Raya comes early for Bachok folks with first ATM machine at petrol station

SHAH ALAM - The inauguration of an automatic teller machine (ATM) at a gas station in Besut in the Terengganu district, was mocked by netizens as a small matter that was hyped up unnecessarily.

Bachok MP Mohd Syahir Che Sulaiman said those living in the cities have easier access to such facilities around them.

"However it is not the case for residents living in remote areas. The situation is actually the opposite. "The Besut district is the same as the Bachok district, which is a rural area, a majority of its residents are farmers, fishermen, senior citizens, and some of them are also poor," he said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

He added that during the 15th general election (GE15) campaigns, youth voters in that area had requested to establish bank branches and increase the number of ATM machines.

Apart from fulfilling their wishes, the establishment of ATMs and banks was also important to boost businesses and tourism activities in the area, he added.

"Bachok is becoming a popular place with the presence of students from Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) and the National Youth Advanced Skills Institute (IKTBN) here," he explained.

Currently, the 160,500 Bachok residents are dependent on a few financial institution branches, including Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN), Bank Rakyat, AgroBank and Tabung Haji as well as nine ATM machines.

If they need to go to banks such as Maybank, CIMB and Bank Islam, the people would have to go to Kota Bharu or Kubang Kerian, which are about 45 minutes to an hour away.

On April 10, Besut MP Che Mohamad Zulkifly Jusoh officiated the opening of an ATM machine in the area.

However, this was mocked by some netizens, who ridiculed it, stating that it was not a rare event to be publicised.

The machine was placed at a gas station in the parliamentary area to help local residents.