SLASH JASA'S RM85.5M AND TRANSFER HALF FOR SABAH DEVELOPMENT - MADIUS

14 NOV 2020

KOTA KINABALU: United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (Upko) president Wilfred Madius Tangau has urged the government to transfer half of the RM85.5 million allocated to the Special Affairs Department (Jasa) in Budget 2021 and channel it for Sabah's development.

He explained that Upko could not support a budget that keeps RM85.5 million - roughly RM3 per Malaysian - for cybertroopers and cronies when patients, frontliners, families and businesses are denied more support.

"The Government should instead transfer Jasa's RM85.5 million for expenses in health, economy, telecommunication, and other productive sectors.

"Half of that, RM42.25 million should be ear-marked for Sabah while the other half can go to other states and sectors," he said in a statement today.

Madius who is also the Tuaran Member of Parliament, said Sabah deserves the extra RM42.25 million because the state is the hardest-hit by Covid-19 due to the uncontrolled influx of illegal immigrants caused by the porous border.

"Our plight today is a testimony of Sabah's marginalisation within Malaysia after 57 years.

"Therefore I urge Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz to slash the RM85.5 million allocated to Jasa, a call that has been made by members of the public, opposition MPs and even MPs from Umno," he added.

He stated that Upko will vote against the budget or table motions to amend it in the committee stage if Tan Sri Muhyiddin is adamant to bulldoze his flawed budget without any amendments.

"If his majority in the parliament is lost or called into question, he can only blame his arrogance and apathy to people's suffering.

"No parties and parliamentarians with conscience can support the allocation of RM85.5 million to benefit cybertroopers and cronies than supporting Malaysians who fight the pandemic and struggle to make an honest living.

Madius also revealed that Upko will organise a zoom townhall meeting on Budget 2021 tomorrow at 1pm.

The meeting will also be broadcast live from Upko Malaysia Facebook (@UPKOMalaysia) to seek Sabahans' inputs on what programmes and purposes the additional RM42.25 million should be earmarked for.