SIBU: An eligible recipient of Sarawakku Sayang Special Assistance (BKSS) has called on the authority to use the updated data of Bantuan Sara Hidup (BSH) recipients approved by the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) for easier disbursement of BKSS RM250 cash payout for six months.
Currently the list of BKSS recipients is based on the IRB’s January 2020 list.
This has caused complications to some eligible recipients, said a single parent Darren Ngu, 54, who complained that his aid was deposited into his ex-wife’s BSN account.
Ngu, who is now divorced from his wife, had submitted the divorced document to IRB on March 6, 2020. However the BKSS money was deposited into his ex-wife’s bank account for the first payout on April 15.
“Since January this year, I have my own Bantuan Sara Hidup (BSH) account. But as the aid was to be channelled to the female head of the family, my wife then had created a Bank Simpanan account on the advice of IRB in January. The first BSH money was deposited into her account and so was the BKSS starting April,” he pointed out.
On April 24, he received a letter from State Economic Planning Unit which certified that he is eligible for the BKSS.
According to the letter, if he does not have an account with IRB, the assistance would be made via cash through BSN branches of Phase One RM750 in end of April and Phase Two RM750 after July 17.
“I had checked with BSN and was told there was none for me,” he said,
On June 16, he went to BSN branch again to check and was told that assistance had been credited to his ex-wife’s account.
“I have complained to Sibu Treasury office between seven and eight times already but they referred me to state Talikhidmat. Then Talikhidmat referred me to the State Treasury office,” he said.
Ngu was told by the State Treasury office that that they were still looking at his appeal.
“It is already July now and there is no further news from them. The authority should have just followed the latest data and not the January’s one. This is making things very complicated for me now,” he lamented.
A total of 430,000 Sarawakians from the low income or B40 group are to receive their Sarawakku Sayang Special Assistance (BKSS) monthly RM250 cash payout starting April.
Chief Minister Datuk Pattingi Abang Johari Tun Openg on March 23 announced the RM1.15 billion Sarawakku Sayang Special Assistance Package to help Sarawakians face the economic uncertainties made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic.
