Maimunah scanning her identification card to enter DBKL headquarters on her first day of duty. — Courtesy photo
“IF you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, let’s go together.”
This African proverb was shared by newly minted Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Maimunah Mohd Sharif after clocking in for work at Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) headquarters.
“Help me help you all. I want to build a friendship with the media members.
“If you have any feedback or issues that need to be addressed, let us know and we can work together to find a solution,” Maimunah said when she addressed the media for the first time yesterday.
She added that she wanted to develop trust with media personnel.
“I am the type of person who prefers to go to the ground and see the impact of development.
“So if you have issues to highlight, let us know and we can work together to solve it.”
Maimunah said she was a firm believer in the principle of 4Ps – public, private, people and partnerships – and hoped to use this to improve people’s livelihood, basic amenities and to provide affordable housing for all.
Maimunah also pledged to battle corruption in DBKL and keep the local authority accountable and clean.
“I am grateful for the opportunity and trust placed in me by the Prime Minister in appointing me as the mayor of Kuala Lumpur.
“It is a great honour and privilege to be the first woman to hold this position.
“Since the announcement yesterday (Wednesday), I have received a lot of feedback and requests from various quarters.
“There are high expectations, and I will need the media’s support to meet them,” she said.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us. The Prime Minister shared his ambitions with me, and we all need to work together to improve the livelihood of city residents, enhance the quality of life and make Kuala Lumpur more resilient, especially in the face of climate change,’’ she added.
Maimunah, who succeeds Datuk Seri Kamarulzaman Mat Salleh, was given a Guard of Honour salute by DBKL enforcement officers, preceded by a welcome dance by Tourism, Culture, and Arts Department performers.
Kuala Lumpur’s 15th mayor is a town planner by training.
Beginning her career at Penang Island Municipal Council in 1985, she has also served as Penang island mayor, Malaysia’s Special Envoy on Sustainable Urban-isation and as United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) executive director.
