50 Bayan Baru senior citizens return RM100 compassionate payment

Abdul Rahim (right) said the senior citizens were disturbed to find out that the RM100 payout came from gambling sources

GEORGE TOWN, Oct 2 — Fifty senior citizens from Bayan Baru returned today the RM100 compassionate payment they received from the state government following claims by Umno that the money is from gambling revenue.

They returned the money to Bayan Baru Umno chief Datuk Abdul Rahim Saibu in a simple ceremony held at his office here.

Bayan Baru MP Datuk Zahrain Hashim’s special assistant Ismail Abdul Ali was also among those who returned the money today. He was there to return the RM1,000 burial benefit given to him by the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) government after his mother died in July.

Ismail said he was thankful to Umno for highlighting that the money came from gambling sources.

“I don’t need this money. I urge Abdul Malik not to play up this issue although I am the special assistant to MP Zahrain,” said Ismail referring to state executive councillor Abdul Malik Kassim who had claimed the money was not from gambling revenue.

Senior citizen Habsah Saib, 81, said she made up her mind to return the money when she found out that the funds for Penang’s Senior Citizen Appreciation Programme came from gambling sources.

“I can pay the money now when I am alive, but I will not be able to do so when I am dead. I don’t want this money,” she sobbed.

“I have been with Umno for 53 years, never once I have heard them doing something like this,” she said.

Abdul Rahim said the senior citizens were disturbed when they found out that the RM100 payout came from gambling sources.

“These senior citizens received the money with happy hearts but after knowing that the money came from gambling sources, they are worried and decided to return it,” he told reporters after receiving the money from the senior citizens.

“They can be Malays, Indians or Chinese… nobody wants gambling money,” he said, adding it was time that Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng stopped “spinning lies”.

“It doesn’t matter whether or not they separated the funds into two different accounts. All races are against receiving funds from gambling sources,” he said.

Abdul Rahim said division leaders would consult with state Umno leadership before deciding on their next course of action.

“We might give it out as donation or to the temples, but whatever it is, this money cannot go to Muslims, we have to give to the kafirs,” he said.

Umno Taman Brown chief Datuk Hamid Araby Md Salih, who was also present, said Muslims in the state would have never accepted the compassionate payments if they had know the funds for this programme were from gambling sources.

“It is odd and usual for any state government to use funds from gambling sources to help its people. I have never seen this in my 45 years with Umno,” Hamid said.

“Religious committee member Malik is useless and should resign … he’s cheated the people, but don’t cheat the God,” he said.

“I challenge the state government to stop this activity immediately,” he added.

courtesy of Malaysian Insider