SIBU – All district and municipal councillors and politicians should refrain from meddling in the appointments of tuai rumah and village chiefs, or face investigations by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), according to Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) president Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.
Tiong, who is also Bintulu MP and Dudong assemblyman, said he had received multiple reports and complaints from residents of longhouses and villages regarding certain individuals who maliciously engaged in covert attempts to manipulate these elections, which are within the rights of the residents themselves.
“Let this be the final warning. Cease the scheming and deception to test our patience. All parties must adhere to the existing selection mechanism.
“If anyone continues to abuse their power in this matter, do not complain if the matter is brought to the MACC.
“I will not condone any abuse of power. If the situation continues to escalate, I do not rule out taking necessary actions, including requesting the MACC to investigate,” he said in a statement.
Tiong, who is also tourism, arts and culture minister, said some quarters might think that he had lost touch with the situation on the ground in Sibu due to his official duties.
“Because of this, they may be attempting to stir up trouble. I want to stress here to those people and caution a certain ‘pemanca’ not to use your power and position to suppress or maliciously veto the results of community elections/appointments of those candidates who are not members of your political party.”
Tiong said he had already reported and explained this matter to the Deputy Premier Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas and the Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP).
“We unanimously agreed that no political party should interfere in the appointments of leaders such as tuai rumah and ketua kampung.
“That authority and privilege should be left to the residents of the respective longhouses and villages to select their own leaders, without interference from outsiders.”
Tiong strongly urged the district office to handle this matter delicately and resolve it within a week.
Due to these attempts at manipulating the appointments and deliberate delays, he said the renewal of appointment letters for 83 longhouse and village heads is still pending, and the appointment letters for three newly-appointed leaders have not been issued.
He added that this must proceed to ensure that all 86 individuals are able to continue serving the people and resolving problems smoothly.
“It should be noted that many documents require the signatures of longhouse and village leaders, and they also need allowances to carry out their tasks.
“Therefore, I do not want any issues in the appointment process to arise, causing the people to be unable to solve problems and fall into difficulties.
“Otherwise, innocent people will ultimately suffer under the power struggles of politics.”
Tiong said he was also aware that in Dudong, there are also certain individuals who want to conduct underhanded activities in the selection of longhouse chiefs and village heads, disrespecting the existing selection system.
Regardless of their backgrounds, Tiong said anyone who can serve will be supported by the residents and be appointed.
“No party should treat this as a bargaining chip for their political manoeuvres or force someone to join their party or toe a party line in order to be appointed.” – June 5, 2024