JKKKs placed under federal govt - NST

KEPALA BATAS: April 27, 2008 By Adie Suri Zulkefli

The 4,000 Village Security and Development Committee (JKKK) members appointed by the former Barisan Nasional state governments will now be placed under the administration of the federal government effective next month.

Rural and Regional Development Minister Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib added that the 149 JKKKs in the state would continue with their duties.

Muhammad said the JKKK members, who will receive their allowances from the federal government, had agreed to resign from the current committee to join a new entity, known as the Federal Village Security and Development Committee (JKKKP).

"The JKKKs play an important role as they are at the closest level with the people on the ground."

Muhammad added that JKKK chiefs and their committee members were not pressured to relinquish their current posts to join the JKKKP.

"They resigned on their own accord as they wanted continuity in their service under the BN-led government," he said at a gathering with JKKK heads in Dewan Millenium here yesterday.

In Ipoh, Entrepreneur and Co-operative Development Minister Datuk Noh Omar said funds from the Entrepreneur and Co-operative Development Ministry for projects in Pakatan Rakyat-held states would be channelled through Mara.

"The funds would not be given to the state development corporations which was the policy when the states were under the BN," he said .

"We are only giving the allocations through a different channel and not reducing or stopping them."

He was speaking to reporters after opening the Malaysian Malay Chamber of Commerce Perak branch's annual meeting.