Kelantan asked for RM97 million to pay wages, settle bills

Yasmin Ramlan Yasmin Ramlan Updated 7 years ago · Published on 24 Oct 2018 11:45AM · 6 Comments

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng accuses the PAS leadership of playing up sentiments and spreading lies that he has a grudge against the northeastern state. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Kamal Ariffin, October 24, 2018.

THE Kelantan government requested an advance of RM97 million from Putrajaya as of June to pay its civil servants’ salaries and settle outstanding bills, said Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng.

A total of RM24.5 million was meant to pay civil servants’ overdue wages as well as bills which had passed their 14-day deadline, Lim told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.

However, the government approved only RM22.5 million.

“This was to allow the salaries to be quickly given out. We want to ensure the money is used wisely. If anyone who asks is given everything, this is not prudent budgeting.

“We gave what we could for the state government workers. Recently, (Kelantan) made another appeal,” said Lim.

The Bagan MP showed a copy of the advance request from the Kelantan treasury.

The letter stated that if the funds were not approved, the state would not be able to pay all its staff.

The Kelantan government is unable to balance its books and has requested fresh funds to pay its civil servants. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, October 24, 2018.

Yesterday, Lim refused to retract his earlier remarks stating that Kelantan was short of funds to pay its civil servants. Lawmakers from Kelantan had accused Lim of picking on the PAS-ruled state.

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.

The federal government also lent RM100 million to cover state government expenses and that, as of December 31, Kelantan had yet to repay advance loans amounting to RM388 million, which made it the largest debtor among all the states.

“The question is why wasn’t there such a strong and hard reaction from the PAS leadership when former prime minister Najib Razak revealed publicly on January 28, 2018 that the Kelantan government was forced to rely on federal financial assistance to pay its state civil servants,” Lim said today.

“Instead, when I am finance minister making the same statement, the PAS leadership is playing up sentiments and spreading lies that I am holding a grudge against PAS when I am merely stating the facts that Kelantan is a state that has failed in terms of economic management because it cannot afford to pay the wages of its government administrators.” – October 24, 2018.

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Comments

  • Ask Hadi to pay the Kelantan State government with the RM90m he received from Jibby lah. I give thumbs up for YB LGE cuz Federal Govt is hit with the IPIC interest payments.

    Posted 7 years ago by Ryan Li · Reply

    • RM90m already used to purchase luxurious cars, married 2, 3, 4 wives and some to visit Golok on the other side of the border.

      Posted 7 years ago by Jackal Way · Reply

  • PA$ & dirty scumno politicians still need apologize?

    Posted 7 years ago by Vincent Chen · Reply

  • Never never never trust hadi and never never never trust pas ok, ok thank you very much. Hehehe.

    Posted 7 years ago by Astann astann · Reply

  • Tadi i thot Hadi was a badi but now i know he is nobodi with no budi.

    Posted 7 years ago by Besaman Mucho · Reply

  • If u see Pas and a snake which would you whack first? Why is a snake similar to Pas? Both have double tongues. Hahaha

    Posted 7 years ago by Justin Leno · Reply