There were 106 ayes and 96 nays with 18 absentees during the bloc vote.

The opposition had raised concerns that the NGO was political in nature and filled with cronies.

This took place after Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin’s winding down speech on her ministry’s budget for next year.

Opposition MPs had questioned her on the more-than-100 appointees in the NGO.

Earlier Noh Omar (BN-Tanjung Karang) questioned the appointments of the volunteers and said all volunteers should be appointed next year as the allocation was under Budget 2021.

However, he said, the appointments of volunteers were made recently even before the allocation was approved.

“Since the allocation is under next year’s budget, these volunteers should be appointed next year.

“I want every single volunteer appointed this year to be removed,” Noh told Zuraida.

Zuraida explained that the volunteers will only start work next year.

Zuraida, who was previously linked to an NGO comprising former PKR supporters, said the programme was to strengthen rural communities pertaining to the threat of Covid-19 and to help communities familiarise themselves with the new norms.

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