S’wak Dapsy calls for direct SKAS disbursement through bank accounts

KUCHING (Jan 9): The Sarawak Democratic Action Party Socialist Youth (Dapsy) has urged the state government to opt for direct disbursement of the Sarawak Basic Needs Assistance Contribution (SKAS) through bank accounts.

Its secretary George Lam said utilising bank accounts for direct disbursement of SKAS can reduce technical issues faced by eligible recipients when applying for the aid through the S Pay Global app.

He stated that he is not against the Sarawak government’s initiative of using its financial advantages to provide SKAS to ease the financial burden of the people.

“However, under the current system, requiring the public to apply through the S Pay app has caused many technical issues. This has led to public anxiety, with large crowds rushing to Urban Transformation Centres (UTC) and S Pay Global service centre at CityOne Mall in Kuching for assistance.

“This not only creates unnecessary inconvenience for the public but also overwhelms officials who have to handle numerous applications and queries,” he said in a statement today.

According to Lam, if elderly members of a household who qualify for the aid do not own a smartphone, they must purchase one to download the app in order to receive the assistance.

He said this adds an extra expense to obtaining the aid, defeating its original purpose.

As such, he welcomed Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Minister Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah’s recent announcement that welfare aid recipients under the Welfare Department would be able to receive SKAS directly via their bank accounts.

“However, I would like to urge that this measure should not be limited to welfare aid recipients but should instead be extended to all eligible groups, allowing everyone to receive the assistance directly through their bank accounts and thus reducing unnecessary troubles.

“If we could recall, during the pandemic, the Sarawak government distributed the Bantuan Khas Sarawakku Sayang (BKSS) in a similar manner. The aid was based on the federal Bantuan Sara Hidup (BSH) database and disbursed directly into the bank accounts of eligible recipients.

“This approach not only allowed the public to receive the assistance directly but also spared them the hassle of dealing with technical issues to access the aid,” he said.

He thus called on Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg to avoid implementing “an immature system that adds unnecessary difficulties to people’s lives”.

He said the Sarawak Economic Planning Unit (EPU) should immediately use the existing database of welfare recipients in Sarawak to disburse SKAS directly into the bank accounts of all eligible Sarawakians.

“This would better reflect the government’s care for the people and ensure that the assistance truly benefits them,” added Lam.