ONLY Sarawak village headmen elected by their community members will qualify for salaries and allowances from the Rural Development Ministry under the 2019 national budget, Selangau MP Baru Bian said today.

The federal allocation, proposed at RM35 million for next year, will come with this catch as a way to discourage political appointees among village leaders and tribal headmen.

Only those that have been elected by their “anak biak” (people in their community) are entitled to the salary.

“Politically-appointed leaders and tribal headmen will not receive the 70% portion of their salaries from the Pakatan Harapan federal government beginning next year,” Baru said today.

“The PH government wants to make it very clear that the budgetary support allocated can only be paid to those community leaders who have been elected by the longhouse or village residents.

“Community leaders and headmen not democratically elected by their longhouse residents but who were unilaterally and politically appointed by politicians and state government assemblymen against the wishes of the longhouse residents, cannot receive the 70% portion from the PH federal government allocation,” added Baru, who is also Works Minister.

Under the shared formula, the remaining 30% of headmen’s salaries and allowances is paid by the state government.

Monthly salaries and allowances for Sarawak village leaders are RM1,600 for the Temenggong, Pemanca (RM1,300), penghulu ((RM1,100) and headman (RM900), according to the written reply by the state government in the legislative assembly in July.

These leaders also serve for a maximum of seven years.

Soon after the May 9 general election which swept PH to federal power, the Rural Development Ministry moved to weed out politically-appointed community leaders by freezing the payment of their salaries and allowances.

But the Sarawak government, which is not under PH but a coalition of former Barisan Nasional parties now called Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), picked up Putrajaya’s tab.

Baru said the federal government still agreed to support 70% of the payments despite Sarawak not being a PH state, provided the new condition was adhered to.

Baru said longhouse residents may make statutory declarations to report to the Ministry of Rural Development if the Sarawak government used federal funds to pay politically appointed leaders. – October 23, 2018.