KOTA KINABALU – Warisan asked if the federal government’s direct cash assistance of up to RM61,000 for flood victims include those from Sabah.
The party’s deputy president Datuk Darell Leiking urged the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) state government and Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor to confirm the matter. He also questioned whether a people-friendly unit will be created for the distribution of the aid.
He said the Prime Minister’s Office economic adviser Shahril Sufian Hamdan had yesterday announced the assistance in addition to the earlier announcement made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on December 31.
In his speech, Ismail said flood victims will be receiving cash handouts of RM10,000, consisting of RM1,000 for Bantuan Wang Ihsan, RM500 electrical appliances cash voucher, RM1,000 for car repair, RM2,500 for households and RM5,000 for house repair works.
“This is a far cry from the RM1,000 received by Kg Sugud-Maang folks who suffered unimaginable disaster when their houses were completely destroyed due to mud floods on September 16, 2020, and worse, there have been claims that some folks received RM200 lesser than the original amount (RM1,000),” Leiking said in a statement today.
With several districts in Sabah inundated by floods due to the incessant rain over the past three days, Leiking urged Hajiji or representatives from the state government to confirm if flood victims here are also entitled to the same financial assistance.
Leiking added that Hajiji’s government should ensure that any assistance rendered to the state will result in a bureaucracy-free/people-friendly unit to assist victims in evacuation centres to complete their necessary applications.
He stressed that at the same time, the government must observe strict Covid-19 SOPs to prevent clusters from popping up.
As for the said financial assistance, the party’s special flood committee will be monitoring closely on the same to prevent any unscrupulous party, including agents from political parties, from illegally charging any form of commission for assistance rendered to innocent and traumatised villagers.
“We will not hesitate to report such matters to the MACC or police if there exists evidence,” he added.
Leiking, who is also Penampang MP, said that the state government must also be involved in post-flood cleaning and repairs of public utilities.
He recalled past instances where the Barisan Nasional (BN) state government was inefficient in repair works, resulting in public utilities such as suspension bridges, electrical and communication poles or signages being left unrepaired for months after a major flood.
“This inefficiency and lackadaisical attitude were once again repeated when mud floods swept Kg Sugud last September.
“Such inefficiency has to stop because many villagers are dependent on these public utilities in their daily life hence Wira and Wirawati Warisan all over the state will be monitoring damaged public utilities in their respective constituencies and we will be keeping a close eye to record as to how fast the state government under GRS can do the requisite repair works,” he said.
Leiking said that after the mud flood incident in Kg Sugud last September, he urged GRS to request that the armed forces assist in cleaning works but was ignored.
Once again, the opposition lawmaker called on the government to send their assets and help with clean-up operations.
Seeing that Sabah might be hit with more rainfall in the first half of the year, the Moyog assemblyman said the authorities must make flood prevention and mitigation a priority.
This can be achieved by ensuring that monitoring and enforcement are being carried out at all times by local authorities with cooperation from the Community Development Leader Unit (UPPM) and the Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK) to prevent river and drainage clogging and ensure all flood mitigation projects in Sabah are being carried out on schedule.
“Warisan will be assisting the affected villagers albeit in our own ways.
“But at the end of the day, it is the role of GRS-led state government, which is empowered in the first place to make and issue directives to the local authorities and its agents in villages such as UPPMs and JKKKs, to extend assistance and help to the Sabahans affected by the floods,” he said. – The Vibes, January 2, 2022
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