Budget 2024: Home Ministry hopes for priority to welfare, better asset capability

BERA - The Home Ministry (KDN) has outlined the importance of asset capability and welfare of enforcement officers and personnel as its priority in Budget 2024.

Its minister, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said in Budget 2023, KDN was in third position after the Health Ministry and Education Ministry.

"On the aspect of welfare, Budget 2023 announced an allocation of RM500 to upgrade quarters shared between KDN and the Ministry of Defence but the allocation announced outside the Budget period is almost RM200 million.

"We hope that the same focus can be given in next year's Budget in addition to improving the capacity of enforcement agency assets under the KDN because these assets will improve the quality of our services. That is our hope," he said.

Saifuddin Nasution said this at a press conference after inaugurating the Kemayan Immigration Depot here, which was also attended by KDN secretary-general Datuk Ruji Ubi and Immigration Department director-general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh.

In addition, Saifuddin Nasution hopes that the proposal to establish three more Baitul Mahabbah, which is a special placement for children transferred from the Immigration depot, can also be met next year.

The three proposed locations are one each in the Peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak and Saifuddin Nasution said the placement would allow children under 18 to be in more humane premises.

Saifuddin Nasution said as of Sept 28, a total of 11,342 detainees were in 19 immigration depots nationwide involving 7,751 men, women (2,092), boys (846) and girls (653).

He said for the same period a total of 46,150 detainees were sent home involving 34,111 men and women (9,896 people); boys (1,327 people); and girls (816 people).

Asked about the registration of refugees who are responsible for Immigration, Saifuddin Nasution said so far, almost 40,000 refugees have been registered under the Refugee Information Tracking System (TRIS), but that figure does not reflect the actual number of refugees in the country.

"Data from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) states that the number (of refugees) in Malaysia has reached 190,000 people. Notice the gap between our initiative (registering refugees) and their data," he said. - BERNAMA