KOTA KINABALU – Sabah is seeking control over the distribution of federal aid for businesses, to ensure that target groups receive the assistance.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor told the state assembly today that a formal request will be submitted.
“In the ongoing effort to restore the state economy, I agree with the suggestion that the federal government should channel funds to the state (government) so that it will be easy for us to deal with distribution.
“In this assembly, I am saying that the state government will make a formal request that all the aid for businesses and entrepreneurs be given to Sabah to handle the disbursement,” he said during the question-and-answer session.
He was responding to an additional question from Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak (Usukan-Umno) on whether Sabah should take control of such assistance, adding that he has received many complaints from the public that federal aid sometimes does not reach the target groups.
Hajiji earlier noted that the state and federal governments have introduced several initiatives to revive Sabah’s troubled economy, including under the National Recovery Plan, Prihatin stimulus packages, Penjana economic revival plan, Permai economic strategy, and Pemerkasa economic recovery plan.
To another question, the chief minister said he will consider any move that is beneficial to the state after Datuk Darell Leiking (Moyog-Warisan) called on Sabah to oppose the Territorial Sea Act 2012, which limits the state’s ambit over territorial waters to just three nautical miles.
Leiking said Sabah must make a stand on the matter, and that the legislation will see the state not having control over the continental shelf, which is up to 200 nautical miles from the coast.
He added that Sabah will lose its rights over the sea and subsoils, enabling Putrajaya and national oil company Petronas to have control over the demarcation of oilfields off state waters.
Sabah would not be able to venture into oil mining and the deep-sea fishing industry, and uphold state rights if the state administration does not make a stand, he said.
“Sabah should make a stand. Sarawak and Kelantan have already opposed the act.”
In response, Hajiji said: “Let’s meet and discuss this.”
Cash aid from federal, state govts is rakyat’s money
Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun (Karanaan-Bersatu) said elected representatives should not be apologetic over the confusion with regard to cash assistance given by either the state or federal government.
The state local government and housing minister said there should be no confusion as to the source of the funds, as the monies belong to the rakyat.
“Whether the money comes from the federal government or not, it is still the people’s money.
“I think we should not be apologetic to the rakyat as to whether it comes from the federal government or otherwise,” he said in response to a question by Datuk Jaujan Sambokong (Sulabayan-Warisan).
Jaujan earlier said constituents are confused over the distribution of funds from the federal and state governments, and as an elected rep, it is not easy to explain the source of the funding to the public.
Masidi said Putrajaya has so far channelled RM1.68 billion, and the state has allocated RM1.25 billion in various forms of assistance to Sabahans.
On reimbursements, he said RM628 million was handed out under the Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat programme to 782,000 recipients, and RM975 million in wage subsidies, benefitting 283,745 workers.
He said RM324 million was spent by the state on two Bantuan Prihatin Sabah programmes.
On the Sabah Covid-19 aid package, he said RM930.23 million was spent, involving 14 categories.
They include frontliners (RM10 million), emergency and control centre (RM34.6 million), food baskets (RM48.4 million), orphans and senior citizens (RM24 million), B40 Sabahans in the peninsula (RM39.93 million), low-income groups (RM19.1 million), public transport drivers (RM27.9 million), electricity bill discount (RM38 million), local government tax exemptions (RM78.9 million), SMEs (RM90 million), small-scale infrastructure projects (RM200 million), allowances (RM30 million), and the Sabah New Deal initiative (RM240 million). – The Vibes, September 22, 2021
