Douglas Uggah Embas
KUCHING: Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah has denied Deputy Rural Development Minister R Sivarasa’s claim that the state government had rejected the federal funds for village heads.
Reacting to Sivarasa’s remarks here on Sunday, Uggah, who is also Second Finance Minister, said the state government itself had to pay the village heads for several months because the funds were not forthcoming.
“The Deputy Minister say (we) reject the funds, he better check his facts. We never reject the funds.
“In fact, the first few months, there was no funds paid to us, (so) we paid (the village heads). After that they send the fund, we accept, we never reject,” he told reporters after presenting grants for the state’s Unit for Other Religions (Unifor) at Wisma Bapa Malaysia here today.
He explained further that when Pakatan Harapan took over the Putrajaya after the general election last May, the Rural Development Ministry had decided to rename the Village Security and Development Committee (JKKK) as Village Community Management Council (MPKK).
He said that though the structure and organisation remained the same, the ministry had decided to reduce the salary of the JKKK chairmen.
“In the peninsula, the salary of chairman was reduced from RM900 to 500. I brought it to the cabinet and we decided we should maintain the JKKK.
“I went back to the ministry and they agree to keep the name, pay the same RM500 but in Sarawak we’ve been paying RM900. We don’t feel it’s fair to reduce RM900 to RM500, so the Chief Minister decided to top up RM400 and maintain it at RM900,” he said.
Uggah said that the deputy minister was confused about the system of community leaders in the state, saying: “Outsiders don’t know our system.”
He said in Sarawak there are village heads who are tuai rumah, ketua kampung and kapitan, who are the ones who chair the JKKK in each village and are paid the RM900.
The other category of community leaders penghulu, pemanca and temenggong who are fully paid by the state government, Uggah explained.
Sivarasa had said after PKR Sarawak’s annual general meeting here on Sunday that the state government rejected the funds due to the tensions with the PH government.