Serdang MP: Scrap 'clone' village committees

Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching has proposed that savings made by scrapping Federal Village Security and Development Committees (JKKKP) be funneled into the Education Ministry.

By doing away with the 'clone' committees set up by the BN-led federal government in Pakatan Rakyat held-states, the ministry can afford to pay benefits that have been taken away from temporary teachers.

In statement today,Teo (left) said the money saved can pay the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contributions, bonus, maternity benefit and other benefits which the ministry is now exempt from paying, following a change of contract terms.

“The ministry is lamenting that it is lacking in the financial resources to make those payments. By stripping RM200 per month from every temporary teacher, a year’s savings would amount to merely RM16.8 million,” she said.

In contrast, the federal government had paid RM137 million since 2009 for the 'clone' committees, which mirror the Village Security and Development Committees (JKKK) that are under the jusridiction of state governments.

“As the organisational structure and functions of the JKKKP are very similar to those of the JKKK, setting up a duplicate committee is definitely a waste of taxpayers’ money,” she said.

“By setting up JKKKPs in Pakatan states, it shows that BN cannot accept its defeat in GE12 and will do whatever it can to provide an ‘official’ channel for its practice of money politics and grassroots work in rural areas.”

‘Intermediary role’

According to a written reply that Teo received in Parliament, the government spent RM24.1 million in 2008, RM28.2 million in 2009 and RM26.2 million in 2010 to maintain the JKKKP.

The cost this year has spiked to RM59.3 million, despite the JKKKP having been dissolved in Perak after BN reclaimed the state in June 2009.

Teo's assertion, however, was contested by JKKKP members in Seri Kembangan, who said they have had to pick up the slack left by ‘inefficient’ JKKKs under Pakatan.

At a press conference yesterday, MCA Serdang chief Liew Yuen Keong (left)said the JKKKP members had said that their role is to serve as intermediaries between the community and the Housing and Local Government Ministry.

“(JKKPs) provide service and help attain financial assistance from the Housing and Local Government Ministry, and to implement infrastructure works worth up to RM100,000 a year,” he was quoted as saying by Malay daily Sinar Harian.

If prudent spending is an issue, he questioned why Pakatan governments are paying RM4,250 per month to local councillors when the BN government had only paid RM500.