PETALING JAYA: Two senior PBB leaders have criticised finance minister Lim Guan Eng for an additional RM42 million allocation to help rubber smallholders in Sabah, saying that aid should also be given to those in Sarawak.
Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, MP for Santubong, said money in the Treasury did not belong to politicians or any political party but to all Malaysians.
“Sarawak contributes a large amount of money to the government’s coffers through our oil resources, but we feel penalised when our rubber smallholders do not get the same aid as those in Sabah,” he said.
He questioned whether it was because the Sarawak state government is not run by Pakatan Harapan. “This just does not seem fair,” he said.
Wan Junaidi, a former federal minister, said past Barisan Nasional-led federal governments had always given aid to all, regardless of whether a state was run by the BN or by the BN’s political opponents.
“BR1M, aid for fishermen, farmers, projects…it did not matter whether they were in Pahang, Kelantan or Penang. As long as they were Malaysians they received aid.” he said. “When you are the government you cannot be selective in helping anyone, you must give help where it is needed.”
A Sarawak state minister, Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, said giving additional aid to Sabah, and not Sarawak, was tantamount to punishing smallholders in the state for being in a state run by political rivals of Pakatan Harapan.
“Lim should learn to be a minister for all Malaysians, help everyone regardless of whether they are in a PH-controlled state or otherwise,” said Karim, who is state minister for Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports.
The RM42 million announced last week was to help rubber smallholders in Sabah in view of the monsoon season. The 70,000 rubber smallholders will receive about RM600 each. - FMT
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