Photo shows Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob (second left) talking to victims of a landslide at Kampung Madsiang in Penampang, Sabah, in September. — Bernama photo
THE Prime Minister’s ‘Keluarga Malaysia’ (Malaysia Family) concept will help pave the way towards the nation’s economic recovery in the new norm post-pandemic.
“The economy should be restored, the well-being of the people should be improved, and investors’ confidence should be restored. Be assured that only through the full cooperation of Keluarga Malaysia, the war against the Covid-19 pandemic will end in victory.
“It is hoped that behind the face mask that has become part of the new norms of our life now, smiles will return to the Keluarga Malaysia that I care for,” said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob during the pre-launch of the Keluarga Malaysia concept at Auditorium Perdana, Wisma Radio, Angkasapuri on Oct 8, 2021.
Explaining Keluarga Malaysia
Since the introduction of the Keluarga Malaysia concept, many have asked what it means and why it has become the ‘spirit’ that the government wants to ignite today.In the words of the Prime Minister, he explained that ‘it is because the family institution always plays the role of protecting religion, safety, dignity and ensuring all members of the family are looked after’.
“In the national context, we, Keluarga Malaysia, are multi-religious, multi-racial and multi-age. Yet despite the dissimilarities in beliefs, background and culture, we celebrate inclusivity in our differences,” said Ismail Sabri.
He further added that the diversity celebrated had become the seed ‘that heals every heart in Malaysia’, and that the continuation of this asset must be defended.
“Hence, the value of every Keluarga Malaysia is an important component that will decide the fall and rise of this nation,” he said.
Keluarga Malaysia calls for the practice of living in harmony and in unity, just like the Malay proverb: ‘Serumpun bak serai, sesusun bak sirih’ (as bundled as lemongrass, as arranged as betel leaves), which emphasises on the concept of neighbourhood living.
The Keluarga Malaysia concept is also in line with the journey of recovery and restoring the nation from the impact of the twin-crisis of health and economy that the country is now going through.
“The Keluarga Malaysia concept and approach is not that difficult to digest because it is rooted on available values that we possess in every family. What is done by the government is to harmonise and to uphold these values as guidelines to further increase Malaysia’s strength, in her multi-religious, multi-racial and multi-ethnicities uniqueness,” said Ismail Sabri.
He explained that all the values of Keluarga Malaysia are centred on the ‘Supremacy of the Federal Constitution’ as enshrined in the Rukun Negara (Pillars of Nation).
“Like a tree, the roots of Keluarga Malaysia rest on the Federal Constitution and Rukun Negara, while the stems and twigs hold strong the values of Keluarga Malaysia, which then bear fruit such as fertile leaves, flowers and fruits and its protection benefit the people. This is the metaphor of Keluarga Malaysia,” explained the Prime Minister.
Togetherness
One of the characteristics of Keluarga Malaysia is ‘togetherness’.Among the efforts undertaken under the Keluarga Malaysia concept is to seek common ground so that the main stakeholders, the Keluarga Malaysia, can enjoy the benefits.
Activities and efforts across ministries and agencies are being planned to improve the methods of implementing programmes and initiatives so that they can quickly reach the people.
And under the Keluarga Malaysia concept, the government is also implementing the ‘Keluarga Malaysia Rumah Ikram Initiative’ by the Federal Local Government and Housing Ministry where 2,000 units of houses are prepared for the Keluarga Malaysia who have experienced loss or reduction of income due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Additionally, various coordinated initiatives and efforts are being drafted by ministries under the concept to ensure that no Keluarga Malaysia will be left behind.
The Malaysia Family Squad
To oversee the smooth delivery of the aid to the people in need, nationwide, the Keluarga Malaysia Squad has been set up.
The role of the squad, which is under the Community Welfare Department of the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry, is to coordinate all the mechanisms that deliver aid to the people under one machinery. It is a collaboration of various agencies under different ministries, the private sector and non-government organisations (NGOs).
A total of 10,000 members of the Keluarga Malaysia Squad were initially deployed to various places nationwide to help those impacted due to the pandemic; this number is expected to rise with the registrations of more ministries, agencies, and volunteers.
And to ensure the success of this Keluarga Malaysia idea, every ministry and agency is now actively identifying suitable products to be adopted as part of efforts to help the people.This is a step to inculcate a culture of service, performance-oriented to alleviate the burden of Keluarga Malaysia, who are in need of help and support.
The government also wants to ensure that every Keluarga Malaysia product will provide the positive impact hoped for and they are doing this through by introducing the Key Happiness Outcome (KHO) mechanism, which complements the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob (left) visiting the revived Petra Jaya Hospital project in Kuching with
Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg in October. — Bernama photo
Maximising development
The criticism about Sabah and Sarawak being neglected by the federal government is ‘an unfounded view’, said Minister of Finance Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz in a recent interview by The Borneo Post.
Moreover, he pointed out that the Budget 2022, which he tabled in Dewan Rakyat in October this year, was based on the spirit of ‘Keluarga Malaysia’, “where no one is left out. It’s an inclusive budget – one that is based on needs.”
The minister also said the government had run dozens of engagement sessions and received tens of thousands of proposals and memoranda from all over the country, including from Sabah and Sarawak, in order to obtain the appropriate inputs to be included in the Budget, in line with the aspirations of stakeholders and the government.
He said his ministry had always been looking at the needs of the nation as a whole to ensure that the development potential of each state could be maximised and the income gaps could be narrowed as much as possible.
According to him, all allocations had been based on these principles so that all states would be able to run their respective developments.
