SIBU, Feb 26: Recipients of financial aid from the Unit for Other Religions (Unifor) are urged to use it for the projects they are meant for and not on other projects.
Deputy Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, Datuk Snowdan Lawan revealed that there have been cases where funds given were used for other projects instead of the one they were originally meant for.
He noted that sometimes situations arise where the committee overseeing the original project may realise that there is a more urgent project which needs funding and use the approved funding for the latter project.
He pointed out, when the committee applies again for Unifor aid for the first project, they may encounter difficulties as the said project is already supposed to have been completed with the funds initially approved for it.
“However, I think the most important thing is to provide a proper report on how the funding has been used. It is part of their key performance indicator (KPI). The grants are [Sarawak’s] money. Hence, the people need to know where the money goes,” he said after presenting a total of RM2,716,530 in Unifor grants to 23 schools under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sibu today.
Snowdan added the Sarawak government under Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) leadership was the first to implement such an initiative in Malaysia.
“The Sarawak government understands the needs (of the diverse people in Sarawak). I hope that if your organisation needs such assistance, please apply for it.
“I also hope that gradually the allocation for Unifor will be increased year by year so that we can help more religious bodies, NGOs, and schools that are in need of funds” he said. — DayakDaily
