KUCHING: Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah has denied allegations that the Anglican Church group had the lion share of fund from the Unit for Other Religions (UNIFOR) aimed at the construction and repair of various religious establishments across the state.
Uggah, who is the minister in charge of UNIFOR, highlighted that the allocations were done by a committee who had acted judiciously and prudently.
“The allegation was a lie because I belong to the Anglican Church. To set the record straight, a total of 2,453 different houses of worship with some 1,694,142 members have been registered with the state government.
“Since 2017, the state government had approved and allocated a total of RM333.118 million to all these houses of worship.
“Of this amount, the Roman Catholic Church had received RM81.558 million (24.5 per cent) for 509 churches and chapels with 643,503 members, followed by the Anglican Church group at RM70.519 million (21.2 per cent) to support 300 churches,” he said.
Uggah said this during the presentation of cheques at Wisma Bapa Malaysia here yesterday.
Cheques amounting to RM24.49 million were distributed to 177 churches and other places of worship during the second phase allocation for this year.
The cheques were received by members of parliament, state assemblymen, and representatives.
Uggah further disclosed that the Borneo Evangelical Mission (BEM) ranked third in terms of funding, securing RM59.700 million (17.9 per cent) to assist 635 churches.
The Buddhist group received RM37.060 million (11.1 per cent) to support 152 temples, while the Methodist Church and the Seventh Adventist Church were granted RM27.977 million and RM12.026 million, respectively.
“Other houses of worship such as the Confucianism, Taoism and traditional religions had received a total of RM10.198 million. Sikh temples were allocated RM9.860 million, and Hindu establishments were granted RM4.260 million,” he added.
On another note, Uggah shed light on an observation made by the audit team, noting that some recipients chose to deposit their allocated funds into fixed accounts, possibly content with their current religious premises.
“This may be wise of them, but our current policy dictates that unless the allocated funds are utilised, no additional funds will be granted,” he stressed.
He also disclosed that UNIFOR had received applications totalling RM30 million, emphasising the importance of equitable allocation and the avoidance of disproportionately favouring a single applicant.
Meanwhile, he said the state government had allocated UNIFOR with a fund of RM100 million this year.
“So far we have spent 30.654 million, leaving a substantial balance. Those in need of funding are encouraged to submit their applications promptly,” he said.
Also present at the event were Deputy Premier Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian, Minister of Woman, Early Childhood and Community Well-Being Development Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah and the Minister in the Premier’s Department Datuk John Sikie Tayai.