Under Budget 2022, Sabah and Sarawak received development expenditure allocations of RM5.2 billion and RM4.6 billion, respectively.
These numbers registered an increase from the previous year’s budget allocations, with Sabah being given RM104 million more, while Sarawak’s allocation rose by RM158 million.
“The total development allocation for Sabah and Sarawak for 2022 is RM9.8 billion or more than 20 per cent of the total development allocation for all states.
“In line with the objective of driving the state’s growth, priority is given to road and basic rural basic infrastructure.
“RM2 billion is provided to continue the construction of the Pan Borneo Highway. The allocation for rural infrastructure development, especially rural roads, rural electricity supply and rural water supply for Sabah and Sarawak, is RM1.5 billion.
“To ensure a comfortable and safe learning environment, RM746 million has been allocated to upgrade dilapidated schools, with 112 projects in Sabah and 165 in Sarawak.
“There is also an allocation of RM24 million under the child health programme where the government has set up ‘Bank Susu Ibu’ (Breast Milk Bank) for premature babies in Neonatal Care Units in hospitals in the country, such as in Sabah and Sarawak,” said Tengku Zafrul.
Additionally, the Budget had also included a provision of RM10 million to encourage children in Sabah and Sarawak to deepen their knowledge and understanding of culture and heritage.
Tengku Zafrul added that other benefits meant for Sabah and Sarawak under Budget 2022 included a subsidy of RM209 million for rural air services in Sabah and Sarawak.
The government, he said, would also help boost the economic development in Sabah and Sarawak with a special allocation of RM20 million for each state for projects involving food security, tourism and the preservation and conservation of the environment.
“A total of RM284 million is provided to implement development projects under the Sabah and Sarawak corridor authorities aimed at driving economic growth through projects such as the Samalaju industrial park infrastructure (in Sarawak) and the expansion of Sepanggar Port (in Sabah).
“Through the projects and allocations provided, the government is confident towards achieving the average Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth target for the 2021-2025 period of 6.4 per cent for Sabah, and 5.3 per cent for Sarawak.
Budget 2022: Main beneficiaries
Tengku Zafrul pointed out that many sectors in Sabah and Sarawak would benefit under Budget 2022.
The manufacturing, agriculture and tourism sectors would be among the sectors set to benefit from the provision of communication infrastructure, agricultural subsidies as well as border reopening and economic recovery, he said.
“Many key sectors will also benefit from the ‘Jamin Kerja’ programme, which has been allocated RM4.8 billion including employment incentives and skills-upgrading programmes. We also have the ‘Semarak Niaga’ initiative worth RM40 billion, which covers financing for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), as well as RM1.8 billion for micro-credit.
“The tourism sector, in particular, will benefit from the extension of the wage subsidy for three months with an allocation of RM600 million.
“The focus on development allocations will benefit the social sector, especially the health, education, transport and business sectors.”Tengku Zafrul also said the indigenous people in Sabah and Sarawak would not be left behind, adding that the government had expanded Social Security Organisation (Socso) coverage to this group.
He added that the government had also allocated RM200 million to reduce the cost of transportation and distribution of basic goods such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and petrol to rural areas, especially in Sabah and Sarawak.
He said to further enhance security control, the government would add eight more General Operations Force (GOF) monitoring posts in Pagalungan, Sabah and Temong Mura, Sarawak.
“For this, we have allocated RM2.2 million, while four more new immigration gateways to be added at Telok Melano and Baleh in Sarawak.
Improvements of living standards
Tengku Zafrul assured all that lots of efforts are being made to improve the living standards of the people, with a number of efforts being planned specifically in Sabah and Sarawak.
Under Budget 2022, RM1.5 billion is allocated to the Ministry of Rural Development (KPLB) for infrastructure development projects in rural areas of Sabah and Sarawak, involving infrastructure, economic and human capital development projects in line with the Rural Development Policy 2030.
The government has also allocated RM2 billion for the Pan Borneo Highway development, which is to continue the construction of the Sabah Pan Borneo Highway stretch from Sindumin to Rampayan Laut, and the Sarawak Pan Borneo segment from Semantan to Jalan Pujut Link.
“The government is also prioritising the enhancement of digital networks in Sarawak, especially in rural areas. This can help those involved in business to also venture into ecommerce.
“Students will also be able to follow online learning more easily,” he added.
Adding on, Tengku Zafrul said Budget 2022 was designed to benefit all parties in line with the ‘Keluarga Malaysia’ (Malaysia Family) concept, which ensures that no one would be marginalised in the country’s recovery agenda following the hardships brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said based on the principles of togetherness and inclusivity, the government had recognised the status of Sabah and Sarawak being part of Malaysia, and larger allocations to these two states under Budget 2022 would help accelerate the developments in both states.
“My hope for Sabah and Sarawak is for all residents of these two states to have access to basic amenities.
“The government does not want to see anyone being marginalised and thus, it has allocated RM1.5 billion for 2022, meant for basic infrastructure in Sabah and Sarawak. These include construction of rural roads, upgrading bridges as well as the provision of treated water, alternative water supply and electricity.
“A total of RM2.5 billion has been allocated for this purpose for the whole country next year, where Sabah and Sarawak will enjoy the bulk of the allocation, amounting to RM1.5 billion or 60 per cent of the total allocation.
“In addition, the National Digital Network Initiative (Jendela) is being rolled out to provide wider network coverage and a better broadband quality service for the people, including those in Sabah and Sarawak.
“Various initiatives have been put in place to enhance connectivity to ensure that no one is left behind in the current development of the country,” he said.