THE Penang government has invested RM3.3mil this year to help rural folks in the ‘Jelajah Desa’ programme for all the five districts in the state, according to state Agriculture, Agro-based Industry, Rural Development and Health Committee chairman Dr Afif Bahardin.
Dr Afif, who is overseeing the programme, has been visiting one district after another to do a ‘spot check’ on its progress.
“This programme is about the empowerment of the community so that they can move forward and not be left behind by any rapid development,” Dr Afif told north Seberang Prai residents in his speech in Pinang Tunggal today.
“There is a saying ‘Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day; show him how to fish, and you feed him a lifetime.
“This is the sixth year we are conducting ‘Jelajah Desa’ but this is the first time, federal agencies are involved since the state and federal governments are the same now.”
For next year, Dr Afif said he is eager to implement automation and encourage the use of Industrial Revolution 4.0 in the agro-based sector to help farmers increase productivity.
By the creation of jobs in the rural areas, he said there is no need for village folk to flock to the cities to make a living.
Dr Afif led a group comprising district office personnel, village chief (penghulu), JKKK members, Rela officials, officers from various state and federal agencies and a convoy of motorcyclists to visit recipients of two new houses and two business operators who received some form of aid from the state government in north Seberang Perai today.
Among those present were Ustaz Muhasdey Muhamad (special officer to the Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Ahmad Zakiyuddin Abdul Rahman), north Seberang Perai district officer Zepri Saad, north Seberang Perai assistant agriculture officer Abdul Rani Hassan, former Sungai Dua assemblyman Datuk Jasmin Mohamad, village chief Basri Abdul Hamid and north Seberang Perai information officer Azreen Abdul Rahman.
For north Seberang Perai, the state government is spending about RM491,000 for the ‘Jelajah Desa’ programme.
It involved the building of nine new houses costing RM365,000, repairing of eight houses at RM60,000 and buying of equipment and machinery costing RM66,000.
Housewife Ana Din, 45, and her husband, clerk Mohd Zaki Osman, 49, were among nine families who received aid of about RM42,000 each in building a new house on their plot of land in Kampong Air Itam. They have five children, aged six to 22.
“I’m thankful to the state for helping us build a new house. We sought help from the district office after ours was badly damaged by the floods in November last year. Our old house had only a room, but the new one has three rooms,” said Ana, whose house was completed six months ago.
Another resident, Norizan Ismail, 61, was also smiling when Dr Afif and his team visited her at her new home in Kampong Selamat, Tasek Gelugor. A single mother with three children after being divorced, Norizan receives RM300 every month from the Social Welfare Department.
“In the past, my mother and I lived in anxiety. Besides a leaky roof, there were gaps in the wooden walls, so it wasn’t so safe. My two elder brothers had moved out after they got married and they have to take care of their respective families. But now with a new home, we’ve some peace of mind,” said Norizan’s daughter, Dayang Azilah Arkashah Mohd Noor. She is now doing her internship as a logistic student of UniKL.
Dr Afif and his team also visited Ayunis Kerepek in Guar Petai, Tasek Gelugor, which specialises in producing and selling a variety of kerepek (fried thin slice of potato or tapioca). They had a pleasant surprise when the couple who runs the shop, Murni Mustapa, 40, and her husband, Ayob Yussof, 48, could sell RM20,000 or more of ‘kerepek’ on a good month.
The team later visited a shop selling ‘keropok lekor’ (deep fried fish cracker) in Jarak Tengah, Tasek Gelugor. Managed by Basitah Sulaiman, it also enjoys brisk business daily.
Both Basitah and Murni also expressed their thanks to the state government for providing some form of financial aid in the building of their shops and helping them to expand their business.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Ahmad Adil Muhamad
