Awang Tengah Ali Hasan
MIRI: Hornbill Skyways and Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) helicopters will be deployed to send food aid parcels to distribution centres in the interior of Sarawak, including Baleh and Murum, starting tomorrow (Apr 7).
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan divulged this when contacted by The Borneo Post today, saying that they will be sent to distribution centres in Baleh, Belaga, Murum and Batang Ai where transporting them via land is more difficult.
“These will then be distributed by representatives of the local community by land or river to the target recipients at their longhouses or villages, where they will be then disbursed internally.
“We want to ensure that the distribution complies with the Movement Control Order (MCO) and we don’t want a big crowd of people to turn up as this would defeat the purpose (of the MCO),” he said.
Awang Tengah added that today’s operation of airlifting food parcels to Bario and the interior of Baram had gone smoothly.
“In addition, some food parcels were sent via trucks and boats to coastal villages and remote jungle settlements.
“We want to make sure there is food on the table for everybody,” he said.
Awang Tengah, who is also Food Supply Network Sub-Committee chairman, is currently monitoring and heading the operations from home where he is undergoing self-quarantine.
When asked on whether the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) will be mobilising its helicopter for food aid distribution, he said that their aircraft was currently undergoing maintenance but they had offered trucks and boats to assist in the distribution effort.
He also said that it was imperative that there was sufficient food and essential items supply at the 800 sales points statewide that are operating from 7am to 4pm under the MCO.
“I have instructed the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs to ensure that there is sufficient supply and transporters of these goods so that we can deliver it to every point,” he said.
Asked on whether Fire and Rescue Department will also mobilize its helicopter for food aid operation, he said the aircraft is still undergoing maintenance but the later has offered assets such as trucks and boats to assist the government.
The state government has allocated RM 16.4 million for food aid and this is distributed to divisional or district disaster management committees to be disbursed according the shortlisted recipients in their respective areas.