Abang Johari (second left) presenting a mock cheque for a group insurance claim to Fatimawati Awang Abu at the event yesterday. Witnessing the handing over are Zahid (fourth left), Wan Junaidi (third left), Awang Tengah (right) and Rela director-general Zulkifli Abidin (left).
LUNDU: The state government will match the RM20 million given by the federal government to Rela (People’s Volunteer Corps) in Sarawak.
Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg said before his demise, the late chief minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem had promised an allocation of RM4 million to Rela Sarawak.
“We (state government) will add RM16 million to match the RM20 million which is allocated by the federal government,” said Abang Johari during the ‘Leaders meet Rela’ programme at the Lundu community hall yesterday.
The RM20-million federal government allocation was announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak during a similar event held at the Borneo Convention Centre on May 4 last year.
Abang Johari justified the increase in allocation to the services rendered by Rela personnel and the huge number of its members of about 345,000 in Sarawak.
“Rela members in Sarawak are similar to BN leaders as they are ever ready to defend and develop the state in a whim,” said Abang Johari to the applause of some 6,000 Rela members at the event.
Others present at the event included Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi, Minister of Resources and Environment Dato Sri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, Minister of Works Datuk Fadillah Yusuf, Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, Assistant Minister for Resource Planning Datuk Naroden Majais and Assistant Minister for Housing Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
Abang Johari related that he and Zahid had known each other for many years since both of them were in the youth wing of PBB and Umno respectively.
“This is why he (Zahid) and I have this common understanding,” he said, adding that their strong relationship would auger well for the cooperation between the state and federal governments.
On another note, he revealed that during a brief meeting at the Sarawak Heart Centre in Kota Samarahan together with Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas a day before his passing on Jan 11, Adenan told him to ‘look after Sarawak’.
“What he (Adenan) told me is not exclusively for me, but it is actually intended for each Sarawakian to look after the state,” he added.
With the confidence and support of PBB and the state BN in him as the sixth chief minister, Abang Johari vouched that he would take up the task of developing and safeguarding the state as what Adenan had always wanted.
Meanwhile, he called on the people in Tanjong Datu to give their full support to Adenan’s widow Datin Patinggi Datuk Amar Jamilah Anu on polling day this Saturday.
Jamilah is the BN candidate for the Tanjong Datu by-election.
“She (Jamilah) is a down to earth person who really understands the needs of the people especially in Lundu. I know that she will be able to continue the struggle of Adenan,” he added.