Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak has questioned several initiatives under Social Security Organisation (Socso) in Ipoh that were announced when Ipoh Barat MP M Kulasegaran held the post of human resources minister.
This came after former primary industries minister Teresa Kok questioned the RM100 million Rubber Technology Centre project in Jerantut, which was announced just a month after Jerantut MP Ahmad Nazlan Idris was appointed as Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB) chairperson.
In a Facebook post today, Najib pointed to plans to build an RM500 million rehabilitation centre that is set to be the largest in Southeast Asia, as well as the People’s Service Counter that was launched as a pilot project at a market in the Ipoh Barat constituency.
“Since the previous human resources minister from DAP is also the Ipoh Barat MP, is this also an example of a political appointee announcing wasteful political projects in his own constituency like what Kok alleged today?
“Are projects in Ipoh Barat by the Ipoh Barat MP allowed, but projects in Jerantut by the Jerantut MP are not allowed? What are Kok’s views on this,” he said.
The People’s Service Counter assisted B40 income earners by providing temporary counter services from Socso, Labour Department, and Department of Occupational Safety and Health Department in public markets.
It was launched as a pilot project at the Kampung Tawas Market in Ipoh on July 7, 2018 and was to be extended nationwide.
The rehabilitation centre, meanwhile, was announced by then finance minister Lim Guan Eng as part of the 2020 budget, and would complement an existing centre in Malacca in helping people return to work following an accident.
The centre was proposed to be built in Ipoh, but it is unclear whether it would be in Ipoh Barat.
The news article cited by Najib quoted the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) questioning the location of the centre but did not specifically mention whether it would be located in Ipoh Barat.
The original statement from the MTUC dated Oct 21 last year read: “Now, a massive RM500 million rehabilitation centre is to be built in the home state of the human resources minister Kulasegaran.
“We are wondering if this is a mere coincidence or are we providing continuity to the bad practices of BN?”
Two days before the MTUC statement, the then Perak health, consumer affairs, national integration and human resources committee chairperson A Sivanesan said the centre was expected to be built somewhere in the Kinta Valley near a North-South Expressway.
“Several locations have been identified and it is in the final stages, only the tender work remains,” Bernama quoted him as saying.
Earlier today, Kok (photo) had questioned Nazlan for supposedly working at "warp speed" in getting necessary approvals for the RTC project in Jerantut.
She also queried the necessity of the project, since there are several rubber technology and research centres that are fully operational and still have some excess capacity.
On those matters, Najib said the project not only comprises a technology centre, but also a tourism centre known as Bandar Taman Negara and a 2,000-acre (809ha) rubber plantation.
“I don’t want to discuss whether the development project is good or bad, although Jerantut is in fact a rubber plantation area.
“We shall wait for the MRB and its chairperson to explain the project further, and how it would create new jobs and stimulate the local economy amidst the Covid-19 crisis,” he said. - Mkini
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