Some sidelined in food aid by Warisan govt, says PBS

A volunteer (left) hands food to a villager in isolated Kiulu in Tuaran, Sabah.

KOTA KINABALU: The opposition Parti Bersatu Sabah has expressed concern over the distribution of food aid by Warisan leaders, saying some residents in Kota Marudu have not been getting enough to eat.

PBS youth chief Christopher Mandut said while the party acknowledged that the state government was doing its part to help alleviate the burden of the people in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, it could do more especially in allocating funds for food supply and distribution.

The MP for Kota Marudu is Maximus Ongkili, who is also the PBS president. Ongkili is also a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Sabah and Sarawak affairs.

Calling on the people of Kota Marudu to stay calm, Mandut said the parliamentary office would distribute food packs to the needy as soon as it could determine the number affected.

Mandut, who is also Ongkili’s political secretary, said Sabahans should help one another during the time of crisis, adding that all were affected and impacted by Covid-19.

He also rubbished claims that PBS leaders were not doing anything to assist the people.

He said they were “deeply occupied” in planning and coordinating the implementation of the federal government’s economic stimulus package.

“We are monitoring and making sure this assistance reaches the affected groups as fast as possible. I believe the PBS president (Ongkili) and his Sabahan counterparts in the government are doing their level best to ensure our needs are covered,” he said.

Meanwhile, Jainysius Sipan, the Village Community Management Council (MPKK) chairman in Kiulu, Tuaran, has been using his own allowance to buy food for the needy in the sub-district. Kiulu is held by PBS’ Joniston Bangkuai.

Sipan, 25, said he had used his own MPKK allowance to buy and distribute food to 21 families in the village, which is isolated. -FMT