Abdullah Saidol
KUCHING: The RM5-million allocation for Rural Transformation Projects (RTP) is not channelled directly to each state assemblyman (Adun).
It will only be given out after the assemblymen have submitted their list of projects to be undertaken for the year, which will then be handed to monitoring agencies (Resident’s Office and District Office) and the implementers will be technical agencies like the Public Works Department (JKR) and Irrigation and Drainage Department (DID).
Contractors of projects would then be hired by JKR through official draws and in addition to that, JKR would also address issues on site such as land matters and so on.
“Such exercise has been practised since 2014 when Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem first introduced RTP and it is from the state government itself.Hence, the rumour that has been spreading around that Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg made a slip of the tongue regarding the matter is untrue.
“This has made many Aduns anxious. The reason why the amount is bigger now is that Adenan had stated last year during the DUN sitting that the RTP allocation had been increased to RM500 million,” said chief political secretary to the Chief Minister Abdullah Saidol when met at the Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Sarawak pre-graduation dinner at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here on Saturday.
Abdullah added that the RM5 million RTP allocation had already been set aside for state assemblymen to spend on their proposed projects to be implemented within this year.
“If you do the maths, there are a total of 72 Aduns in Sarawak and with RM5 million allocation for each, it will total up to RM375 million.
“The balance will be then be placed under Abang Jo. He has the duty of going around the state to visit from one place to another.
“During his visit, the people could request for more projects from him if the allocation under the particular Adun is insufficient. This could be projects such as the construction of a standard R1-R3, multipurpose halls and so on,” he said.
Abdullah added that the reason why Adenan initiated RTP was due to the lengthy time for allocation from the federal government to undertake minor works such as maintenance and repair works, particularly in rural areas, to be received.
“With RTP, several Aduns under the same parliamentary (seat) or division could work together in enhancing infrastructure in one particular area, hence resulting in an overall rural transformation,” said the Semop assemblyman.
On the other hand, Abdullah mentioned that members of Parliament (MPs) also received about RM5 million to RM7 million allocation per annum for their respective areas.
“The allocation is from the federal government and is known as ‘Projek Mesra Rakyat’ (PMR). Even so, this amount has to be divided and used wisely as a parliamentary constituency covers a big area. There is also the Minor Rural Programme (MRP) fund, which Aduns can channel to parent-teacher associations, churches, mosques and even sports clubs for community development.
“However, all these allocations are unavailable for non-Barisan Nasional (BN) representatives. Why, that you have got to ask Abang Jo himself,” he said.
On another matter, Abdullah said the Chief Minister was looking into the performance of MPs throughout the state, which would be assessed through their contributions in their respective areas.
“In all seriousness, Abang Jo is looking deeply into this matter.
“Being winnable is not enough. Just because he or she is popular does not mean that they are able to do the job well. It needs to come hand in hand,” he added.