CHANGLUN - The Unity Government will give priority to upgrading health clinics and dilapidated schools in the country as an earnest effort to improve the quality of education and health facilities in the country.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the government will focus on overcoming issues related to health facilities and dilapidated schools throughout the country to ensure the well-being of the people and fulfilling the need for quality education and health facilities.
"This year alone, the government has allocated RM1.4 billion to repair damaged roofs in schools, toilets and walls whereby the Public Works Department (JKR) will do their part and District Education Offices will do their part...but don’t tell me toilets in all affected schools cannot be repaired, including in Kedah.
"In the Kubang Pasu district if there are school toilets that have not been upgraded or need more allocation, inform the district office and the district office will contact me. Not enough allocation, we will add and solve the issue (school toilets)," he said in his speech during a meet and greet session with the people of Kubang Pasu at the site of a new Mosque in Changlun, here today.
Anwar said for Kedah, the government has allocated RM10.1 million to repair or upgrade 40 health clinics and six dilapidated schools from allocations under the Rolling Plan (RP3) 12th Malaysia Plan (RMK12).
"In the Kubang Pasu district, the government has allocated RM1.25 million to repair four health clinics and RM300,000 to upgrade a dilapidated school," he said.
The Prime Minister also reiterated the Unity Government’s confidence to overcome the issue of 130,000 households categorised as hardcore poor, this year.
"I said we must put a full stop to hardcore poverty, to overcome poverty might take time. But I mean overcoming issues like no milk for children, not enough clothing, no money to send children to school, and asking their children to quit school because there is not enough food to eat.
"...full stop to hardcore poor involving 130,000 families...because when I am in Parliament, some had opposed, claiming 'how can it be done, only lip service'. I said never mind, God Willing (Insya-Allah), before the end of this year, we must help the 130,000 through all channels," he said.
Anwar said in the Kubang Pasu district there are 1,589 who are categorized under the hardcore poor category and that he has asked the relevant government agencies through the cooperation of the state government and local government to act and solve the issue.
"Apart from hardcore poor, for the rural water supply project in Kubang Pasu, the government has approved an allocation of RM28.0 million for the benefit of the people," he said.
Speaking of the new Changlun mosque, the Prime Minister said the original project was approved in 2017 with an allocation of RM3.5 million but the project faced a delay in progress due to several factors and as a result, the contract was terminated.
Anwar said as a responsible federal government that is concerned with the plight of the people, the mosque projects need to be completed quickly.
Last April, the Prime Minister announced that the government has agreed to continue the project through an additional allocation of RM3.07 million, therefore, increasing the overall cost of building the Changlun Mosque to RM5.77 million.
During the meet and greet session, Anwar presented a replica of the RM3.07 million additional allocation given by the Federal Government to build the Changlun Mosque. - Bernama