GEORGE TOWN, Nov 22 — Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng called on Barisan Nasional (BN) assemblymen to ask the federal ruling coalition to disburse RM500 as cash aid to residents affected by floods earlier this month.
He said the state Opposition lawmakers would be able to serve Penangites better this way as the Pakatan Harapan state government has not received any news from the federal BN on the flood relief funds.
“Up to now, the federal government did not make any announcements on any aid for the flood victims. We are asking for the victims, not for us,” Lim said in a press conference at his office here today.
He was responding to state Opposition leader Datuk Jahara Hamid’s claims that the BN assemblymen were not allowed to help flood victims by verifying their application forms for the state government’s RM700 one-off payment.
Jahara was reported to have accused the state government of politicising the payment by refusing to allow BN assemblymen to verify the applications by their flood-affected constituents at their service centres.
Lim replied saying the Penang BN assemblymen were not state government assemblymen, adding that there were other resources open to flood victims in BN areas.
“I think this will be done by the state government’s assemblymen.
“If they want to do any verification, ask them to write in and tell us what is it they want,” he said.
Lim claimed Penang BN assemblymen have never been cooperative with the state government.
“When we offered them RM40,000 development funds, they rejected us. We offered them posts in the state committees, they also rejected. When we want to help them with the distribution of BR1M, they refused our help,” he said.
The Penang government opened up registration for its RM700 one-off payment for flood victims yesterday.
Applicants can apply online but will have to show proof taking along supporting documentations to their respective assemblyman’s service centre. Those in BN constituencies will have to take their documentations to their district offices instead.
