KUCHING, March 26 — Julau Member of Parliament Larry Sng today appealed to the federal government to release the RM500,000 allocation for Opposition lawmakers so they can help those affected by the movement control order.

He said he has received many calls from people in his constituency requesting money to buy food for their community.

“There are over 400 registered longhouses, with on average 100 to 150 people per longhouse, and the district of Pakan within Julau is the poorest in Malaysia,” Sng said on his Facebook page.

“This wouldn’t have been an issue for me to assist them, had the federal government not stopped my (Minor Rural Project) MRP funding, due to the sudden change of government.

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“I would have easily transferred funds to all the (Village Development and Security Committees) JKKKs to buy food.

“This would have cost just under RM500,000 by my estimates, to feed them for the next three weeks,” he said.

He said in times of crisis, the government should not withhold funding from MPs.

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“This is not the time for politicking. We need to solve people’s immediate problems and this warrants immediate action from those in government to do the right thing,” Sng said.

However, he said the extension order to stay home announced by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is necessary in order to ‘flatten the curve’ in the spread of Covid- 19 in Malaysia.

“We are the worst hit in the region and it is imperative that people heed the call to stay at home.

“However, despite all the assistance provided by both state and federal governments, those daily paid workers are the worst hit by this crisis,” he added.

He said they work to pay for their daily meals and have no savings.

“Since there is no work, and no source of income, therefore they have no food to eat. In the coming days the situation will get worse,” Sng said.