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PETALING JAYA: Johor Bahru MP Akmal Nasir urged Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to postpone projects to build three wards in his constituency of Pagoh and nearby areas, saying that RM35 million should be prioritized for Covid-19 matters .
In a statement, Akmal questioned the need for such an expensive project at a difficult time like this when there were already four large halls in Pagoh, along with other nearby community halls.
“The prime minister has given instructions for the project to be implemented immediately. Can’t you also cancel the project immediately, or at least postpone it for now? ” he said.
“Just as the prime minister has suspended Parliament through an emergency declaration, supposedly to combat Covid-19, what’s wrong with also postponing the construction of these corridors?”
He suggested that the funds be used to increase Covid-19 smear testing, expanding the capacity of quarantine centers and bringing in more medical facilities to assist the front-line.
Yesterday, a letter went viral on social media stating that Muhyiddin had approved an allocation of RM35 million to build a room in Pagoh.
The letter, dated January 11 and addressed to the director general of the Department of Public Works (JKR), was from the Implementation Coordination Unit in the Prime Minister’s Department, saying that Muhyiddin wanted the project to be implemented as soon as possible. .
The Prime Minister’s Office responded by saying that it was for the construction of three public rooms, namely the Gersik hall in Tangkak at a cost of RM13 million, the Bukit Pasir community hall in Muar at a value of RM16.66 million, and the Bukit Kepong community. center in Muar worth RM5.77 million.
Akmal said the prime minister’s response did not respond to the government’s priority in allocating funds, adding that RM16 million to build a single hall was still exorbitant.
He also said the project was unlikely to have been awarded through open tender, as he had instructed JKR to start work on the site before March 1.
