Working mothers welcome one-off aid for newborn babies in Sarawak beginning 2019
MIRI: The provision of a oneoff aid to every newborn baby in Sarawak, beginning Jan 1 next year, is a proposal well-received by the public, especial ly the working mothers here.
One of them, Fadhl iatun Suhaili, regards the programme as ‘a positive move by the Sarawak government.
However, she believes that there are other areas worth to be looked into as well.
“Perhaps, the state government cou ld look i nto providing allowances for newborn care and also for the women in confinement during the first three months – this is the most crucial time for any family with a newborn baby – especially in relation to household financial aspects.
“My suggestion is for the aid to come in the forms of free vouchers or discount vouchers for them to buy milk formula for their babies.
“Having said this, as this prog ramme ( a id to ever y newborn baby) covers all across Sarawak, I hope that mothers in the rural areas would not miss out on this opportunity – this is the government’s commitment to all Sarawakians and as such, no one should be left out,” she said.
Fadhliatun, who has a oneyearold daughter, also advised fellow parents to strive setting up their own savings for their children, instead of solely relying on government’s assistance or special programmes.
Mi n i s t e r o f W e l f a r e , Commu ni t y We l l B ei ng , Women, Family and Childhood Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah recently announced the proposal of having a one- off assistance for every newborn baby in Sarawak – beginning from Jan 1 next year, adding that the amount would be disclosed by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg in his budget speech during the Sarawak State Legi slat ive Assembly ( DUN) sitting next week.
According to Fatimah, the aid money would be deposited into the newborn baby’s account and could only be withdrawn once the child reaches the age of 18.
On this, another local working mother Rahima Abdul Rahim believed that having this one- off assistance would help parents, especially those from the lowerincome group.
She said having to juggle between her work as an executive at a private corporation and her three young sons – all still in primary school – she understood the challenges faced by many parents.
“At least with this assistance, parents can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that their children would have their own ‘savings’, ready for use once they turn 18.
“It also encourages parents to start saving money for their children’s future undertakings such as furthering their studies or kick- starting their careers.
“I do wish that such a programme had been implemented a long time ago, so that more people could benefit from it,” she said.