Reactions to federal government’s decision to appoint community leaders in Sarawak
KUCHING: An allegation that the state government had rejected allocation from the federal government to pay for the salaries of community leaders is false.
In fact, when Pakatan Harapan (PH) took over control of Putrajaya, it took the unprecedented step of decreasing the monthly allowance of each ‘tuai rumah’, ‘ketua kampung’ and ‘kapitan’ to a mere RM500 from the previous RM900.
“The state government then took it upon itself to pay RM400 to make up the difference as it is solely responsible for the salaries of community leaders such as ‘Temenggong’, ‘Pemanca’ and ‘Penghulu’,” Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas clarified yesterday.
He was responding to Rural Development Deputy Minister R Sivarasa’s statement last Sunday that the federal government will appoints its own community leaders in Sarawak effective January next year.
To this, Uggah said it reflected the ignorance of outsiders regarding a system long-practised by the state government in appointing the grassroots leaders.
“To have two authorities appointing their preferred ‘ketua kaum’ and ‘ketua masyarakat’ will be very disruptive to the stability, harmony and solidarity of the more than 5,000 rural longhouses, villages and settlements in Sarawak. This has never happened before and I hope will not happen soon,” he said.
Uggah said the state government had its own Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in appointing its ‘ketua kaum’ and ‘ketua masyarakat’.
The system has worked very well for the state government and the rural communities in particular.
He said as a basic criterion, the state government would listen to voices on the ground for recommendations of the candidates.
“The deputy minister should have made efforts to understand our system which may be different from those practised in Malaya before making his statement,” he said.
“On Sivarasa’s statement that the state JKKKs be changed to MPKK I am sure it can be discussed by the top federal and state leaders although at the onset the federal government had agreed to let the state keep its JKKKs.”
