KUCHING, Sept 4: A total of 1,628 licensed hawkers and 1,531 unlicensed hawkers under Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) have already received the first payment of RM750 Bantuan Khas Sarawakku Sayang (BKSS 6.0) aid via SarawakPay.
MPP chairman Lo Khere Chiang pointed out that a remaining 97 of the 2,484 eligible licensed hawkers will soon receive the first payment through SarawakPay, while another 749 without an e-wallet account will receive the aid through other platforms to be arranged by the Sarawak government.
As for the 2,184 eligible unlicensed hawkers, he said payments will be disbursed via SarawakPay to the remaining 192 hawkers soon, while another 461 without an e-wallet account will receive the aid through other platforms to be arranged by the government.
Lo clarified this today in response to the statement by Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong alleging that hawkers have not received the first tranche of the RM750 BKSS 6.0 aid as promised by the State government.
“YB Violet failed to understand that a lot of work and processes need to be done to verify the deserving recipients but the State government has never neglected the welfare of the hawkers.
“The relevant officers from the Ministry of Local Government and Housing (MLGH) and all the local authorities in the State have been working hard to render the necessary assistance to the hawkers,” he added.
Lo, who is Batu Kitang assemblyman, also refuted Yong’s claim that there was no proper channel set up for the public to make enquiry about the status of BKSS assistance since the first edition was rolled out last year that had caused applicants to feel helpless.
The hawkers, he explained, can check their application status through Talikhimat online, call the hotline at 082-555 999 or e-mail to 555999@sarawak.gov.my.
In addition, all applicants can also check their application status with the local councils in their respective areas anytime.
“The hawkers are most welcome to contact MPP staff or myself to check on the status of their applications and disbursement of the aid.
“Most of the hawkers know the MPP staff and councillors well and have always communicated with us regarding all issues they want to resolve,” he said.
Lo added that it is irresponsible for Yong to find faults without fact-checking and undermine the good efforts of the State government and local councils especially in these hard times.
In turn, he asked Yong where was the RM2,000 cash incentive for each rakyat which the Democratic Action Party (DAP) had promised.
“As MPP chairman, I always welcome genuine residents’ complaints which could assist the Council to address issue positively.
“All residents under MPP jurisdiction can approach me or my staff to voice their concerns and seek assistance and we shall do our level best to assist them in a timely basis.
“MPP has and will always appreciate constructive criticisms and helpful unprejudiced comments which are truly beneficial to the people and to the Council,” he added. — DayakDaily
