Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng is the latest to pillory Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin following the announcement that the cost of constructing three community halls in his Pagoh constituency amounted to RM35.43 million.
RM35.43 million can build more than five (or maybe six or seven) mosques, claimed Lim (above) in a statement this morning.
"I wish to highlight to Muhyiddin that recently, a mosque project developed by the Public Works Department in Bandar Baru Kampar, Perak only cost RM1.9 million and it can accommodate a capacity of 500 congregants.
"Another similar project in Kampung Semarang, Sarawak on a five-acre land tendered last November only cost RM2.5 million.
"Even the cost of a new mosque in Kampung Seri Aman Puchong, Selangor, a prime area located in the Klang Valley, was at RM9.5 million, and it has a seating capacity of 5,000 congregants," Lim pointed out.
He questioned the response from the Prime Minister’s office that RM35.43 million is split into three community halls in Gersik, Tangkak (RM13 million), Bukit Pasir, Muar (RM16.66 million) and Bukit Kepong, Muar (RM5.77 million).
"Under the current economic downturn caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the government should be prudent in its spending of public money.
"Every effort should be made to reduce ‘non-essential’ public projects so that more Covid-19 victims can be treated in hospitals and more people can get the Covid-19 vaccines," he added.
Lim said community halls are often left idle, only used occasionally and may not be particularly the most productive way to utilise public funds, especially in times of global health crisis.
"It is not ‘malicious and irresponsible’ of anyone to question the prime minister’s spending habits as the money comes from the public coffers.
"I would also like to ask the relevant integrity and enforcement government agencies to take the initiative to investigate and clear any doubt about the procurement methods of the three community halls," he said.
Lim's DAP colleague Howard Lee also questioned the policies of Muhyiddin's government in helping the people.
"Businesses of all sizes - apart from a few outliers - are barely surviving or have had to call it quits. This is on top of the yet-to-be-healed financial shortfalls from the first round of MCO.
"Not to mention a significant number of businesses that have yet to receive the promised financial assistance despite qualification.
"By and large, retrenchments and workforce shrinkages are rules rather than exceptions and at best, there will be stagnation of existing jobs and pay," he said.
Lee said with the sweeping emergency powers obtained by Muhyiddin and the government to commandeer assets, properties, resources and workforces, as well as levy charges without a slither of democratic oversight, there will unlikely be any new foreign or local investments in near sight.
"Fewer jobs means less consumption and fewer people buying things. This means businesses are not expanding and not hiring.
"Which means less job creation, which in turn means less consumption. The vicious cycle continues.
"And along the way, it also means less tax revenue, and ultimately the government's ability to provide social assistance will also be limited," added Lee, who is also the Pasir Pinji assemblyperson.
Lee said the only ones who are unaffected by the emergency are those who wield political power and those who have strong financial holding power.
"The former will be able to leverage their privileged knowledge to their advantage or even mould the conditions to suit their needs. The latter will be able to buy assets and businesses at a low price at this or further junctures of the market's desperation.
"The rich and the powerful are poised to become more so, faster and easier than ever before; and the middling and working classes' fates will now enter a downward spiral unless this emergency is reversed.
"Contrary to the bands of self-serving, whitewashing obsequious propaganda put out by Muhyiddin's army of cyber troopers, this emergency will not serve Malaysians one single bit of good," added Lee.
Umno Youth says PM's priorities are wrong
Umno Youth exco Mustafa Shah Abdul Hamid was another to express his unhappiness over the halls in Pagoh.
"The government suspended the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Undangan Negeri because it wanted to focus on efforts to deal with Covid-19 effectively, but why couldn't the construction of the halls be suspended for a while?
"What is the importance to the people as a whole? Is it able to lower the rate of Covid-19 infection?
"The government should give priority to people's problems instead of busy building halls with huge allocations," he said.
"How beautiful it would be if the huge allocation was channelled towards upgrading medical facilities or hospital equipment to cope with the Covid-19 wave," said Mustafa who also chided the government over its refusal to order financial institutions to provide an extension of loan moratoriums.
"The government should put the interests of the people first and not just protect certain groups," he added. - Mkini
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