By William Isau
SIBU, March 4: Unit for Other Religions (UNIFOR) grant recipients will have to spend earlier disbursed funds within at least a year before applying for more funds, says Unifor director Datuk Jack Aman Luat.
He stated that Unifor would reject new applications from previous recipients who did not utilise the disbursed funds.
“We have received applications from several places of worship. We allocated funds for previous years, maybe a few years ago, but they did not utilise (the disbursed funds); instead, they kept the money in the bank and so on, then they ask for more.
“When we inspect the site, there’s nothing there (implementation of the project) because the money hasn’t been spent. So, for such applications, we will not assist anymore. We want the money to be fully spent, then we can consider giving more,” he said during a working visit to the construction site of the Da Wang Gong Salim Temple on Jalan Kong Yit Khim here yesterday.
Jack emphasised that the practice of leaving the funds in the bank not only delays the projects but also subjects the projects to the risk of increased construction costs.
“For example, they estimate the project to be RM10 million. So, we give RM1 million per year, but it’s not enough. They want the funds to reach RM10 million before they start (project construction).
“But, after a few years, the project costs continue to increase due to the rise in building material prices and so on. So, this is what we want to avoid,” he added.
Meanwhile, Jack was informed that the construction of the Da Wang Gong Salim Temple involved an expenditure of approximately RM15 million.
According to him, a total of RM1,150,000 in funding from Unifor had already been disbursed to the Da Wang Gong Followers Association to assist them in completing the temple.
Also present during the visit was Da Wang Gong Followers Association Salim Zone 3 chairman, Theng Swee Ming. — DayakDaily
