Claim MPKKP will split rural folk baseless — PKR man

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MIRI:  Any talk by Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) leaders that the Federal Village Community Management Council (MPKKP) would split the unity among rural folk is incorrect and unfounded, says a Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) leader.

PKR Hulu Rajang branch chairman Abun Sui Anyit said the claim that the establishment of MPKKP would result in two sets of village chiefs or headmen is wrong as the council does not have the authority to make such appointments.

“Ketua kaum or tuai rumah are appointed by the Sarawak government under the Community Chiefs and Headmen Ordinance 2004, so how can there be a split because there will still be only one leader in each village or longhouse,” he told The Borneo Post yesterday.

He was commenting on the statement by Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah during the ongoing State Legislative Assembly sitting, that MPKKP will result in two sets of leaders in villages and longhouses, thus causing a split among the people.

Abun pointed out that MPKKP will not only serve as a bridge for communication between the federal government and the community, but also assist Putrajaya in implementing development in rural areas.

He said with the Sarawak government barring community leaders from attending non-GPS functions, the federal government needed a way to ensure its policies and programmes reached the community at large in rural areas.

“After all, not everyone in rural communities can afford to buy a radio or television,” he added.

Abun also questioned the motive of GPS in objecting the formation of MPKKP, which he described as a “conduit for development”.

Leaders, he stressed, should work together to advance the needs and interests of the people rather than hinder development merely for political purposes.