PM wants frontliners’ special allowance late payment issues to be resolved soon

PUTRAJAYA: Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin wants the issues over the late payment of the special monthly allowance for frontliners, who have been serving throughout the Movement Control Order, be dealt with and resolved soonest.

The prime minister said he had ordered this when the issue was raised in a special National Security Council (MKN) meeting Thursday.

“I wish to inform that it was brought up in the meeting yesterday that there were problems among those involved, as some said that the payouts to the frontliners had been slow or too much paperwork was involved.

“I urged that the matter be simplified to facilitate the frontliners in the making the claims as they had sacrificed a lot of their time and energy. We have to be fair in dealing with them and the issue must be dealt with immediately.”

He said this during a 30minute video conference with representatives of the country’s frontliners who have been battling the Covid-19 pandemic.

The frontliners involved personnel from the Health Ministry, Malaysian Armed Forces, Royal Malaysia Police, Immigration Department, Fire and Rescue Department, Malaysian Civil Defence Force ( APM), Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, and the People’s Volunteer Corps ( Rela).

Muhyiddin in presenting the Prihatin Rakyat Economic Stimulus Package ( Prihatin) on March 27 announced a special allowance increase from RM400 to RM600 for healthcare workers such as doctors, nurses and other medical staff directly involved in the management and containment of Covid- 19.

The government will also pay a monthly allowance of RM200 to the military, police, customs, immigration, Civil Defence Force and Rela personnel involved in enforcing the Movement Control Order.

The allowance will be paid from April 1 till the end of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, during the video conference, APM chief commissioner Datuk Roslan Wahab expressed gratitude on the government’s decision to pay RM2 per hour allowance increment for all volunteer members as announced Thursday.

Muhyiddin added that where the frontliners were concerned they would be given top priority and the government would pay them whatever it could afford. — Bernama