all times, we must inculcate in the people … the operators … the value of cleanliness. This is important to them as food outlet operators.

Maybe we can bring the operators to have discussions with us. Show them pictures, how they can run their outlets better. I want the council people to also be close with the operators.

There’s no need to use the hard way. Wherever we can, we go through educating them … trying to show them whatever examples we have.

I have told the senior management team to wait until this leg gets well, then you will have to follow me to the ground to look at things.

Q: You said in your maiden speech you aimed to make Kuching City the best in Malaysia. Can you tell us your plans to achieve this?

A: Of course, I cannot now reveal a master plan to you because this needs a bit of thought, but as I said, the style, the method I want to do things for this city is through education which I don’t think has been done before. We will interact with the operators, the residents, the people.

I understand there is this strategy of urban healthy living city that the state government is trying to implement through the councils. This is good because, for example, in the case of Kuching South, where are we at the moment? How do we move one step up to be even better without incurring much cost?

We may also have to look at the traffic like in the Padungan area where people are double-parking, triple-parking. That makes things difficult. We’ll try the soft approach to get things done where you can still go around and feel good about it.

A little bit of this and that can make Kuching South a place where its people can enjoy. This is what I’m emphasising at the moment.

Q: I’m sure when you took over this office you were briefed or given some instructions or targets for the local authority by the state government. What are some of the key areas you have been asked to work on?

A: There have never been any specific instructions for me … except please come over to MBKS and use your professionalism and experience to see how you can better things here. And I take this as a very wide job scope. That sentence itself covers everything.

So even the opposition parties … even if they want to voice anything, they are free to come around because they are people of Kuching South.

The Chief Minister wants me to be here to serve the people of Kuching South. This is the most important thing I want to stress. So if anybody can show me a better way to do things to improve living in the city in anyway, I will look at it and if good, adopt it.

Q: Being a Kuching resident yourself, what is your assessment of the council’s past record? Is Kuching in good shape or bad shape or is there still a lot to be done?

A: Before becoming mayor, I had some reservations about MBKS. I told the senior management team I had criticised things up and down here, not knowing I would end up as mayor.

But from James Chan’s view — not mayor Chan’s — now that I’m here, there are certain things from my past experience I can use to better the council.

Q: You said your duty is to serve the residents of Kuching and you also said you would run the council like Harwood company. Maybe there are some differences between the private and the public sectors?

A: I don’t know if I had said that but in essence, we must run any place — whether a company or a council — in a cost-efficient manner. That’s number one. Especially in hard times like now.

So we in MBKS must remember it’s the people’s money and we must make sure it’s well spent. We need money to do things, fair enough, but when we do things, we must do them in a correct and if possible, more cost-efficient way.

This principle applies anywhere … whether a company or here. You don’t just waste money for the sake of wasting it. And for that matter, don’t change for the sake of change but change for the better.

According to management principles, nobody wants change but if you can show them the change is good for them, they will accept it. When you do things, you should do so in an acceptable way.

I may want to impose some new systems but we may need to get feedback from the people — maybe every quarterly or twice a year — on how efficient our services are.

Let’s talk about rates … very sensitive issue. For all you know, there are some properties not rated properly. Most are rated properly but there maybe some operational things we need to do to make sure the council does receive the correct revenue. Not so much to burden to people. As for those under-rated, we must look at it and study it to be fair to those rated properly.

Q: Are you talking about imposing some cost restrictions or cost cutting?

A: I won’t say cost-cutting. I’m telling my management staff not to do things like in the past. Let’s study our method and if we can do better, please change it immediately.

Q: What is the revenue of the council now?

A: I think the minister said something like RM41 million (from rates) but we should be getting RM60 million. But I’m given to understand there are some assumptions that perhaps some areas may have not been rated correctly.

Q: So MBKS could potentially collect more in terms of revenue?

A: We will try our best. Our main revenue is, of course, rates. There are also other forms of revenue. So I want to go to the management to look at the other revenues. Not to impose hardship on the people but ensure what is due to MBKS is properly charged or received.

Based on the budget here (reading documents), the revenue total over RM70 million, not just the rates. Expenditure is also about RM70 million plus, so we have to be very careful. If we spend a bit more, then we will be in deficit.

So far, based on this, it’s okay but we have to balance up. Sometimes when we do this balancing, we also have to be careful not to do it at the expense of giving decent service.

But at all times, of course, especially now, we have to prioritise to ensure the things we do are correct priorities.

Q: So MBKS seems okay financially.

A: Looks like it. I, for one, like to throw new ideas to staff. I think people under Susan (Susan Lo, city secretary) are quite receptive. I think we make a good team.

But I have warned if any of the staff cannot follow me, they should know what to do. Because I’m here to serve two years and I want to serve them well too. I don’t look for any other things actually — I’m looking at this as my opportunity to give back to Kuching.

Q: What’s your impression of the past three mayors? What do you think you can learn from them?

A: I don’t really know them because I was more on the corporate side and I seldom read about the council. My impression of the mayorship is that it’s more ceremonial. Attending functions and so on. I may have a different style.

