Previous Melaka BN govt spent millions of ringgit meant for fishermen: Adly
Former CM says challenging for Pakatan Harapan after taking over state post-GE14 to compensate group for Tg Bruas plan
(The Vibes) – A total of RM33 million in fishermen’s funds were used up by the Barisan Nasional (BN) Melaka government prior to the 2018 general election, according to Adly Zahari, Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) chief ministerial choice in conjunction with the upcoming state polls.
The Amanah man said this made it difficult for PH, which took over the state after the general election, to properly compensate fishermen for the Tg Bruas Port expansion project as promised during its time in power.
Speaking at a press conference, Adly, who will be defending the Bukit Katil seat in the election on Saturday, explained that the special allocation had been included as part of the state government’s consolidated fund together with other tax revenues during that BN era.
So when the (BN) government was lacking cash in 2018, it used the funds meant for fishermen, either to pay civil servants’ salary or for official ceremonies.
“By right, this money should have been separated as a special fund for the fishermen, and the government should have also repaid the sum.
“That is why when we took over the administration, we knew the amount was RM33 million. But that was merely a number on paper, and it had been exhausted,” he claimed after a visit to Kelebang here today.
Adly served as chief minister from May 2018 to March 2020, after which the state was taken over by Perikatan Nasional following the Sheraton Move.
Despite this, Adly said the PH government then still spent some RM8 million in compensation for the fishermen before the coalition was toppled.
“In terms of figure, this means over RM20 million is still owed to the fishermen,” he said.
