RESIDENTS of Pulau Ketam were all smiles when they were promised RM40,000 by the Selangor government five months ago. But now, they are frustrated as they have yet to see the money.

Kapar MP S. Manikavasagam got the brunt of their frustration when he visited the fishermen’s island yesterday morning.

The first-term MP became irked with the State officials as he was bombarded by questions from the residents.

“The residents told me they were promised RM40,000 by State executive councillor Ean Yong several months ago. They said they have not received it yet.“

“They checked with the Klang District Office and were told that Yong’s office has not released the money. Now, the people are asking me for it,” the clearly disappointed Manikavasagam said.

“The people of Pulau Ketam need all the help they can get from the government and the State should not delay financial assistance. I am unable to answer the people who ask me about the allocation.

“I truly hope Yong will help these people. With the allocation, many things can be done to upgrade the living conditions of the islanders.”

When contacted, Yong said the allocation for the people of Pulau Ketam is there, but he needs to wait for a report from the district office.

“We cannot just hand the money over. I instructed the district office to compile a report on Pulau Ketam and how the allocation can be put to good use there.

“We can release the money once the cost estimate is done by the district office,” the Seri Kembangan State assemblyman said.

He added: “In fact, I have been calling the Klang District Office for the past three months for the report so I can get the allocation to the people. The district office staff have not given me the report. Therefore, I am unable to move.

“I assure the people of Pulau Ketam that once I get the report, they will see changes in their area. Hopefully, as soon as possible.”

Pulau Ketam is a small fishing village located some 10km off Port Klang. It is only accessible via boat and has a population of 4,000, with most of the residents being third generation fishermen.

MalayMail Aug 26,2009

Tags: fishermen, island, Kapar, Local news, mpkapar, Pulau Ketam, Selangor

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