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PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has tried to clear up a letter that went viral on social media stating that an allocation of RM35 million had been approved to build a room in his Pagoh parliamentary constituency.
The letter, dated January 11 and addressed to the Director General of the Department of Public Works (JKR), was from the Implementation Coordination Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department.
The letter said that it was the prime minister’s wish that the project be implemented as soon as possible and that JKR had been ordered to start work on the site before March 1.
In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office said that the development allocation worth RM 35.43 million was not approved for a single hall in circulation, but for the construction of three public rooms, namely the Gersik hall in Tangkak at a cost of RM13 million, Bukit Pasir community. hall in Muar worth RM16.66 million and Bukit Kepong community center in Muar worth RM5.77 million.
“The construction of these three rooms is to meet the needs of the local communities,” he said.
It added that the acquisitions for these construction projects were not made through direct negotiations, but in accordance with the procurement procedures provided and approved by the Ministry of Finance.
Earlier, Johor Bahru MP Akmal Nasir urged Muhyiddin to clarify the authenticity of the letter.
“If this letter is false, it would be good to deny it immediately,” Akmal said in a Facebook post.
He also questioned the huge sum to build a room at a time when the Covid-19 crisis was worsening.
“Please inform us,” Akmal said, adding that the funds should have been prioritized for front-line or used to help ease the burden people face during the emergency.
