MIRI: Negative mentality among Bumiputera communities should be discarded, said Miri District Officer Hamdan Katang.

Hamdan noted that many of them were narrow-minded and have negative thinking and ill feelings towards one another; they refuse to cooperate and help one another in times of difficulties while others possess a feeling of hatred and anger to see others happy, progressing and successful in their career and undertakings.

“Above all, these communities like to be busybody and mind other people’s business,” he added.

Hamdan also regretted that some village chiefs were biased when it came to projects or grant application. They only think of themselves and their relatives by giving them priority in getting the projects.

“However, not all village chiefs are biased — only about one or two per cent of them, and the rest are fair and considerate,” he said.

In this context, Hamdan urged the villagers to practise the 1Malaysia concept — work as one family and be fair in giving projects or grants to avoid any misunderstanding and quarrels among themselves later.

He called on all village chiefs, longhouse heads, kapitans and penghulus to provide ‘village profiles’ or detailed particulars of their respective villages, such as shortage of facilities and infrastructure, children’s education, sanitation and ideas that could help in the development and progress in the villages.

“This is to make it easier for the authorities concerned to assist the villages which need the basic facilities and infrastructure,” he explained.

Hamdan was officiating at the closing of the Village Administration and Management Course at a leading hotel here yesterday.

Fifty-seven persons comprising village chiefs, longhouse heads, kapitans and penghulus attended the four-day course which commenced on July 6. Twenty-eight of them are from Miri while the rest from Baram.

The course organised by Institut Kemajuan Desa or Rural Development Institute (Infra), Sarawak branch was the third in its series.

Among the topics presented were ‘National Safety Management’, ‘Programme/Project Plannings’, ‘Rural Leadership’, ‘Motivation’ and ‘Rural Development under the Ninth Malaysian Plan’.

Hamdan advised participants to use and deliver the knowledge acquired during the four-day course to execute their duties and responsibilities efficiently.