Its mayor Lawrence Lai received the award from Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib during a presentation ceremony at a civil service conference in Kuching yesterday.

The number of participants was more than double that of 2008, which saw only 70 entries. Aside from the main award, separate awards were presented to winners in five categories – Resident’s Office, District Office, Local Authorities, State Agency and Federal Agency.

The awards were for agencies that had given quality service with new initiatives to improve service delivery. It was also to raise awareness of quality in the public sector, encourage healthy competition and give due recognition for improvements and efforts.

At the conference opening, Taib said the public service must to be sensitive to changes in the global management system. He said that reducing size and changing the Government’s role while remaining effective in meeting complex challenges was the overriding purpose of public-service reforms in developed and developing countries.

While no unique solution or approach had emerged as a model, he said there were lessons to be learned from the experiences of developed and developing countries.

“I’m happy to note that our public service has been transformed over the years and we should not stop.

We need to be up-to-date and make full use of the best management systems that have been proven successful,” he said. While the transformation process must continue, Taib said the public service still needed to identify priorities according to local circumstances.

“In short, you have to develop local solutions to global challenges. Moreover, success depends on an incremental approach, a step-by-step process within the framework of a clear long-term vision,” he said.