THE Sarawak government today denied claims by state Pakatan Harapan chief Chong Chieng Jen that the government had instructed district offices not to assist in the registration and distribution of the federal Cost of Living cash aid programme. 

“It is baseless,” Deputy Chief Minister Douglas Uggah Embas said in response to the allegations by Chong, who is also Stamping MP and deputy domestic trade and consumer affairs minister.

Chong had yesterday said that district offices in Bau, Serian and Simanggang have declined to help eligible locals register for the programme.

Uggah said today that Chong’s accusation “smacks of hidden political agenda with intent merely to discredit the state government and its officers”.

“Being a deputy minister, it is shameful that he did not bother to check the facts and actual situation on the ground before giving such a malicious accusation against the state government,” Uggah said in a statement.

He added that the Chief Minister’s Department had issued instructions to its 11 residents, 29 district officers and seven sub-district offices to assist the federal Treasury in the distribution of vouchers and RM300 cash payments to recipients without bank accounts.

“This instruction was made via its letter dated February 1, 2019.

“Therefore, there is no such thing that the state government had given the instruction for the district offices not to assist with the aid.”

Uggah said the district offices had even been instructed to provide venues, manpower and the necessary facilities as well as create awareness on the distribution of the payment vouchers.

He said the distribution of the vouchers to those without bank accounts was being undertaken in 31 locations in Sarawak.

“To date, 21 locations have been successfully covered.

“The federal Financial Office reaffirmed that the district offices have provided the necessary assistance and cooperation without which the programme would not have been implemented smoothly.”

Uggah also said that the aid programme was being implemented differently from the 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) under the previous government.

Disbursement of the Cost of Living Aid is now mainly handled by the federal Treasury and its agencies “with minimal involvement of the district officers”.

“This is neither due to any instruction from the state government, nor the reluctance, nor the laziness of the district officers to assist.”

In urging Chong to check his facts, Uggah said the Bau and Lundu district offices were not classified as rural areas and, as such, the aid programme was not carried out there. – February 24, 2019.