Friday, January 23, 2009

Govt orders its directors not to attend Perak state-level meetings



By SYLVIA LOOI


IPOH: All Federal Government directors of departments and agencies in Perak are banned from attending state-level meetings with immediate effect.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi also said that, with immediate effect, federal agencies would only consider recommendations of Federal Village Develop­ment and Security Committees.

He said the move was to cut off the village committee appointed by the Pakatan Rakyat state government from access to Federal agencies.

“We will not hesitate to take disciplinary actions against federal agency directors if they attended meetings,” he told reporters after chairing the State Federal Action Council meeting here yesterday.

Zahid said agencies like the Drai­nage and Irrigation Depart­ment, Public Works Department, Health Department, Agriculture Depart­ment and the police were exempted from the ruling.

Noting that the Federal govern­ment only recognised the Federal Village Committees, their recommendations were therefore be considered legal.

“We do not recognise the recommendations of the Village Develop­ment and Security Committee (JKKK),” he added.

Zahid said that among the issues that required the recommendations of federal committee were scholarship applications and entries into institutes of higher learning.

Zahid said the 28 Barisan Nasional elected representatives in the state would be given special allocations to assist the people in their constituencies.

“The allocation will be given out whenever there are incidents of fire, flood or thunderstorm in their constituencies,” he said.

However, he declined to reveal the amount allocated for each constituency.