JKM suggested to send only those with appointments to BSN Sibu to open accounts for welfare aid

Dr Annuar Rapaee

SIBU (Aug 7): Assistant Minister of Local Government and Housing Dr Annuar Rapaee has proposed that the Welfare Department (JKM) would only send the monthly aid applicants who have secured appointments, to the Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) branch here for them to open new accounts.

This, according to him, would prevent applicants from being turned away after the bank has served the required number of customers for the day.
He added that such move would also prevent long queues at the BSN branch here.

“I was made to understand that BSN (Sibu) could only process 10 applications per day due to its commitment with other clients.

“So, I have proposed that Welfare Department to only send (those aid) applicants to BSN, who have appointment with the bank, to avoid being unnecessarily turned down by the bank upon it reaching its threshold number of customers for the day,” he told The Borneo Post yesterday.

Dr Annuar was responding Bukit Assek assemblywoman Irene Chang’s call for the JKM to resolve the issue of requiring its monthly welfare aid recipients here to open new accounts at BSN Sibu.

Chang viewed such directive as ‘illogical’ in that BSN Sibu could only serve about 20 customers requiring this service per day.

She claimed that as a result, it had caused long queues and extreme frustration as lots of people had to be turned away despite having queued at the branch early in the morning.

From the feedback gathered, Chang claimed that the JKM monthly aid recipients were told to open new accounts at BSN, which still accepts cheques, as their original accounts at CIMB Bank would be moving to an online platform.

On this, Dr Annuar said: “I have asked the (JKM) officer to have a meeting and some arrangements with BSN manager.

“I learned from the Welfare officer that they had discussed with the bank, where a mobile counter would be set up at the (Sibu) Welfare Office.
“However, the date of commencement has yet to be fixed as they are still fine-tuning certain aspects, since this would involve their staff.”

from Borneo Post Online https://bit.ly/3lDWOeU
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