He said it was Gindalan and his family who made the initiative to register the farm for the cash aid.

“We are thankful for the scheme. Indeed, I have land in Tamparuli which had been planted with rubber all this while.

“It was Gindalan and his family who had run the farm and after so long the aid was given to him,” he said in a statement issued from Kobe, Japan.

Madius, who is Sabah trade and industry minister, is leading a trade mission to Japan from Nov 28 to Dec 6.

For Sabah, a rubber smallholder with a 2.5ha land or less and a Malaysian citizen, irrespective of his or her position, is entitled to the monsoon cash aid.

A list of recipients, which included Tangau’s name, went viral on social media earlier today, drawing criticism from netizens. Some said Tangau does not deserve such aid as he is a well-to-do public figure.

When questioned by FMT earlier, Tangau said he had a 4ha plot of land in Tuaran and he meets the criteria set by the Sabah Rubber Board Industries to receive such assistance.