PARLIAMENT Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan today cheekily assured the opposition that Putrajaya will not appoint ‘ex-convicts’ to its mooted Residents’ Representative Committee (JPP).

Abdul Rahman was taking a shot at the Voluntary Patrol Unit (PPS) set up by the DAP-led Penang government which was declared illegal by the federal government and allegedly had members with criminal records.

The federal government had outlawed the state’s volunteer corp, insisting that security is under federal jurisdiction.

“I give an assurance that the JPP will not comprise of convicts and ex-convicts like the PPS. That is my assurance to Ipoh Timur,” he told the Dewan Rakyat during question time.

He was responding to Thomas Su (DAP-Ipoh Timur) who accused the government of meddling in the states’ jurisdiction by setting up the committee, which is expected to come into force on Dec 5 this year.

Abdul Rahman ( right ) added that unlike the Penang government, the federal government had made clarified the laws about federal and state jurisdiction before rolling out the new committees.

However, he assured that Putrajaya was not taking over the role of the municipal councillors, which are under the jurisdiction of state governments.

Instead, he said it is meant for the federal government to be “closer” to the people as there is a perception among urbanites that Putrajaya was not doing anything despite large amounts of federal funding.

“We spend billions in the cities but people say the federal government is not doing anything. We do not want the people to be confused any more,” he said.

One hundred and forty eight new JPPs are expected to be set up at the city level, with an allocation of RM63 million.