Kiulu to Empower Youth and Women in Grassroots Leadership

6 December 2025

KIULU: Kiulu is set to see a shift in its leadership approach as youth and women are given greater space to participate in decision-making processes and manage community programmes.

Kiulu State Assemblyman, Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, said this step is crucial to ensure that local leadership continues to align with current needs, particularly in the context of rural development that requires fresh ideas and new energy.

He said the involvement of younger generations and women is a strategic necessity to strengthen governance and ensure that programmes implemented genuinely reflect the needs of the community.

“Youth and women today have the capacity, skills and perspectives needed to help govern their communities,” he said when officiating a darts competition at the St Philip Neri open hall in Pekan Nabalu on Saturday (6 Dec).

“It is time for them to play a greater role in shaping and implementing Kiulu’s development agenda,” he added.

Joniston said his office is reassessing village-level organisational structures to open more leadership opportunities for these groups, including exposure to policy-making processes, programme planning and coordination of community projects.

“This move is expected to enhance the effectiveness of grassroots administration, particularly in managing critical issues and facilitating communities in handling administrative matters and development programme coordination at the village level,” he said.

He stressed that the changes aim to ensure that every decision made is guided more closely by community feedback rather than short-term fixes.

Joniston also emphasised that training, policy exposure and opportunities to hold work portfolios will be core priorities in preparing the next generation to govern Kiulu more effectively and consistently.

“We want to see a leadership line-up that understands the changes of the times and is courageous in carrying forward Kiulu’s development agenda without disruption,” he said.