PENGGERAK Komuniti Tempatan (PeKT), the civil society group linked to Bersatu leader Zuraida Kamaruddin, will be the Perikatan Nasional government’s representatives in states not ruled by the pact, said a party leader.

The PN government has proposed to allocate RM8.6 million to the group in the Budget 2021, touching off a controversy among opposition lawmakers.

Selangor Bersatu chief Abdul Rashid Asari said the PeKT activists will be placed in the local government and paid a monthly allowance of RM2,000. They will also receive RM10,000 annual allocation for their services in these opposition states.

At the moment three states – Selangor, Penang and Negeri Sembilan – are under the control of Pakatan Harapan.

“The PeKT members will be placed in local councils in these states. They are equivalent to councillors but without a seat on the local councils in these opposition-held states,” he said at the launch of PeKT Selangor in Shah Alam recently.

Rashid said PeKT members would come from parties in Perikatan Nasional, including former PKR members who have joined Bersatu.

In Selangor, there will be 288 PeKT appointments based on the number of seats held by PN parties in the state.

“They will be paid allowances and allocations so that they can perform their duties responsibly and with dedication although they are in opposition states.

“They have a heavy responsibility to ensure their areas are getting the right service,” Rashid said.

PH members of parliament have questioned the RM8.6 million allocated for this group, asking if it was politically motivated.

PeKT was launched by Zuraida, who is the housing and local government minister, and it falls under her ministry.

During the launch, she said PeKT would not overlap with the local councils, and would report to her ministry every time they engage with the public.

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim in his debate on Budget 2021 in Dewan Rakyat yesterday said PeKT was politically motivated, with budgetary allocations set aside for it under the instigation of certain parties.

Anwar said the RM8.6 million allocation will be better used if channelled to the frontliners in the fight against Covid-19.

In May, The Malaysian Insight reported that supporters of Zuraida and Mohamed Azmin Ali have gathered under several civil society and grassroots groups, including Penggerak Komuniti Negara.

These members, all formerly from PKR, had then joined Bersatu in an event with Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin on August 24.

Following the collapse of the PH federal government in late February, four states which were held by PH had also seen change of government. They are Johor, Perak, Malacca and Kedah.

PN and its allies have also taken over Sabah after the state elections in September. – November 10, 2020.