Chong’s aide questions food aid delivery system

• The Borneo Post
• 20 Apr 2020

KUCHING: Democratic Action Party ( DAP) Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen’s special assistant Michael Kong wants the state government to take the issue of food aid delivery seriously, especially in opposition-held areas.

        Kong said the Sarawak government had allocated RM200,000 per constituency for the purchase and delivery of essential food supplies, and an allocation of RM800,000 for opposition-held areas namely Padungan, Pending, Batu Lintang and Kota Sentosa were handled by Batu Kawa assemblyman Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian.

In total, he said Dr Sim was directly overseeing a fund size of RM1 million if the allocation for his own constituency of Batu Kawa of RM200,000 were to be included.

     “We are currently already into the fifth week of the Movement Control Order ( MCO) period and any allocation from the government ought to be quickly disbursed to help the people,” said Kong in statement.

      On Saturday, Chong claimed an official memorandum dated April 3 by Ministry of Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Family and Childhood Development, had instructed that the RM200,000 for food assistance per state constituency be managed by the respective assemblyperson’s service centre except for opposition-held areas, where the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) assemblyperson from the adjacent area would take charge.

        Kong said while it might seem that Dr Sim had been carrying out his supervisory role rather ‘efficiently’ by having distributed food packs to 6,900 families in opposition-held areas, a closer look at the delivery indicated otherwise.

Kong said as at April 13, the Resident’s Office said 875 families in Padungan, 738 families in Pending, 3,612 in Batu Lintang and 1,675 families in Kota Sentosa had benefitted from the food aid.

        Citing Batu Lintang as an example, he said based on the RM200,000 allocation, each of the 3,612 families there should receive RM55 worth of food pack.

Kong lamented that efforts to procure names and information of recipients of the 6,900 food packs within the opposition-held areas (Padungan, Pending, Batu Lintang and Kota Sentosa) were rebuffed by the Resident’s Office.

     “Without knowing who have been left behind by the government, our hands are tied even if we want to extend a helping hand to them,” he said.

        Moreover, Kong pointed out the federal government had previously announced that it would provide 1,000 food baskets to each federal constituency and federal Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Rina Mohd Harun had claimed that the food baskets were distributed to respective Welfare District Offices since Phase I of the MCO.

      “If that’s the case, then the question is what is the Sarawak Welfare Department doing with these 2,000 food baskets (for the constituents of Bandar Kuching and Stampin)?”

         Kong said only 73 food baskets from the total allocation for Bandar Kuching and Stampin were forwarded to the DAP.

      “There are no signs that any of the balance 1,927 food baskets from the federal allocation has been distributed.

      “DAP has been and is always willing to assist with the distribution should the Welfare Department be short of manpower to do the needful,” said Kong.

At the time of writing, The Borneo Post was still seeking comments from Dr Sim regarding the matter.

My comments:

As an opposition pact, you should never give up to investigate the truth of the delivery of food aids meant for the needy.   Based on my best knowledge, with RM200,000 X 82 assemblypersons = RM16, 400, 000.   If each household is eligible to RM100 food aid, 164,000 households benefit from the fund of RM16,400,000.  If each household only receives about RM50.00 food package, 328,000 households benefit.  

What DAP should do is to find out the truth from the Resident's Office.  If they refuse to disclose the true figure of the distribution of food aids, report the problem to the relevant authorities.  You should try all means to force Dr. Sim Kui Hian to disclose the distribution of food aids.

Don't resort to raising funds for food aids again.  If DAP or other opposition parties do so, you only make fools of yourselves and the donors.  Beware the people are watching how food aids are distributed.