The termination of welfare aid to disabled farmer Frusis Lebi was because his income has increased, and not due to the instructions of Sarawak Agriculture Modernisation Assistant Minister Mong Dagang, said the Welfare Department.

Its director-general Hadzir Md Zain told English daily The Sun yesterday that the 51-year-old farmer was removed from being a welfare aid recipient in October last year as his income had reached more than RM900 monthly.

He said Frusis had received a RM5,000 grant from the department last year to kick off activities to boost his income.

“Frusis successfully increased his income level, and so aid was stopped. This was only after thorough investigations by the department where we determined he was no longer eligible for welfare,” he was quoted as saying.

Hence the letter from Mong to the Sri Aman Agriculture Department in December last year, ordering for the aid to be stopped on the grounds that Frusis is an opposition supporter, is not the reason behind the termination, Hadzir said.

“Not only did Mong’s letter come two months afterwards, the department is also not compelled to follow instructions from him,” he added.

Letter sent to Agriculture Dept

However, Hadzir's clarification failed to vindicate Mong as his letter was sent to the Sri Aman Agriculture Department instead of the Welfare Department.

Frusis was denied both welfare aid from the Welfare Department and farming subsidies from the Agriculture Department.

Earlier, he claimed that he only makes about RM500 a month from farming and the income is not stable but the authority thought otherwise.

Hadzir's statement that any person with a monthly income above RM900 is not eligible for the welfare aid also contradicts the criteria stated on the Welfare Department official website - that a person who has an income of less than RM1,200 per month is qualified to receive disabled worker's allowance.

mong dagang sarawak assistant agriculture minister letter