KOTA BARU, Jan 2 — Kelantan received a one-off allocation for assistance amounting to RM400 million from the federal government on December 25.
Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yakob said, before that, the state government had received a special letter from Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on December 17 and the allocation would be used to improve the socio-economy, the well-being of the people and strengthen the state’s finances.
“The state government expresses deep appreciation to Tun Dr Mahathir for the assistance and it is the first time we have received this one-off aid.
“We have never asked for such an aid and have only asked for the royalty payments (for petroleum) before this,” he told reporters after a 2020 New Year event and the launch of the Kelantan Sustainable Development Master Plan 2019-2023 at Dewan Teratai, Kota Darul Naim Complex here, today.
Meanwhile, Ahmad said Kelantan civil servants and state political appointees would also receive additional bonus payments of RM500 and RM250, respectively, next week.
He said the bonus payment was given following a surplus of RM45 million in Kelantan’s financial performance in 2019.
“Despite the deficit state budget (when presented), however, we’ve got a surplus for three consecutive years.
“We try our best to manage the state finances as best as possible and hold meetings three times a year to monitor the financial flow,” he said. — Bernama
