Kota Kinabalu: Elected representatives (Aduns) and Community Development Leader Units (CDLUs) must practise financial discipline when spending aid allocations such as Bantuan Orang Susah (BOS).
State Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said besides ensuring the aid reaches the intended target communities, they must also complete and submit their spending reports as required to help the State Government monitor its efficacy and reach.
“The reports are also important for the related departments to keep track of efficacy and reach of the aid as well as for the Ministry of Finance to maintain Sabah’s five-star financial rating, which is among the best in the country,” he said, during a briefing by the Sabah Welfare Services Department with CDLU, Wednesday.
“The reports are not designed to trouble the YBs or CDLUs but it is one of the government’s measures to ensure the allocations reach their intended audience or recipients.”
He said the distribution of BOS, which is an allocation of RM100,000 for each of the 73 elected representatives as well as the submission of the reports must be done consistently, and not to be kept and spent only at the end of the year.
“I hope all CDLUs will do their part in distributing the BOS fairly to people who truly need assistance,” he said.
Masidi also reminded CDLUs to ensure equipment loaned to the public through the Homeward programme under the Welfare Services Department are taken care of to maximise the number of people who can benefit in the long term.
“It is our hope that once the clients or patients recover, the equipment can be loaned to others who are also eligible and are truly in need.”
The Homeward loaner-cycle programme provides patients with essential health care equipment such as hi-lo beds, ripple mattresses, wheelchairs, oxygen concentrators, ward partitions, commode chair and other equipment required by patients who are warded at home.
Also present during the programme was Community Development and People’s Wellbeing Minister Datuk James Ratib and his Assistant Minister Datuk Flovia Ng.
— EDITOR
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