by SHAHEERA AZNAM SHAH
Lawmakers at the lower house today insisted on the justifications for the government to tap into the National Trust Fund (KWAN) fund for the procurement of vaccines.
Semporna MP Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, among the MPs who raised the matter, argued that by tapping into the fund, the government is putting the financial safeguard of the future generations on the line.
“We have heard how the Health Ministry and Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry spend the money for vaccine and pandemic management, but I could not see how the allocation is actually being used.
“Recently, the government tapped a quarter from KWAN for vaccine procurement without tabling the plan to the Parliament. It is the fund for our future generation,” he told Dewan Rakyat.
He added that the government also does not seek a different alternative in sourcing revenue, giving an example of the 5G implementation.
“Countries such as South Korea and Thailand are doing it in a different kind of form to generate income. However, from the 5G services available today, which could generate up to US$3 billion, Malaysia has to spend RM11 billion to build 5G infrastructure,” he said.
Thailand’s top mobile operator, Advanced Info Service Pcl ADVANC.BK, snapped up 23 licenses across all three spectrum bands from the auctions.