COMMUNICATIONS and Multimedia Minister Saifuddin Abdullah was caught off guard when he saw a whopping RM85.5 million was allocated under Budget 2021 to the Special Affairs Department (Jasa), said sources.

They told The Malaysian Insight the Bersatu minister was aware the division was being revived, but was not briefed on the quantum of the allocation, which has since come under public scrutiny.

“He was shocked when he saw the amount. He never asked for this much to be allocated to Jasa,” a Putrajaya source said, on condition of anonymity.

The Malaysian Insight understands Saifuddin has now instructed newly appointed ministry secretary-general Mohammad Mentek to investigate the matter.

Former secretary-general Suriani Ahmad was transferred out recently to the Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Ministry for undisclosed reasons.

Saifuddin’s ministry on Sunday, however, defended the massive allocation for Jasa, which had been dismantled by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government in 2018.

The ministry said Jasa would serve as a strategic communication unit for the government and to disseminate information. It would not be politically motivated.

They also claimed the new Jasa was apolitical, unlike the old version under the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration, where it served as a propaganda unit.

Meanwhile, Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister Zahidi Zainul Abidin told The Malaysian Insight it was his idea to revive Jasa, but rejected claims Saifuddin was unaware of the decision.

“Yes, it was I who proposed to revive Jasa and Saifuddin knows about it, but may have forgotten as he has many responsibilities.

“He is always active and busy, so he sometimes forgets matters that have been brought to his attention,” said the Umno Supreme Council member.

Zahidi also said it was a collective decision to allocate the huge amount for the unit under Budget 2021.

He clarified the overall amount of RM85.5 million also included rehiring more than 1,000 former Jasa officers, and not just to hire 80 individuals.

“The Finance Ministry agreed to allocate the amount after also discussing with officers who previously worked in Jasa,” he said.

He said the plan to revive the department was also to protect the livelihood of former officers sacked by the previous government.

“So, we bring back Jasa and have allocations for the unit but we will have to thank Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin for allowing us to do so – to protect the fate of Malay officers sacked from Jasa.”

Top post still vacant

According to Putrajaya sources, Jasa has yet to appoint a head, but the unit is currently being run by deputy director-general Dr Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri.

Zaharuddin used to be a director at the Institute of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s Thoughts in Universiti Utara Malaysia.

“The director’s position has yet to be filled. The prime minister could end up deciding on this,” the source said.

The Malaysian Insight previously reported the ministry has set up a new propaganda unit with a budget of RM30 million.

Zahidi had then confirmed the matter, and said 500 people were supposed to be hired under the division.

Jasa was used as a propaganda tool by BN to infiltrate schools, universities and government agencies.

The unit earned notoriety for its work in painting DAP as a racist and chauvinist party.

In the run-up to the last general election, Jasa organised talks nationwide to “correct the misconception” towards the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal, linked to former prime minister Najib Razak.

When PH came into power in 2018, the coalition dismantled the unit. While it existed, Jasa never received an annual allocation of more than RM23 million. – November 10, 2020.