Retract report, apologise or we will sue, says state exco

PORT DICKSON: A state executive councillor has given a Bahasa Malaysia online portal a week to apologise over its report alleging that the Welfare Department had stopped giving monthly aid to a family of six.

The report claimed that the family had to live in a tent by the beach after the aid was stopped.

State Women, Family and Welfare Committee chairman Nicole Tan Lee Koon said the report had brought disrepute to the state government and the department.

Tan also demanded for the report to be retracted within 24 hours.

“Since last year, the department has provided RM400 a month for the head of the family, who is a special needs person, and another RM300 for his children.

“We did not stop the aid, as claimed in the report,” she said.

Tan said the state government would take legal action if no apolo- gy was forthcoming.

In the report, the portal said Akif Hatimi Abdul Halim, 31, his wife Siti Rohaizah Abdullah, 28, and their four children had been living in a tent at Pantai Saujana for five days.

The family was forced to vacate their rented house as they had failed to pay the landlord for months.

Akif Hatimi, it said, became physically challenged following a road accident 11 years ago.

Tan said department officials had tried to locate the family to provide them with proper accommodation but could not find them at the beach.

Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, who is contesting as an independent candidate in the Oct 13 Port Dickson by-election, said he managed to get temporary accommodation for the family.

“I have also spoken to an official of the Port Dickson Municipal Council and was told that they had approved a business licence for Akif.

“They have also given him a kiosk to run his business at Bandar Sunggala,” he said in a text message.

The kiosk is under construction and should be ready next month.

Mohd Saiful said he had also checked with the department and was told that there was only a slight delay in aid payment.