I criticize the mechanism of Tawau storm victims welfare aid distribution being not transparent, mismanaged and corruptive. The State Community Development and Consumer Affairs, Welfare Department is urged to clarify the issue. Besides, Member Parliament for Tawau should step in as she has every moral obligation on it.
In middle of last September, a total of 162 houses in the district were damaged by the storm.
The BN government has announced to contribute RM640,000 to repair the 162 houses mentioned above, according to Tawau member of Parliament, Datuk Mary Yap, who is also Deputy Higher Education Minister.
Assuming RM640,000 is distributed evenly for all houses affected, it is estimated that one house should eligible for RM3,950. But I was told by one of the recipients that, he has received RM1000 cash aid by Mary Yap, and RM2000 welfare aid by Welfare Department. He is one of the victims heavily affected by the storm, with his roof blown away by strong wind and the roof beam was collapsed. Why should he receive only RM3000?
Furthermore, the Welfare Department’s aid is not in the form of cash handouts. The victim was asked to claim the building materials which valued for RM2000 from a specific hardware shop.
What the victim received was only few pails of paints, which cost around RM1000 according to the current market value. Where has the balance of RM1000 gone? How can Welfare Department distribute under value goods to the victim?”
As the follow up investigation, I have interviewed the hardware shop owner, and I were told that another middle man company was involved.
The hardware shop is not the direct supplier. Who is the middle man who can grab the business of victims aid and make profit out of it? How can the middle man earn RM1000 by doing nothing? If all 162 houses welfare aid was arranged through this middle man, they can earn profit up to RM162,000 easily, in the expense of storm victims.
It’s a very serious mismanagement of welfare aid by the Welfare Department and corruption might be involved in the bid to get the contract of supplying welfare aids.
Malaysia is in the deep trouble as the corruption culture has penetrated to every single corner of the institutions, even natural disaster victims aid can’t escape from the dirty hands. Can we let our children to grow up under this kind of scenario?
Therefore, I demand the State Minister of Community Development and Consumer Affairs Datuk Jainab Ahmad Ayib, Sabah Welfare Department’s Director and Tawau District Welfare officer to clarify the issue.
Lastly, I also urge Mary Yap to step in the issue as she has the moral obligation to ensure the total of RM640,000 government contributions to the Tawau storm victims has reached to the right target, through the right mechanism and channel.