The Malaysian Insight

ONE did not have to be a Bersatu member to volunteer for the National Welfare Foundation, said Women, Family and Community Development Minister Rina Harun

“We don’t ask for their background when we recruit them. That’s not one of the conditions,” she said during the debate on the budget for her ministry in the Dewan Rakyat today.

“Many people suffered during the Covid-19 pandemic and we did not have the capacity to aid them; we needed more help.

“In any case, we only appointed 30 for the whole country.” 

Rina, who is Bersatu women chief, was responding to Hannah Yeoh’s (Segambut-PH) question on whether her ministry had put her party’s women leaders on the government’s payroll.

Yeoh, who is the former deputy women, family and community minister, had asked whether they were paid RM1,000 a month to volunteer for 3 months.

“I have the application form which states that their term is from July 15 till October 15 and their job is to visit the applicants at home to verify how much aid they deserved.

Rina said that while the foundation had hired only 30 people, the job was open to all.

She did not answer Yeoh’s allegation that most of the foundation volunteers were Bersatu members.

Meanwhile, Yeoh also took the government to task for taking down five short “Safe Touch and Bad Touch” videos on YouTube.

“There were 4.27 million views and 9.34 million impressions for the videos from June 21, 2019 till December 11, 2019. 

“But the campaign has been replaced with the minister and deputy promoting themselves instead,” said Yeoh.

Meanwhile, Dewan Rakyat approved a RM2.39 billion spending plan for the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry next year.

Earlier today, Dewan Rakyat passed a RM1.14 billion budget for the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry by 109 to 96 votes and 15 absentees. – December 8, 2020.