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Give a man a fish
by Dunstan Chan. Posted on February 5, 2012, Sunday
THESE few weeks there has been much hoo-ha over the sudden largesse of the government in doling out RM500 to those suitably qualified. By ‘qualified’ I suppose one has to be deemed sufficiently poor. I understand that there are three steps to getting the ‘golden ticket’ of cash vouchers.
First, the applicant has to fill in the prescribed form. Then the application is assessed by some agencies, I presume from the Ministry of Finance. Finally, the lists of names of the successful applicants are then posted in designated centres.
There are a number of points in this short journey to the handouts and each one of them offers challenges and opportunities.
First, regarding the prescribed forms – some enterprising individuals were quick to seize the opportunity to make a few quick bucks on this. It was reported that the forms (I am not sure if they were original or photocopied) were offered for sale at RM7 each. I don’t think they have broken any law but their antics certainly gave some politicians a chance to ingratiate themselves with the public. They quickly converted offices into centres to distribute the forms for free.
Secondly, I don’t know how much this caring act (or public relations exercise as some would say) costs. I hope they also factor in the time and labour needed to vet the applications, assess the worthiness of the applicants and, more importantly, check the veracity of their declarations. Let’s face it, I don’t think the ones deemed eligible have tax records because they have not reached the taxable threshold.
I hate to think of the amount of work and time needed to check if they do own undeclared properties and assets that may disqualify them from the handout. I hope the audit department can tote up the total expenditure in terms of cash, labour and time, to report to the nation the actual cost of this exercise.
The private sector too has been affected adversely by this event. A few days ago, my friend Bernard, who runs a recycling plant, complained that these last few days his workers were not quite on the job. They might have been present physically, but their minds were somewhere else – wondering whether they were included in the list of the recipients. Finally, some of them dropped all pretence and just did not turn up for work.
“I have never come across a case of so many parents, aunties, uncles taken ill. I suppose they are trolling the designated centres to check on their names. I hope we can get this exercise done with quick and my workers can come back to earn their wages,” he said with a resigning shrug of the shoulders.
The government has been at pains to say that this generosity has nothing to do with the impending general elections. More than one politician has declared that this BR1M (Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia or 1Malaysia People’s Aid) initiative is not ‘election candy’ to ensure that the Barisan Nasional (BN) remain in power come the 13th general election.
Okay, let’s give them the benefit (big benefit) of the doubt but it certainly didn’t stop a number of them from organising special events where they could give out the cash vouchers to the ever so grateful recipients. One of them was so blatant as to have huge RM500 vouchers made. The photograph of him handing out the mock cheques was given prominent coverage in the mainstream newspapers.
“Hang on a minute! Aren’t they giving out the taxpayers’ money? My money?” you may well ask.
Indeed they are. We have heard of the expression: “Don’t shoot the messenger who bears bad news”. Well, the converse is true – “Praise and good will be heaped upon the bearer of good tidings.” Politicians are nothing if not opportunistic and can smell a good thing a mile away. So, kudos to them, they are just demonstrating a behaviour true to their species. For good measure, many of them complemented the handout with pious advice like: “Spend the money wisely. Use it only for food and other basic necessities.”
Inevitably, we have to come face to face with the saying, “Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day but teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime. “How long can this ‘fish’ last? That’s the crux of my concern.”
How often can we repeat this exercise before we bankrupt ourselves? More importantly, what is the effect of giving out such free gifts on the recipients? Aren’t we in danger of creating a beggar mentality?
When I was in Britain, there used to be this dole system where the unemployed could draw a weekly allowance. They called it ‘unemployment benefits’. If ever there is an inappropriate term, this is certainly one. Many chose to stay unemployed as it was more ‘beneficial’.
I now have concern for employers like Bernard. I wonder if their workers will be distracted as they pine for the next ‘fish’.
