Tenom: The Native Courts in the Melalap state constituency will continue serving the community regardless of political affiliations, with customary leaders appointed based on their ability to serve and suitability at the village level.
Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Minister and Melalap assemblyman Datuk Jamawi Jaafar said 50 existing office-holders had been retained, while 41 new appointments were made out of 91 positions in the Melalap Native Courts.
He said the decisions took into account individuals’ ability to work with the community and recommendations for more suitable candidates at the village level, rather than political affiliations.
“This time, I did not consider political affiliations or other matters. I retained 50 existing office-holders because they can work with the community.
“The 41 new appointments do not mean those who were not appointed are incapable of serving, but there may be better candidates recommended at the village level,” he said at the presentation of appointment certificates to customary leaders of the Melalap Native Courts here, on Wednesday.
The appointments comprised 45 per cent new faces and 55pc retained office-holders.
Jamawi hoped the decisions would satisfy all parties, including the parties in the Sabah State Government.
He stressed that the appointments were not a source of pride but a major trust and responsibility that must be carried out to ensure the community received the best possible service at the village level.
“I would like to stress that this is not a source of pride. Whether newly appointed or retained, these office-holders have been entrusted with a major responsibility to provide the best possible service to the community at the village level,” he said.
In a related development, Jamawi said appointments to the Village Development and Security Committees (JKKK) in Melalap had been completed two months ago, while the appointment process for the Native Courts had also been finalised.
Village-level programmes would begin towards the end of this year to improve public understanding of initiatives by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Ministry and the direction of Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ).
He said completing administrative arrangements at the village level was important to ensure government programmes could be implemented in a more orderly and effective manner.
Jamawi also expressed appreciation to Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor and Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Dr Mohd Arifin Mohd Arif for their efforts in completing the issuance of the appointment certificates.
In a separate programme, Jamawi presented football equipment to the Tenom Football Association (SAFA) teams in the Under-12 (U12) and Under-15 (U15) categories.
