Dialogue in Bintulu seeks to resolve unpaid Rela allowances
BINTULU: A dialogue session will be held between the People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) Sarawak director Abang Zulfikar Abang Raduan and members here today to resolve issues related to their unpaid allowances.
A spokesman from Rela Bintulu disclosed that also expected to be present at the dialogue were Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, Bintulu Resident Jack Aman Luat, District Officer Mohamad Dino Amid and Bintulu deputy police chief DSP Dennis Bunyam.
He said it will be a closed-door meeting at Promenade Hotel Bintulu at 10am.
The issue of unpaid allowances was highlighted by a Rela member on social media recently.
The posting received various comments from netizens who questioned why the Rela members who were part of the frontliners during Covid-19 pandemic were treated that way.
Even one of the non-profit charitable organisations called Extrameal Bintulu responded by providing food aid to those affected.
A Rela member Joshua Imbai Awa, 25, told The Borneo Post that previously, their allowances were paid on the 15th or 18th of every month.
“The problem is the allowances for May and June have not been paid and it is now already August but we have not received our allowances,” he said.
Asked what caused the problem, he said he was made to understand that the problem came from Kuching.
“A er I posted it on Facebook, from the comments, I found out that the same issue also happened in other districts,” he said.
He said 23 Rela members had turned up at Bintulu police station on Aug 2 to lodge a report.
“We have highlighted this issue to the Labour Department too,” said Joshua who is from Sebauh.
He said it was very stressful when working but not paid accordingly.
“If just two months working unpaid, I think it’s still acceptable but now until August, we must voice up this issue.
“Other friends with wives and children are really affected financially, to pay for food, rented houses, vehicle loans and other commitments,” he said.
He hoped today’s dialogue session will be conducted smoothly and all outstanding allowances would be paid accordingly.
In the meantime, Joshua expressed his gratitude to Francis Ngu, who is the founder of Extrameal Bintulu for the food assistance to the affected Rela members.