KUALA LUMPUR: A Sabah lawmaker has proposed that the RM85.5mil allocation for the Special Affairs Department (Jasa) in Budget 2021 be channeled completely to the Health Ministry.
"I also propose that the 50% from the RM85.5mil be allocated to Sabah, which has become the epicentre of the Covid-19 infection recently, ” said Tuaran MP Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau.
He said that he had sent in a motion on this matter to Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun earlier Monday (Nov 30) and that he is hoping for a ruling on the matter soon.
"The remaining 50% is for the Health Ministry to use for other expenses," he said at a press conference in Parliament on Monday.
Wilfred said Sabah has taken a beating due to the pandemic and the additional allocation would be helpful to provide more laboratory testing facilities and Covid-19 test kits.
He said currently many test samples are sent to Peninsular Malaysia via special flights, adding that such flights are costly and therefore an additional burden on the government.
He added that he hoped that the allocation would be able to help health frontliners in Sabah.
Last week, Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz said he had tabled a motion to reduce the allocation to Jasa but said that more details would be announced during the committee stage of Budget 2021 discussions.
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