KUALA LUMPUR – Amanah Youth chief Shazni Munir Mohd Ithin has lambasted Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz over the non-delivery of 150,000 laptops under the Cerdik scheme.
In a tweet, he said the laptops were promised in January, but have yet to be seen even as April is fast approaching.
“Yesterday, @MuhyiddinYassin promised to provide a subsidy of RM300 to buy smartphones starting May.
“But what happened to the 150,000 laptops? Which GLC and GLIC are involved? When it was announced, was the scheme approved or in the discussion stage? If it has been approved, where are the laptops?
“Does it mean that the laptop scheme is off now that there is the May RM300 subsidy? RM2 billion is a lot of money. What is the guarantee that the money reaches the target groups?”
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said a RM300 subsidy will be given to households with school-going children to buy mobile devices, as part of the newly announced Pemerkasa initiative.
The scheme enhances the RM180 smartphone subsidy for all Bantuan Prihatin Hidup recipients under Budget 2021.
With the RM300 subsidy, the allocation is increased from RM1.5 billion to RM2 billion, said Muhyiddin.
1) Apa dah jadi dengan pemberian 150,000 laptop tu? GLC & GLIC mana yang terlibat? Waktu bagi harapan pada rakyat tu memang dah lulus atau masih berbincang? Kalau dah lulus, laptopnya mana?
— Shazni Munir (@shazni_munir) March 19, 2021
On March 2, The Vibes reported that several attempts to contact Yayasan Hasanah – the foundation handling the Cerdik initiative – to find out the status of the roll-out were met with no response.
The foundation is the corporate social responsibility arm of government sovereign fund Khazanah Nasional Bhd.
During the Budget tabling on November 6 last year, Tengku Zafrul announced a RM150 million fund to buy 150,000 laptops for students at 500 schools nationwide.
The money was pooled together by government-linked companies and related investment firms that contribute to the Cerdik Fund.
In late January, the finance minister said the laptops’ distribution to eligible students, who come from households with a monthly income of below RM4,850, would take place in February.
The initiative aims to provide underprivileged children with the necessary devices to follow online classes.
Opposition leaders lambasted the timing of the roll-out, as schools had already begun online learning, educational TV programmes and other teaching methods when the new term resumed on January 20.
According to the Cerdik website, the procedure for owning a laptop, tablet and data connection under the programme is similar to the Textbook Loan Scheme at schools.
“Device packages and data connections will be donated to the school, which will, in turn, be lent to selected students.
“Pupils and parents will be notified before the devices are distributed. Parental cooperation is requested to ensure the devices are used properly.” – The Vibes, March 19, 2021
