KULIM, March 8 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yesterday approved an immediate allocation of RM18 million to upgrade the piping and wiring systems at the 2nd Battalion General Operations Force (GOF) based here.

According to him, RM10 million would be used to restore the water supply at the camp, while the other RM8 million would be used to repair the wiring system.

“Earlier, before I entered (into the camp), I went to meet and speak with the GOF personnel. I asked them about the situation, and they said that the water supply is being rationed. This is 2026, and they work hard in the field and, when they return, they have to think about water rationing. So, we have immediately approved the RM10 million allocation.

“Then, for the wiring works, RM8 million has been approved. So, RM10 million for water and RM8 million for wiring. This is a special case because when I came, they said there was no water,” Anwar said during the Prime Minister’s breaking-of-fast-event with the Home Ministry here yesterday.

The prime minister also announced an immediate allocation of RM2.69 million for repairing pondok schools (religious boarding schools) in the state.

“So, for Kedah, we have identified the need for an immediate allocation for 15 small projects for pondok schools to be repaired,” he said.

Meanwhile, in his speech, the prime minister said the government would continue to act firmly in tackling leakages and corruption in the country.

He said the government managed to collect RM15.5 billion in revenue following these strict actions, even though it caused dissatisfaction among certain parties. 

“Previously, it was not collected, so where did the money go if we can collect RM15 billion in two years... where did all the money go that was not collected before? That is the question we must answer if we want to avoid repeating the mistake; we must continue to be firm with our actions.

“I say (this action) is not popular because those affected are not ordinary people. Many of them have large funds that can influence international media, influence social media and influence politicians in various parties.

“I do not mean the opposition, (but) everyone, because these large funds exert influence and this is what we are witnessing now,” he said.

As such, he reminded all parties to be vigilant and not become tools of irresponsible parties because the country must be protected even if there are differences of opinion. — Bernama