KUCHING: Former Ketua Kaum Louis Lamit of Kampung Koran, Serian was unhappy as over 40 of the padi planters from a certain zone in the village were denied the padi fertiliser subsidy scheme.
According to Louis, their application for the subsidy was endorsed by the Penghulu of the area.
Of the more than a hundred applications submitted, only around 70 were approved.
His check with the government agency that processed their application indicated that the present Ketua Kaum meddled in the matter as he only supported his family members, relatives and friends.
“What annoyed me more was that some of those who were approved to be given the subsidy were not padi planters,” he said.
The Ketua Kaum, Louis added, seemed to be ignorant of the objective of the subsidy which was to assist padi planters so that they meaningfully contribute to production of padi.
By doing so, it could lessen the country’s dependency on imported rice.
Louis appealed to the relevant authorities to re-look and re-evaluate the applications for padi fertiliser subsidy submitted by Kampung Koran Empaneg.
