Complaints against 'unfair' distribution of the Barisan Nasional government's BR1M aid is piling up in Sarawak.
DAP’s Pending assemblywoman, Violet Yong, said she has received many complaints from the poor and the needy, especially the single or unmarried whose applications have been rejected.
JOSEPH TAWIE, Free Malaysia Today
Sarawak DAP has questioned the sincerity of the government’s RM500 BR1M aid to families earning less than RM3,000, claiming that many deserving cases had been denied aid.
DAP’s Pending assemblywoman, Violet Yong, said she has received many complaints from the poor and the needy, especially the single or unmarried whose applications have been rejected.
“If the government is really sincere to help the poor, it should include these single persons even though they have no dependants.
“Their incomes are less than RM3,000 and their lives are also difficult,” she said.
Her colleague, DAP state secretary Chong Chieng Jen also claimed that some recipients of the welfare aid were denied the RM500 fund.
He cited the case of an individual named Law, who used to receive RM50 a month welfare aid but a few months ago this was reduced to RM25 a month.
“His welfare assistance is not only reduced, but also delayed. He, too, failed to get the RM500 just because he is single.
“It shows that the government is not sincere in helping the poor, and that there are no more funds. The (government) coffers are drying up, ” he said
Other Pakatan Rakyat coalition leaders have accused the Barisan Nasional (BN) politicians of taking advantage of the government’s BR1M aid and are creating “opportunities” for themselves.
Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian said that in recent days the people have been assailed by newspaper and television reports on the BR1M aid, whether they are of BN politicians giving out the money to successful applicants or of people pushing and jostling to check their applications and to collect their money.
Election ploy
Bian said that the successful applicants praised and glorified the “caring” BN government while BN politicians insisted that BR1M is a “sincere approach” by the “caring” BN government concerned with the welfare of the people.
The BN politicians have denied that the exercise is a “vote-buying” tactic and castigated the opposition members for politicising the issue.
“It does not take much for the ordinary person in the street to think logically about this.
“In recent months, schoolchildren were given RM100 each and college and university students RM200 in aid before the BR1M was given.
“Why is it that these forms of ‘caring’ monetary aids are only given during the election year and not during non-election years?
“Can we say that during those non-election years, the government was uncaring about the people? It is obvious to even the least sceptical of persons that this is an election ploy by the BN government, no matter how vehement and incessant the denial by their spokespersons.
“As commented by some, this is a blatant ‘Beli Rakyat 1M’ vote–buying exercise,” said Bian, who is also Ba’Kelalan assemblyman.
He said contrary to allegations that the opposition was politicising the BR1M aid, it was the BN politicians themselves who were guilty of taking advantage of the government distribution by “orchestrating photo-opportunities and feel-good press conference”.
“The RM2.6 billion to fund this fishing expedition comes from all taxpayers, not from BN politicians.
“If this is not a vote-buying exercise, all state assemblymen and members of parliament, regardless of their political affiliations, should be given the chance to distribute the aid in their constituencies,” he said.
