During
the days of the Brooke Administration, some semblances
of the functions of the Council were performed by
the Public Works Department. Sir Charles Vyner Brooke
was installed as the Third Rajah on 22nd July, 1918.
In 1921 the Kuching Sanitary and Municipal Advisory
Board was formed. Following a new legislation, the
Board became the Municipal Authority for Kuching on
1st January, 1934 marking the early beginning of what
would in due course become the local authority for
Kuching, known as the Kuching Municipal Council.
At the outbreak of
hostilities in 1941, the Central Government was giving
consideration to the question of according full municipal
status to the Board, but the war interrupted this
and the question was not considered again until the
resumption of Civil Government in 1946, at which time
Sarawak had also become a colony of Great Britain.
In 1947, it was found neccessary to introduce a
modified form of Committee System as the work of
the Board had grown to such as extent as to make
it impracticable for the Municipal Commissioners
to deal with the various problems of administration
in a single monthly meeting.
In 1949, His Excellency the Governor directed that
the Chairman of the Kuching Municipal Board should
submit a comprehansive detailed scheme to convert
the Municipality into a local government entity,
financially self-supporting and managing its own
affairs, subject to such safeguards as might be
deemed adviseable. As a result of this action the
Municipality became autonomous on 1st January, 1953.
The Municipal Council at this time was formed on
a purely racial basis of twenty-four representatives
of the public, with a British Officer as Chairman.
His Excellency the Governor in Council appointed
the Chairman, as he also did six other Councillors
of various nationalities who represented different
interests in the lives of the local community. The
other eighteen Councillors with approval of His
Excellency were nominated by the various Associations,
who looked after the interest of the Chinese, Malay,
Indian, Ceylonese, Dayak and British communities.
In
1956 intiatives were made by His Excellency to plan
for the first free election, which eventually took
place on 4th November. A total of 58 persons offered
themselves as candidates for the 9 wards and 278
seats on the new Council. The newly elected Council
took office on 1st December, 1956. The President
and Vice President were elected from among the Councillors
and held office for a period of one year, with eligibility
for re-election. Free election lasted only for several
years.
The
3-year term of office o[the 1963 elected Councillors
should have expired on 30th June, 1966. However,
due to certain political development in the State,
the tenure of office was extended by the State Government
and the Councillors who were elected at the3rd local
council elections in 1963 continued to hold office
until 14th October. 1981 when the Council was restructcd.
The enactmentof the Kuching Municipal (Amendment)
(No.2) Ordinances 1977 made 15th December 1977 among
other things, substituled led the elective system
by an appointment system of Councillors. It was
provided that the Council should consist ot the
Chairman, the Deputy Chairman; and not less than
eight and not more than twenty-four Councillors
to he appointed by the Governor to serve a term
not extending three years. This amendment Ordinance
was only brought into force with effect from 15
October 1981 on which date a new set of Councillors
were appointed and all the Councillors elected in
1963 ceased to hold office on 14 October, 1981.
On 1st August, 1988 the Municipality was elevated
to city status, making it the 3rd City in Malaysia
after the Federal Capital of Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh,
the Capital of the State of Perak. This historic
date also saw the administrative division of the
City into Kuching North (covering a significant
part of the central areas of downtown Kuching, previously
administered by the Kuching Municipal Council and
including new areas across the Sarawak River, previously
administered by the Kuching Rural District Council)
and Kuching South (covering part of the areas previously
administered by thh Kuching Municipal Council to
the east of downtown Kuching and come new areas
to the south of the former Municipality, previously
administered by the Kuching Rural District Council)
comprising an area of 61.53 sq.km.
