Ng congratulating the village heads after the presentation of appointment letters. — AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star
THE TENURE for Village Security and Development Committee (JKKK) heads in Selangor have been extended to three years from two years previously.
State Local Government, Public Transport and New Village Development Committee chairman Ng Sze Han said the extension would facilitate cooperation between the village heads and the state government.
Ng said the maximum number of years allowed for each term was three years and the state decided to utilise the entire time frame.
This, he said, would ensure better planning for development and programmes in villages.
“The JKKK heads also acts as the middleman between the state government and the people. They are key in ensuring our policies and programmes reach the masses,” he said.
Village heads will be sent for training to ensure they are aware of the state government’s procedures.
Ng said the state government will send them for basic leadership courses as well.
He said this after presenting 77 JKKK heads with their appointment letters at the Selangor State Secretariat yesterday.
Of the 77, 41 are from Chinese New Villages, 19 are from fishing villages and 17 are from planned villages (Kampung Tersusun).
Similar to councillors, the village heads are also political appointees and their names were submitted by DAP and PKR for the posts.
After a selection process, the Selangor State Executive Council (MMKN) approved 46 names from DAP and 31 from PKR.
There are eight female village heads in the line-up and Ng said the goal was to increase the number of female leaders in all capacities and roles.
“We need to change the mindset of the people and it is part of our Pakatan Harapan manifesto to have more representation for women. Our goal is to empower more women,” he added.
The appointed female village heads meanwhile are more than ready to accept their roles and expect not to have any major problems leading their communities.
Kampung Baru Seri Sungai Buloh chief head Hoo Sook Wan who has served for three terms said, she has not had any trouble in the past as a woman leader.
She said she has been diligently focusing on improving the traffic congestion in her village.
“Prior to Pakatan Harapan coming to power, some roads in the village were under the Federal Government while others were under the state government, so it was difficult to resolve traffic issues,” she said.
With the recent change in leadership, she hoped to meet those who could help her resolve the issue in the village.
“There is a solution to this problem and that is to use an alternate route. It is just a matter of getting the support from the new ministers,” she added.
Aside from trying to eliminate traffic congestion, Hoo is focused on improving infrastructure in the village.
The only Indian female in the list is Kampung Koskan chief M. Kalai Wani, who said she was proud to serve her small community in Hulu Selangor.
“My main focus is on children’s education as it is a basic requirement for villagers,” she said when asked what her goals were for her first term.
