‘Community leaders’ appointment, renewal of service under Resident Office purview’
KANOWIT: The state government has set up a committee at divisional level to manage the appointment and re-appointment of longhouse chiefs, penghulu and pemanca.
Ngemah assemblyman Alexander Vincent said this meant matters related to the appointment or renewal of service of community leaders will be placed under the Resident Office.
“In the past, if we want to request for extension of service of a longhouse chief, it must go through the State Secretary Office.
“But now it is managed by the Resident of the Division. For example, in Sibu, matters related to longhouse chiefs, penghulu and pemanca are under the purview of Sibu Resident.
“Sibu Resident Hii Chang Kee is the chairman of the committee while we, the elected people’s representatives, sit in the committee as members,” he said when officiating at a community sports programme at Rumah Julin Minggat, Nanga Ngungun Resettlement Scheme here on Saturday.
The committee in Sibu had their first meeting in October, he said.
Earlier, Alexander advised residents at Nanga Ngungun to find ways to improve their livelihood.
He said the resettlement scheme is now linked to Kanowit town by road, and has roundtheclock water and electricity supply.
Nanga Ngungun has 24 longhouses and was set up on July 12, 1973 under the Rajang Area Security Command formed by the government to eliminate communist threat in the 1970s.
At the same function, Alexander announced a RM15,000 grant for Rumah Julin to build a fence.
Penghulu Ambrose Pengiran and Penghulu Barnabas Angkis were among those present.