Kota Kinabalu: Various targeted assistance programmes continue to be implemented to ease the burden of rising living costs in Sabah, the State Legislative Assembly was told.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the State Government had introduced initiatives even before the current crisis to safeguard the wellbeing of the people.
He said financial assistance under the Sentuhan Kasih Rakyat (Syukur) programme provided monthly aid for 100,000 recipients, with the number expected to increase to 140,000.
“The allocation for this programme is RM339.16 million and it complements Federal initiatives such as Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) and Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara),” he said in response to a question by Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal (Warisan – Senallang).
Hajiji said more than 800,000 recipients in Sabah benefited from Federal assistance programmes amounting to RM1.25 billion.
He said the Government also encouraged households to reduce expenses through self-sufficiency initiatives such as the Kebun Dapur programme.
“This initiative helps households produce their own food supply and strengthens resilience against price shocks and supply disruptions,” he said, adding the Government also promoted the use of locally produced goods to reduce dependence on imports and mitigate price increases.
He said utility cost relief measures included a RM40 electricity rebate for eligible households and a 10 per cent discount for welfare homes, places of worship and educational institutions.
A 10 per cent discount was also given to agriculture, aquaculture and fisheries sectors, while a 20 per cent off-peak tariff discount was extended to commercial and low-voltage industrial users.
Responding to a supplementary question, he said the Government was continuously reviewing its approach based on current capacity and needs.
“We are giving priority to those most affected, including over 800,000 recipients, and we are reviewing applications from about 40,000 more,” he said.
He said Federal initiatives such as targeted fuel subsidies also helped reduce the burden on the people.
“If there are proposals from the opposition, we are open to considering what is best for the people,” he said.
Hajiji said current measures were sufficient for now and there was no immediate need for drastic action by the State Government.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and take appropriate steps to ease the people’s burden as needed,” he said.
