RM500 under BR1M chaotic and questionable, says leaders

KENINGAU: The distribution of cashes of RM500 under the BR1M is chaotic in many places including in Keningau due to lack of foresight on the part of its managers, said the deputy chairman of Sabah chapter of State Reform Party (STAR), Dr Nicholas James Guntobon.

"Not only the local banks are crowded and chaotic, some have come to us complaining their names were suddenly missing from the list of recipients," said Guntobon describing the distribution was carried without good planning as to ensure safety of recipients, some of whom were elderly folk.

According to him, there were also complaints that locals were told they could not get the cash, given by the Federal Government ahead of a looming general election, as their MyKads were already used by others. "This could either be a genuine case of duplication or just made-up excuses, we are not very sure," he said.

Guntobon who is also STAR co-ordinator for Liawan, said some of those who approached him also complained that "there were just too many immigrants" queing for the vouchers, and some were aggressive.

"There were also complaints that civil servants who managed the BR1M telling those who have problems or not on the recipient list, to go and approach the Keningau UMNO's office instead," he said in a statement.

Meanwhile in KOTA BELUD, a Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) branch chairman, also complained the manner in which the BR1M were distributed.

PBS chairman for Kg Gaur, Peter Palalun Lagadan, said while the distributions of the vouchers in the district community hall were orderly, it is another story when the recipients were "forced" to cash-in their vouchers for the RM500 at the district's only BSN (Bank Simpanan Nasional).

"It was just chaotic and the BSN bank was overwhelmed, as people were waiting, rushing and shoving in a crowded small area. I won't be surprised if some, especially the women and elderly, were injured during the rush to get their cash," he said in a statement.

Calling on managers to plan well the next distribution of vouchers, Palalun suggested what could be done is to stagger the distribution of vouchers itself so recipients would not swarm BSN counters. "If you give out1,000 vouchers in one day, then all of them would try to cash them on that day too, causing massive jam and chaos at the bank," Palalun said.

Or else, he said, the government should consider other banks, which have branches in Kota Belud like Agro Bank and Public Bank, to cash-in the vouchers.