Why the delay in welfare aid payments?’ Winston Way | October 7, 2013 Welfare aid in Sarawak has been delayed with no explanations forthcoming from the authorities. Are the coffers running dry? asks DAP rep KUCHING: DAP Sarawak is questioning the delays in the fund disbursements for welfare aid recipients, though the money has been allocated in the nation’s annual budget. State assemblywoman for Pending, Violet Yong said several recipients from her urban constituency had complained to her that aid for the month of September this year was deposited late for some; while others have yet to receive. “This is serious. My question is why there is such a delay? This is an allocated fund reflected in the annual national budget. “How can the government delay these welfare aids, especially for those hardcore poor who mostly depend solely on welfare for their survival,” Yong told a press conference here today. She added the situation for the recipients could worsen at the moment in the wake of the recent petrol price hike and the subsequent price increase for daily consumer goods. Yong said she believed around 54,000 aid recipients throughout Sarawak were affected by the delay, to whom RM130 million was allocated for disbursement this year. Supposed to be deposited into the recipients’ account during the first week of every month, Yong alleged only the recipients for the old folks’ RM300 per month per person aid for September had received their delayed disbursement recently; while those entitled under the disabled (OKU) and children’s scheme were yet to receive. Working OKUs were to get RM300 per month per person, non-working RM150 each, while children entitled to receive the aid would be given RM100 each. “The recipients are still waiting and wondering about their aid. It is very troubling for them to keep on checking whether it is already deposited into their account, especially for those living in the rural areas. Even worse, the money they may spend to do the checking might be more than the welfare aid they are entitled for,” Yong said. She claimed she had heard of similar situations of delayed disbursements in September last year, and though the disbursements were done later, no official explanations were made in regards to the delay. Are coffers running dry? “How can the government allow this to happen? This is supposed to be directly allocated under the national budget every year. So why the delays in disbursing while the government seems to allow wastages in billions, based on the latest audit report?”, asked Yong. She also questioned if the delays were due to the country’s coffers running dry, or the funds allocated for the purpose had been channeled elsewhere. “Now it is already one month late (the disbursements), but there is still no official statements about it. “I understand the Sarawak Minister of Welfare, Women and Family Development, Fatimah Abdullah, had admitted about the delays last month, but she had not given any explanations about it. I would like to call the relevant ministers to explain about this matter,” she said. When asked if she would refer the matter to the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC), she reiterated that she would let the related ministers and officials to explain about the issue first, including the Federal Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Rohani Abdul Karim and the Sarawak state welfare department.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Oct 2013 08:08:16 +0000
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