Plea for BR1M aid for those earning less than RM5,000

KUALA LUMPUR: With the increasing cost of living being a constant worry, many have suggested that the Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) aid be extended to those earning less than RM5,000.

Some also called for BR1M to be given out in the form of investments such as premium savings certificate and amanah saham certificate.

These are among the concerns raised by Malaysians in a survey on the upcoming Budget 2017 conducted by the Prime Minister’s online portal (https://bajet2017. najibrazak.com).

Under Budget 2016, BR1M is given out to four categories: RM1,000 for households earning below RM3,000; RM800 for households with an income of between RM3,001 and RM4,000; RM400 for singles aged 21 and above with a monthly income of not more than RM2,000; and RM1,050 for recipients in the e-Kasih database with an income of RM1,000 and below.

From Sept 5-21, Malaysians were invited to contribute ideas for Budget 2017, which will be presented in Parliament on Oct 21.

They were also asked to rank the categories that were most important to them out of a list of 15, including cost of living, culture and tourism, taxation, employment, public facilities and social welfare.

Some expressed hope that the Government would further consider the plight of the middle-income rakyat, instead of focusing on the B40 (bottom 40% of households) group.

On education, there were calls for the Government to provide allowance for working parents who needed to send their children to the nursery or kindergarten.

One Faiz Mt appealed for more affordable housing projects near Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations.

“The minimum price of houses that can be purchased by foreigners should be raised to RM2mil to prevent these buyers from snapping up our properties. Also, restrict them to only high-end condominiums with leasehold tenure,” he wrote.

Atasya Osmadi also suggested that more restrictions be imposed on foreign ownership of residential properties in Malaysia.

On public infrastructure, Steven W. Chong from Miri, Sarawak, urged for more pedestrian-friendly amenities such as walkways and crossings.

Some respondents said they wished to see more veterinary clinics and hospitals in the country.