The amount makes up 0.04% of the department’s budget of RM40.5 million allocated to it in Budget 2021.

“So far, the allocation (J-Kom) spent on publicity in dealing with Covid-19 is RM14,500.00 – for a programme that caters to frontliners and Covid-19 patients at the quarantine and treatment centre at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS),” said Ismail in a written answer to the Dewan Rakyat.

“J-Kom has also implemented initiatives which came at no expense by providing a total of 291 creative content such as posters, videos, photos and more, which were uploaded to the department’s social media platforms.

“Based on the programmes that have been implemented and are currently being planned, it’s clear that none of J-Kom’s allocation was wrongly used for politically related programmes.”

Ismail’s written reply came in response to a question from Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis (Warisan-Kota Belud), who wanted to know the impact of the allocation spent by J-Kom on the government’s efforts to battle the pandemic.

The department was initially allocated RM85.5mil under Budget 2021, an amount which opposition MPs criticised as they felt the money could have been better spent on resources to battle the pandemic.

The allocation was then reduced to RM40.5 million.

There were also concerns by opposition lawmakers that J-Kom, which was formerly known as the special affairs department (Jasa) and was officially rebranded on Feb 1, would be used as a political mouthpiece for the government.

However, then-communications and multimedia minister Saifuddin Abdullah refuted such claims by saying that J-Kom would not be used as a political propaganda tool but to disseminate information during the Covid-19 pandemic.