‘OPPOSITION STATES TO GET RURAL FUNDS’
DPM says money will go through state development officer
THE Pakatan Harapan government does not discriminate against opposition-led states in providing allocations, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said yesterday.
She was commenting on Rural Development Minister Rina Mohd Harun’s statement on Wednesday that RM100 million allocations for rural development would be provided only to PH-led states.
Dr Wan Azizah, who is Pakatan Harapan and PKR president, said the cabinet had decided that opposition-led states would receive the allocation.
“However, this (allocation) will not be distributed through party branch leaders or political appointees. It has to go through the state development officer. We do not discriminate against opposition-led states.
“This is our policy and they (opposition-led states) will also get it (allocation). It is not politics.
“When Barisan Nasional was the government, opposition states like Selangor and Penang did not get any allocation, but they were given grants or went through Umno branch leaders.
“We do not want this. Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has said it (any allocation) must go through the state development office,” she said after attending Institut Darul Ehsan’s Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house here.
Rina had said grants worth RM10,000 would be distributed to the Village Community Management Council in states under PH, with an annual allocation not exceeding RM100 million, which would benefit 10,000 out of 16,481 villages.
The grants, she said, were for programmes that generated income, and promoted economic activities, happiness and wellbeing of villagers.
She said the mechanism for the awarding of grants to villages in Perlis, Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Sarawak was under review and was expected to be completed in a month.