By Peter Sibon
KUCHING, April 20: Telang Usan assemblyman Dennis Ngau suggests the relevant authorities and Bank Simpanan Nasional allow him and his team of volunteers to help the bank to distribute cash aid to the various target groups across his vast constituency.
Since there is no bank in the Long Lama Bazaar, not to mention the long distances rural settlers have to travel to reach a bank, he thus hopes that the authorities will think “outside the box” during this challenging time under the Movement Control Order (MCO)
“Since we don’t have any bank in Long Lama Bazaar, it would be meaningless to ask the rural folks to go all the way to Miri to withdraw the cash aid from the bank during this MCO. So, I hope that we can think outside the box by the bank going into the rural settlements with our volunteers providing transportation to help distribute the cash to them instead,” Dennis told DayakDaily here today.
He revealed that many individuals have expressed willingness to assist the poor and needy during MCO, without any charges.
“I’m so thankful to them for their willingness to volunteer and assist the needy during this time of need. So, I really hope that the relevant authorities will allow us to help. The same group of volunteers has helped us with the distribution of food aid to the very far-flung settlements,” he added.
Dennis noted they would need the support of the police to provide protection when distributing the cash aid to rural residents.
“For the police escorts, we can work it out with the police to provide security for these volunteers.”
Given the huge task ahead, Dennis expressed optimism that he could carry out the exercise in just one or two days with a large number of volunteers.
Meanwhile, Dennis was hopeful that he and other rural-based assemblymen will be included in Divisional Disaster Management Committee meetings to discuss matters related to their constituency so that they could give input or suggestions on what best to do for the rakyat.
“Take the financial and food aid for example, I received many calls from our people but was unsure how to reply them when we are not so clear with the information,” he added. — DayakDaily
