24 March 2020

Press statement by MCA Youth Spokesperson Jacob Lee Yee Yuan

Stop politicising Selangor stimulus package, treat all constituencies equally

During this unforeseen health crisis, when the entire nation needs to come together to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, political differences must be set aside and the safety and security of the rakyat and the country must be prioritised.

While the people of Selangor are struggling to make ends meet, Selangor Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari is unashamed to complicate things by politicising the state’s economic stimulus package. This is in total contrast of Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who announced an RM130million allocation for all state governments to be channelled equally irrespective of whichever political coalition forms the said state government.

One of the allocations in the ‘Covid-19 Selangor Concerned Stimulus Package’ includes RM30,000 for Mesra Rakyat programmes to aid affected families in each of the 56 constituencies. However, for the constituencies held by the 9 opposition state Assemblymen (ADUNs), the funds are channelled to the Harapan coordinators of those constituencies instead. In such times of crisis, this is an extremely  distasteful move by the PH Menteri Besar.

The Covid-19 virus does not discriminate; Moreover, besides the 47 constituencies, and the other 9 opposition led constituencies, they are all people of Selangor, all deserving of the government’s aid. When faced with a national crisis, assistance should be given regardless of political, racial, and religious factors!

The Selangor MB Amirudin Shari must give an account of the amount of allocation and the ADUNs who receive them, as well as explain the discrepancy for the opposition ADUNs. Furthermore, these initiatives should be made more transparent in terms of its usage and beneficiaries, while the ADUNs should ensure that all the funds are fairly distributed to those who need them.

At this crucial moment, the government’s most important task should be to fairly treat each citizen, and help them in getting over this challenging period.

Jacob Lee Yee Yuan

MCA Youth Spokesperson

-MCA online-