By Lian Cheng
KUCHING, July 11: Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) vice president Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah strongly objects to the setting up of Jawatankuasa Pembangunan dan Keselamatan (JPKK) system in Sarawak.
He said JPKK is exactly the same as MPKKP (Majlis Pengurusan Komuniti Kampung Persekutuan) except it has a different name but in essence, it is a duplication to the existing Sarawak’s Jawatankuasa Kemajuan dan Keselamatan Kampung (JKKK)
“Why do we need another something so similar to JKKK when JKKK is functioning proper and serving the needs of our people? I strongly object to its setting up in Sarawak as it will serve nothing but confuse and divide our people,” Abdul Karim told DayakDaily.
He said Perikatan Nasional (PN) government has introduced JPKK without even consulting the Sarawak government.
“They can come out with JPKK and implement it all over Malaysia except in Sarawak because we already have our own JKKK. They can only come in to Sarawak if Sarawak government agrees and allows them to extend it into Sarawak.
“The fact is that, we already have an effective system of JKKK which has proven to be serving our villages or longhouses communities well. There is no necessity for JPKK to be set up here in Sarawak,” said Karim who is also Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister
Citing the confusion when MPKKP was introduced during Pakatan Harapan time, Karim said if there is JKKK and JPKK, it would mean there are two headmen in a longhouse or two ketua kampung in a village.
“That was the very reason why the Sarawak government objected to the formation of MPKKP when Pakatan Harapan was in power. And now it is coming back in another name.
“If the federal government were to set up JPKK here in Sarawak, it would lead to the same effect – disunity and confusion on the ground.
“The JKKK system which the State has managed all these years has been known to be effective in managing longhouses, kampungs and villages. Why the need to ‘rock’ the system and create uncertainty and confusion?”
The Asajaya assemblyman hoped the federal ministry concerned would relook into the issue.
“The role of the government of the day is to ensure unity among the subjects, instead of creating division or confusion,” he reminded.
On July 9, Rural Development Minister Datuk Dr Abd Latiff Ahmad said the ministry will improve MPKKP and rebranding it as JPKK.
He announced that JPKK will be extended to 10 states – Johor, Melaka, Perak, Pahang, Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan, Terengganu, Labuan and Sarawak.-DayakDaily
