Numbers show Kelantan has no money to pay civil servants, says Lim

Updated 5 years ago · Published on 23 Oct 2018 7:03PM · 6 Comments

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng says Kelantan is the largest debtor among all the states to the federal government for advance loans. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, October 23, 2018.

IT’S a fact that Kelantan has no money to pay its civil servants and is relying on loans from the federal government, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said today.

Rebutting criticism from Kelantan lawmakers who asked him to retract his earlier remarks on the matter, Lim today listed down the amount Putrajaya had loaned to the PAS-ruled Kelantan.

Lim said Putrajaya gave Kelantan RM398 million as a grant in 2016, of which RM59.9 million was a “deficit grant” to help the northeastern state pay its expenses, including emoluments for its civil service.

“Additionally, the federal government also lent RM100 million as advance loans to cover state government expenses,” Lim said in a statement today.

He said as at December 31, Kelantan had yet to repay advance loans amounting to RM388 million, which made it the largest debtor among all the states to the federal government for advance loans.

“I emphasise that only a financially troubled state would apply for deficit grants and advanced loans,” Lim added.

Lim had said in June that Kelantan applied to the Pakatan Harapan government for an advance loan again to pay emoluments, and Putrajaya had approved the application.

Lim said Kelantan’s financial woes were well known, which was why former prime minister Najib Razak, who was also finance minister, had said in January that Kelantan was unable to pay the salaries of its state employees without Putrajaya’s help.

“This is a fact based on numbers,” Lim said.

He questioned why PAS lawmakers had criticised him for stating facts and urged the state government to practice better economic management and financial administration “rather than malicious slander”. – October 23, 2018.

Sign up or sign in here to comment.

Comments

  • LAW TO FORFEIT RULE FOR FINANCIAL INABILITY?..

    Posted 5 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply

  • Dont give any money to the stupid lawmakers who dont even know the financial status of their state. No salary nothing. What good are they, if they only know how to eat our tax money and sleep?

    Posted 5 years ago by Alphonz Jayaraman · Reply

  • Minimise Kelantan expenses by deploying their Civil Service . Their is no any growth Revenue . Why condone to this MORONS who nvr went to school to study ECONOMICS

    Posted 5 years ago by Tharan Singh · Reply

  • PAS Living in STONE AGE

    Posted 5 years ago by Tharan Singh · Reply

  • Thats is why they are useless they dont even know how to manage themselves what is pas duduk diam dapat duit who is feeding this brainless clowns.....we Malaysian

    Posted 5 years ago by Danial Abdullah · Reply

  • Useless lot of Kelantan law makers... they cant even manage their own government affairs, until begging for money from PH government.. Lagi cakap banyak... criticising the Federal Government.
    Ooi law makers dari Kelantan, respect the federal government la... Orang bagi nasi makan, you be grateful la sikit.. Tada maruah!

    Posted 5 years ago by TTs Take · Reply