BERA – Payment for aid initiatives aimed at easing the burden of flood victims will start tomorrow, with the Prime Minister’s Department’s Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU) set to channel the money to the district and land offices before it is distributed to those eligible, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
He said the payment covered the contributions for the purchase of essential goods amounting to RM2,500; vehicle repair discounts; the rebate of RM500 for the purchase of electrical goods and home repair assistance of between RM5,000 and RM15,000 for damage caused by the floods.
“There are three methods of payment – firstly, to be delivered directly to the house (of recipients); secondly, at the community hall and so on; and thirdly, to be credited into the recipient’s account. We leave it to each district to discuss with the ICU on matters of payment.
I want this payment to be expedited... there are no forms that need to be filled in because the list (of flood victims) is ready. Our principle is not to have a complicated bureaucracy. Assistance should be made easy,” he said.
Ismail Sabri said this at a press conference after presenting RM1,000 in compassionate aid (Bantuan Wang Ihsan) from the federal government and RM500 from the Pahang government to 478 flood victims in the Bera district – including 45 victims of the second wave of floods – at the Bera district council convention hall here today.
Ismail Sabri said the repair work on damaged houses, which involved appointing contractors, had already been implemented by the Public Works Department in Pahang, Negri Sembilan and Melaka.
As for vehicle repair assistance, Ismail Sabri said the district and land offices were also asked to list workshops in the affected areas so that flood victims did not have to go further to find vehicle service centres for brands such as Proton, Perodua or others that may not be available in their areas.
On a related matter, the prime minister said although the list of flood victims was already in the hands of the aid management, if there were individuals who were left out, they should refer to the district and land office, which was also responsible for investigating if there were any elements of fraud in the aid applications.
“District officers can check with the village head who has the information and there is a list of houses that were flooded or those who moved to relatives’ houses. If (they moved) to the temporary evacuation centre, then we already have a list (of flood victims).
“In villages, there are also village development and security committees, and they can also submit the names to district officers. Hopefully, they and the village heads will help the government identify those affected by this disaster so that they will receive assistance,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ismail Sabri refuted allegations by some quarters that the rapid and large flood assistance dispensed is a sign that a general election is around the corner.
It has nothing to do with the general election. When the people are facing hardship, it is the responsibility and obligation of the government to help. This is not only aid from the federal government as many state governments are also giving assistance. For example, the Pahang government also contributed cash donations.
“We also received the applications of several state governments which wish to help build houses. We need the assistance because if the land involved is a river reserve, then we need the cooperation of the state government to find another site that is not flood-prone,” he said.
Regarding the payment of BWI, the prime minister said its nationwide disbursement is almost complete, with 42,091 out of 45,475 household heads or 94.3% of those evacuated to relief centres having already received their money while for those who did not relocate to relief centres, the figure is 8,631 out of 9,203 household heads or 93.8%. – Bernama, January 9, 2022
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