KUCHING, Apr 16: DAP Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen has again criticised both state and federal governments for “forgetting” to provide needy residents with food assistance in areas under the Opposition.
“Today is another busy day distributing essential food items door to door at the Batu Kawa Resettlement housing area for those who have requested for such assistance.
“Those recipients whom I delivered the food items are either residing in low cost houses or wooden houses built on empty land. At one look of their houses, we know for certain that they really need the food assistance,” he said in a press statement today.
Chong, who is also Kota Sentosa assemblyman, however expressed regret that the Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) governments were still practising discrimination and persecution against the Opposition and the people residing in Opposition-held areas even at such a critical time.
“Yet, the PN (with federal government resources) and the GPS (with state government resources) governments are withholding the assistance allocation at this time of need. Such act is totally despicable,” he added.
The Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak had made numerous complaints in the past two weeks about state constitutiences under the Opposition being deprived of the special food aid meant for groups affected by the Movement Control Order (MCO).
However, on April 8, Minister of Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah had assured that all those eligible in all 82 state constituencies would receive the essential food aid.
She stressed that food aid would be delivered to those eligible irrespective of whether the constituencies were under GPS or the Opposition.
Fatimah also informed that the list of those needing food aid that Chong submitted to the State Welfare Department had been handed over to the Kuching Division Disaster Management Committee (KDMC) for verification for the purposes of central coordination, proper implementation and to avoid duplication of the target groups.
She added that the delivery of food will be done in stages and in compliance with the ruling of the MCO. —DayakDaily
