JASIN, March 21 — Village Development and Security Committees (JKKKs) across the country have been advised to ensure that their role and leadership always remained relevant, and a medium to unite all races in rural areas.

Minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said JKKK members should also enhance their abilities to administer and develop public institutions and infrastructure in their areas.

“JKKKs are the front line of the villages and it should be made up of people who are informed, have strong leadership qualities to guide residents. ”

They also need to ensure that their leadership is constantly improved not only in their ability to listen to the voices or concerns of the people but also in trying to solve their problems,” he told reporters here today.

Earlier, he had attended a “High-Tea” function Melaka JKKKs and launched the JKKK chairmen as assistant registrar of voters, at the Sungai Rambai rest and recreation stop here. Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Idris Haron was also present.

Commenting further, Mohd Shafie said JKKKs were also intermediaries between the people at the grassroots level with the authorities or the government and therefore they needed to ensure implementation of all government programmes were done effectively.

He said they also needed to ensure that all negative or adverse elements such as the threat of IS militant activities did not spread among the younger generation in rural communities.

He said JKKK chairmen’s new role as registrar of voters would also indirectly help ensure that all voters in their respective constituencies were qualified to vote.

Meanwhile, he said the government had allocated nearly RM100 million to finance the allowances of JKKK chairmen and members this year.

He said the government would consider increasing the allocation of allowances in the future. — Bernama