PARLIAMENTARY OFFICE QUESTIONS WHEREABOUTS OF FOOD AID WORTH RM34.4 MILLION

Lee delivering food aid in Tanjung Aru area.

7 July 2021

By Wartawan Nabalu News KOTA KINABALU: The whereabouts of the food aid worth RM34.4 million announced via the Covid-19 Bantuan Sabah Prihatin 3.0 programme posed a question said a parliamentary liaison officer.

Kaven Lee Seng Vui who is the chief of the Kota Kinabalu parliamentary office said the total allocation for the programme announced by Chief Minister Datuk Hajiji Noor is approximately RM154 million with RM34.4 million of it supposedly channelled to food baskets.

"Simple mathematics will show that since Sabah has 25 parliamentary constituencies, each constituency will get an average of RM1.375 million worth of food baskets.

"With each food basket worth RM100 each inclusive of costs of manpower, logistics, leaflets, stickers etc. then there ought to be around 343,665 food baskets distributed all around Sabah.

"With 25 parliamentary constituencies in Sabah, each would get at least 13,746 food baskets covering 13,746 families. Assuming each family has three registered voters, the coverage would be around 41,238 people, which is bigger than certain parliamentary constituencies," he said in a statement, recently.

Lee added that the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) politicians should follow up with the federal government on the matter instead of questioning him.

"I have been busy assisting in the procuring food supplies from various sources and the DAP Kota Kinabalu Member of Parliament’s service centre near Jalan Kijang, Luyang is starting to look like a food supply warehouse in the middle of a warzone.

"Rest assured that the food baskets are being packed and are on the way to assist the needy."

He also questioned the State Government on how the needy can apply for food aid and whether the food baskets have been properly distributed. That way, the public can judge them whether they are properly doing their job as government or not, he added.

"I do not wish to argue whether the sum of RM1.375 million worth of food baskets is paltry or generous as some would like to think the sum of RM0.3 million that the MP's office has received is. In any event, it is important that the these food baskets reach the intended recipients," he stressed.