Pakatan promises to hike village head allowances
By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider
KUCHING, April 14 – In its last ditched effort to edge out Barisan Nasional in the Sarawak interior, Pakatan Rakyat promised today to double the allowances of traditional community leaders if it governed the state.
In a statement today, Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian (picture) said the leaders’ contributions were presently being undervalued and under-appreciated by the BN-led state government.
He pointed out that despite their efforts as the state’s legal representatives of the local communities, the leaders were earning monthly allowances that were well below the poverty line.
“A Tuai Rumah generally receives a measly monthly allowance of RM450, a Penghulu generally receives RM600; Pemanchas receive RM800 and Temenggong RM1200.
“These monthly allowances and especially those of Tuai Rumahs and Penghulus are pathetic.
“They even fall far below the official poverty line income measure for Sarawak which is RM912 per month under the 10th Malaysia Plan,” he said.
This, said Baru, was unacceptable as the leaders played pertinent roles as mediators between the state and the far-flung local communities.
“Often, these remote communities’ only link with officialdom and state support is through their traditional leaders.
“As such, all community leaders play a significant role and contribute a lot to the social fabric of their local communities, their districts and that of the state,” he said.
Baru, who is contesting for the Ba’Kelalan seat in the polls, accused BN for knowingly contributing to poverty by underpaying its community leaders.
He told voters however that this would change if PR was given the opportunity to run Sarawak this April 16.
“Under a PR government, we promise to value and respect the unique contributions of all our local community leaders by immediately raising their monthly allowances,” he pledged.
