‘Oh no, how will I cope without BR1M?’
Many among the rakyat are fretting over the move to do away with the aid
PETALING JAYA: Recipients of BR1M are hoping that the monetary contribution can continue in light of the high cost of living that they are facing now.
Fresh graduate Danial Ilham, 23, said the RM450 financial aid he received every February helped with his finances for the month.
“I have several financial obligations, so it doesn’t last for long,” he said.
Danial felt that BR1M recipients were unfairly generalised as a group of people who were spoilt and lazy. He believed that only a minority of them were undeserving.
He was commenting on Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s announcement that BR1M would be gradually reduced before being stopped altogether.
The Prime Minister said the people should stop depending on the government and believing that they were entitled to money without working for it.
Danial is also worried that taking BR1M away without providing a viable alternative might exacerbate social ills such as criminal behaviour.
“Research has shown that there is a strong correlation between poverty and crime. If BR1M gets cut off, I just hope the crime rates don’t go up.”
Lawyer Mustaqim Mohd Marsidi feels that the amount BR1M recipients receive at the moment is low and would not breed a culture of laziness.
“Governmental help such as BR1M is too minuscule to influence a mentality of laziness. Households receive low income for various other reasons involving one’s socio-economic status,” he said.
If BR1M’s financial aid made its recipients lazy, it would mean that the government was giving money to people who weren’t needing it, said Mustaqim.
“We are giving the money to the wrong people, which shows that it isn’t the aid in itself that’s the problem, but its distribution system.”
Syed Azharul Asriq, 24, felt that BR1M should get more funds so that it would be able to help more people in need.
“The financial aid for each BR1M income bracket should be increased by RM500. This will ensure that recipients will get the amount of help they need to survive,” he said.
In Kota Kinabalu, housewife Nozilla M, 58, claimed that some things had gone up in prices despite the tax holiday.
“Now the government wants to take away BR1M. How are we supposed to cope?
“BR1M helped ease some of our burden and now we won’t get anything.”
She said it was not about the government spoon-feeding the rakyat but about understanding the plight of the needy.
Jeremy Lee, 28, said BR1M helped his family several times a year. It helped pay debts and outstanding bills, he said.
“For some, it may seem like it’s nothing. But for us, who use the money to pay for stuff, it makes a huge difference,” he said.
However, Lee said he understood that the government needed to pay off its debts. “I have no choice but to make personal sacrifices.”
In Kuching, Herry Naha is disappointed. He said the RM1,200 he received annually for the past two years helped pay bills and household expenses.
“I need to spend about RM550 a month on special formula milk for my one-year-old son, who has a lung ailment,” he said.
Herry, 30, who earns irregular income as a tour guide at Bako National Park, said it was unfair to characterise BR1M recipients as being dependent on the government, saying that the cost of living has been going up.
He hoped the government would reconsider its decision to end the cash handout.