Of course, sometimes attending functions is part and parcel of the social side of the job but work is priority … like doing things to make certain areas better. I think I would like to spend more time on that rather than attending functions here and there. My deputy can assist me.

Q: Talking about attending functions, in the future you maybe invited to Chinese functions but you don’t speak Mandarin, right?

A: Speak a little Mandarin — I can listen but cannot read or write but listening no problem.

Q: Is this an obstacle or disadvantage?

A: Kuching is practically Hokkien — so we can always speak in Hokkien. So there should not be any barrier. The important thing is communication. As long as you understand me and I understand you, any language is okay.

Q: Because you were very low key, and nobody actually knew you before you became a mayor, people are wondering if Mayor Chan is an approachable person and if they went up to him in public, would he be annoyed?

A: I think I’m very approachable. I cannot judge myself though. I think if you have the chance to interview any of my staff in Harwood, get their views on me, then I think their answer is better than what I can give you. But anybody can come and see me.

Q: Where’s your favourite coffeeshop?

A: Because I worked in Harwood, my staff were mostly Malays and sometimes they invited me to the civic centre there where we had ‘mee jawa’. Nearly all my life, I’m more towards Malay food. Of course sometimes, I also crave for Chinese food. Actually, I have no favourites. I usually just go along with my staff.

Q: So where do you go for laksa?

A: Laksa? My wife (Catherine) is a special cook. I always love her laksa. But sometimes for breakfast, I do go to a coffeeshop at the old Immigration Office and another shop I think called Sim Poh Poh for kolo mee.

Q: So now people know where to ‘ambush’ you?

A: No problem. I had gone to Tabuan Jaya Siang Siang … some people there recognised me. It was a bit funny actually. I just came from Normah and told my daughter I was a bit hungry, maybe we just popped into Siang Siang. She said people would recognise me but I said it didn’t matter. I was wearing shorts … can’t remember if I combed my hair … and we were sitting near the road. So this old man recognised me and pointed to the cars parked on the yellow line. You know it was a weekend. I said my goodness, and I told him, ‘Slow, slow’.

Q: So have life changed after you became mayor?

A: Not yet … I think because of this leg. Before June 1, I was practically staying in Normah, and now, it’s here or Normah and then back to the house. So I have not really found out about life as a mayor yet although people do recognise me.

(At this point, Chan rolled up his right trouser leg to show his knee still in elastic support).

Q: You grew up in Kuching but have worked elsewhere. What about Kuching you like most?

A: I always feel Kuching is a very nice place. I have been to different parts of the world but somehow, whenever I’m in the plane about to land, I feel a sense of home.

Till today, I think Kuching is very nice but, of course, there is now more traffic … you have robbery and this and that.

That’s why I take up this job as mayor because as a local boy, I try to do what I can for the city. I don’t take it as work. I now develop this interest to try to do well and as the mayor, I believe some of the ideas I have can help improve Kuching city if they can be implemented well.

Q: You spoke about robbery and it’s true a lot of people are worried about it. What can the council do to bring down the crime rate?

A: If I’m not mistaken, I think the council has started neighbourhood watch units but I’m not certain if they are active. We’ll check on this … it’s something we should try and revive.

My principle is prevention … providing the services rather than letting things happen before doing something. So we have to think of the best methods to do things in certain areas.

Q: The SUPP seems to be very critical of your appointment. So you might need to deal with them in the future. You also have some SUPP councilors. How will you handle this?

A: So far, I have met some SUPP councillors and I have no problems — they seem very supportive, quite magnanimous in the way they greeted me. I think to be fair to them, they don’t know me because I don’t belong to any party.

So my view is that so long as the management team and I can work well together, I think eventually they will come to accept me. As far as I’m concerned, I’m assigned to this job by the state cabinet. They want me to do a good job and if it’s done well, it’s also good for the Barisan Nasional. They stand to gain. I’m only a government servant and I dedicate myself to the job and try to do the best I can.

With that, I think I should be able to accommodate whoever is critical of me. I don’t play politics. I’m only concerned about giving service.

Q: Do you think it’s personal?

A: No, I don’t think so and I don’t take it personal too.

Q: Would you join SUPP if they invited you?

A: Let me do my job first before I consider any of that. Moreover, I’m also too old. My aim now is to focus on this job. I have no political ambitions.

Q: So there is a possibility?

A: So far, nothing in my head about that because there is so much to do. And I’ll try devoting myself to doing a good job because if I start thinking about joining a political group, I think my perception on doing my job can change and I can’t afford that. So I want to focus on this job and I think the political parties will understand.

Q: Finally, since you’re an accountant, are you very calculative?

A: This is a fair question. When I started working here, I was very calculative but when I’m in the management, I tend to soften up a bit. I look at it more from the perspective of cost and benefit. I weigh it. So if you incur this, what will be the benefit? As long as the money is well spent, I’m for it … and if it benefits my staff and the people of Kuching, I have no qualms about that.