PENAMPANG: Sabah Umno Youth chief Yameni Hafiz Musa has welcomed the schemes under the national 2015 budget which will benefit youths in the country.
Hafiz was of the opinion that the 1Malaysia Youth City and Youth Housing Scheme announced by Prime Minister cum Finance Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak last week is a good initiative as it will benefit the youths.
“I think it is a good initiative but nevertheless this is a pilot project so we want to make sure that the implementation is carried out properly.
“Sometimes many suggestions are made but the implementation falls short; so high aspiration but short in implementation, so we hope that this thing will go through and will be replicated on a bigger scale because I think they are trying out with a small group and if it is workable, I think the government have to think about the funding on a bigger scale,” he said when met during a gotong royong to clean up Tabika Perpaduan Kampung Kolopis here yesterday.
Najib when tabling the budget said that the government will establish 1Malaysia Youth City, with RM100 million allocated for three pilot projects in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.
He also said that the government will also implement the Youth Housing Scheme, a smart partnership between the government, Bank Simpanan Nasional, Employees Provident Fund and Cagamas.
On the gotong royong, Hafiz said that it was the initiative between Sabah Umno Youth and its UPKO Penampang counterpart.
“We discussed with Carl Mosoom about the gotong royong and identified that this Tabika was one of the worst hit by the flood. They have started cleaning up and we are here to help, to show support and give some monetary donations,” he said.
To a question if Sabah Umno Youth will help families with school-going children whose books and schooling needs were damaged by the flood, Hafiz said the affected parents can write in to them to apply for assistance.
“We need details like where they are staying and what do they require. We will work out accordingly and can set up an assistance scheme to help out with what the students, especially those sitting for exams, need,” he said.
Meanwhile, Carl expressed UPKO Penampang Youth’s appreciation to Sabah Umno Youth for the initiative and assistance.
“I hope to get more NGOs and other component parties to continue the work as the impact of the flood was huge,” he said.