Penguang: Latest development involving MPKKP appointments, allowance makes no sense

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Penguang Manggil

KUCHING: Assistant Minister of Housing and Local Government Datu Dr Penguang Manggil has expressed his amusement with the latest twists and turns in regards the proposed setting up of the Federal Village Community Management Council (MPKKP) in the state.

The latest statement by Deputy Rural Development Minister R Sivarasa that the state government is to fund the MPKKPs when Sarawak already has the village security and development committee (JKKK) institution in place, does not make sense to him, said the Marudi assemblyman.

“We already have our JKKKs. Enough has been said about the adverse implications of setting up the MPKKP over and above the JKKKs in Sarawak.”

“It was a miscalculated move, thinking that by giving them the allowances and the grants, they thought that everybody will jump on board,” he said.

Penguang was referring to the national news agency Bernama report quoting Sivarasa at the Parliament in Kuala Lumpur yesterday that the federal government does not interfere in the appointments of the members of the MPKKP.

Sivarasa was quoted as saying that any payment of allowance was under the state government.

‘’For example, in Sarawak, the appointment of the ‘tuai rumah’ or ‘ketua kaum’ is made under certain laws, is not disturbed or touched and the responsibility to pay any allowance to the existing MPKKP is the responsibility of the state appointing them,’’ he said when winding up the debate on the 2020 Supply Bill in Parliament.

On June 27, Rural Development Minister Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun announced that the JKKK for states under the administration of Pakatan Harapan (PH) would now be known as MPKKP.

Sivarasa, when giving the reason for the setting up of the MPKKP in five states not under PH, said it was very important so that government information and benefits could be disseminated and evaluated by the people.

‘’The issue of overlapping does not arise and I do not quite agree if there is a circular which I regard as very extreme, if it forbids attending programmes of PH elected representatives,’’ he said referring to a circular to community leaders and JKKK members in Sarawak.

Penguang was also among those Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) leaders who challenged the legal status of the proposed MPKKP institution in Sarawak.

On Oct 30, local newspapers reported that MPKKP would be established in January 2020 under the Rural Development Ministry (KPLB) and financed fully by the government under the existing allocation.