Press Statement by MP for Ipoh Timor, Wong Kah Woh in Kuala Lumpur on 25 November 2020:

The PeKT Issue: Three Questions for The KPKT Minister

Just now, the Minister of Housing and Local Government (KPKT), YB Zuraida Kamaruddin answered a question regarding the allocation of RM8.6 million in the year 2021 for the local community activist group Penggerak Komuniti Tempatan (PeKT). She associated PeKT with the Dasar Komuniti Negara (National Community Policy) that was launched on February 2019. Zuraida listed the programmes under Dasar Komuniti Negara and how PeKT could play a role in implementing such programmes.

The KPKT Minister’s answer was a delusive one and never touched upon the main issue of the question which is regarding the political interest of the matter.

A fortnight ago, I have received a written answer from the KPKT Minister which detailed that the government has allocated RM2.6 million in 2020 for the implementation of PeKT in 3 opposition states. A total of 261 PeKT members have been appointed involving 46 local governments.

If the main objective of PeKT is to assist in the implementation of Dasar Komuniti Negara as claimed by the KPKT Minister, she must reply to these main questions which are yet to be anwered:

1. Whether the appointment of PeKT members is only for political purposes?

2. Whether KPKT do not have any confidence or trust towards the local governments of states ruled by the opposition in implementing Dasar Komuniti Negara?

3. Whether KPKT do not wish to implement programmes under Dasar Komuniti Negara, or KPKT opines that these programmes are not needed in states ruled by the PN government, considering there are not even one PeKT member appointed there?

It is clear that the KPKT Minister is only trying to twist the facts of the PeKT establishment issue and trying to hide the real fact that it is for the purpose of political interest. The allocation of RM8.6 million to PeKT as tabled in Budget 2021 should be retracted and instead be utilised for other purposes that benefits the rakyat.

Wong Kah Woh,
MP for Ipoh Timor.