KUCHING, March 16: It is imperative that the Federal government expedites the approval of eligible recipients of the Covid-19 Special Assistance and Covid-19 Management Assistance to help them through these difficult times, says Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen.
In a statement issued today, Dr Yii stated that he had addressed Parliament and raised the issue of multiple delays and complaints from applicants who have not received updates on their application for the needed Covid-19 assistance under the National Disaster Management Agency’s (NADMA) despite months of waiting.
“This is of course not in line with the assurance given by NADMA’s Director-general Datuk Aminuddin Hassim in September 2021 that NADMA will submit the special assistance payment within 30 working days from the date of receipt of complete application documents.
“I demanded that the government give urgent attention to this as many are waiting for such funds to help them through this tough period,” he said.
He went on to say that the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Mastura binti Mohd Yazid, admitted in Parliament in response to his question that there are flaws and delays in the applications and that the matter will be thoroughly investigated.
“This issue must be addressed on a policy level and the mechanisms have to be improved to ensure that each application is processed swiftly and the needed funds are disbursed efficiently to all eligible recipients.
“I also encourage all those that have applied but have yet to receive their funds to contact my office and together with all the necessary documents we will help bring your case to the attention of the Minister,” Dr Yii stated.
He also mentioned that Covid-19 Special Assistance is available to individuals who lost their income during the quarantine period, as well as a Covid-19 Death Management Special Assistance for beneficiaries. — DayakDaily
