Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announces free document replacement and RM300 education aid for victims of the Sandakan fire, ensuring immediate support for affected families.
SANDAKAN: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today announced a free document replacement initiative and RM300 in education aid for victims of the major fire in Kampung Bahagia.
He said National Registration Department personnel would be deployed to the village to process replacements for destroyed personal documents through its MEKAR mobile service.
The government will fully bear the cost of replacing MyKad, MyKid, birth certificates and other crucial documents, with passport replacements handled by the Immigration Department.
“I have requested and discussed with the Home Minister, the department will come here, around Kampung Bahagia to carry out process,” Anwar told reporters after visiting victims.
He was accompanied by Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Ewon Benedick.
The fire on Sunday destroyed about 1,000 houses and affected an area of more than four hectares.
Anwar said RM300 in aid would be given to each of the 454 Malaysian pupils from 12 schools affected by the disaster.
“We are providing for every Malaysian child…RM300 for each student, so that uniforms, books and such can be replaced immediately,” he stated.
He also announced flexibility for pupils to attend school without uniforms temporarily to ensure their learning was not disrupted.
“I asked the schoolchildren here why they were not attending school, and the answer was that they did not have uniforms,” Anwar explained.
He stressed the government would ensure logistical facilities, including transportation, were provided to enable pupils to continue their education.
