KOTA KINABALU – The vast difference in flood relief allocations between Sabah and Kedah is no surprise to Warisan Youth chief Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman, who said Sabah has been treated like a lower-ranked state for over 50 years.
“It would be very stupid for us to act surprised when this has been happening for over 50 years; Sabah has been treated like this, like the movie Antara Dua Darjat.
“Why do we feel that this is strange? Sabah has been treated like a stepson,” he said.
Azis was commenting on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s announcement that Kedah is to receive RM78 million for its flood relief fund, while Sabah gets RM18.2 million.
However, the topic heated up when the breakdown of both allocations was studied, and the public discovered that only RM2 million was allocated for flood relief in Sabah, as the other RM16 million was meant for Covid-19 management.
The breakdown for Sabah’s flood-related funds are: RM961,250 for the purchase of 2,500 units of C-tents, RM160,000 for 2,000 food kits, and RM1.1 million for state and district disaster management.
This is a huge difference compared to the allocation for Kedah, which also includes RM3 million to repair houses and other damages incurred by victims of the disaster.
Sabah PKR Youth chief Raymond Ahuar urged the state government to speak up about the injustice.
“It is unacceptable, all the more that the announcement was made on Malaysia Day,” he said.
Yesterday, Sabah DAP secretary Chan Foong Hin said Sabah has gained nothing from the flood relief allocation when compared to Kedah.
He said Sabah’s RM2 million budget for flood relief is less than Kedah’s RM3 million budget for fixing damaged houses.
“Remember that this is a Malaysia Day ‘gift’ from the prime minister in conjunction with his visit to Sabah on Malaysia Day. So, imagine if he did not come to Sabah, the state would not even have had this RM18 million,” he said. – The Vibes, September 18, 2021
