MCA wants the Urban Well-being, Housing and Local Government Ministry to continue with the direct federal funding to the 607 new villages in Peninsular Malaysia.
The party’s New Village Affairs Bureau chairman Datuk Hoh Khai Mun said this was to ensure that the infrastructure development in these villages was sustained.
He said this in response to a report in a Chinese daily yesterday that the ministry was expected to cease the direct funding to the new villages in Peninsular Malaysia for infrastructure development, and that the role would be taken over by local councils.
Hoh said the majority of the appointed village chiefs or village development and security committee officers had resigned in accordance with MCA’s “no government post” decision after the 13th General Election.
This has resulted in them being unable to apply for funding or propose development plans, which had caused the development of the new villages to be delayed or cancelled, he added.
Hoh said records showed that the ministry had in the past 10 years allocated some RM50 million to fund development projects in new villages.
MCA Youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong (pic) shared Hoh’s concern and hoped the ministry would rethink its decision.
He said the movement feared that the allocation for the new villages channelled to the local councils would be used for purposes other than for the new villages. – Bernama, September 13, 2013.
