Voon Lee Shan
KUCHING (May 4): The appointment of chieftains under the Community Chiefs and Headmen Ordinance 2004 could be unconstitutional, claimed Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) president Voon Lee Shan.
In a press statement, he claimed that the election of chieftains and village headmen is among the customs protected by the Federal Constitution.
According to him, prior to the passing of the Ordinance, headmen were either elected by villagers themselves or their position was hereditary.
“This was the custom of the community in appointment or selection of their headmen. Customs are a recognised law protected by the Federal Constitution. Since this is protected by the Federal Constitution, the constitutionality of the Community Chiefs and Headmen Ordinance 2004 is therefore in doubt,” he said.
Voon also claimed appointing headmen or village chiefs goes in undemocratic.
He suggested the Dayak community challenge the Community Chiefs and Headmen Ordinance 2004 in court.
“It is observed that this Ordinance may have caused disharmony amongst village people or longhouses because there could be village headmen that villagers couldn’t get along with,” he claimed.
According to him, the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government has used the Ordinance to appoint headmen of its choosing in all villages and communities in Sarawak.
He claimed in return for the appointment and allowances, the village chiefs and headmen swear allegiance to the GPS government as well as work to ensure their villagers support GPS.
“In this way, out of fear of their appointments being revoked, they have an obligation to enforce all policies of the government irrespective whether the policies are good or bad for the village community or even if it is against their conscience,” he further claimed.
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