If not now, when? Deputy women’s minister rapped in Parliament for failing to make good on long-overdue funding for disabled

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 — Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff came under fire in Parliament again, this time for failing to follow through on a promise made a year ago despite holding the same ministerial portfolio under two different administrations.

In a supplementary query during Oral Question and Answer session, Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching noted that Siti Zailah failed to provide the answer she sought for her question on when the Malaysian Social Welfare Department’s (JKM) monthly assistance of RM1,000 for the disabled will be implemented.

Teo: A long answer but failed to answer my question. Because here I would like to remind the deputy minister that on December 3, 2020 in conjunction with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, then prime minister (Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin) had promised to JKM monthly assistance to eligible recipients be increased to RM1,000 from the current amount of between RM200 and RM300 immediately.

Teo: So I want to ask here, when the announcement was made, the deputy minister, who was also the same deputy minister in the same ministry, from December 2020 until today, has there been any efforts made by the deputy minister on the aforementioned proposal on whether it can be implemented?

Teo: Or the deputy minister would like to state that the promise made by the then prime minister is an empty promise or are we to ask Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka to amend the definition of ‘immediately’ to more than a year?

Teo was referring to a statement made by Muhyiddin through a Facebook posting on the aforementioned date where he had said the proposal is to be implemented immediately.

Siti Zailah then attempted to explain how her ministry had submitted said proposal to the Finance Ministry which was still subject to the approval and financial standing of the government.

Siti Zailah: And if we increase, for example to RM1,000, it will involve a huge cost to the government. So what we have done is subject to the approval given by the Finance Ministry.

Teo: So would that mean that the promise made by the then prime minister at the time was unrealistic and an empty promise?

Siti Zailah: YB...

Teo: Deputy minister, do you agree? Meaning the promise made by the then prime minister at the time was unrealistic and an empty promise?

Siti Zailah: I have said earlier the implementation is subject to the overall...

At this point, Teo cut off Siti Zailah and continued her tirade despite the latter’s attempt to explain herself.

Teo: The then prime minister made a promise to have it immediately (implemented). What does immediately mean, deputy minister? If you want to do a study and depending on the government’s capability, why did you need to promise it immediately? That is my question.

To this Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon asked Teo to sit down as her question had been answered by the deputy minister before allowing proceedings to resume.

Related Articles Sexual harassment Bill to be tabled in December, says deputy minister Just confirm Nov 2 debate with Guan Eng on cabotage policy, Ka Siong told Senior Citizens Bill to be tabled in Parliament next year, says deputy minister