KOTA KINABALU: Parti KeAdilan Rakyat (PKR) Kota Kinabalu division wants to know how the government is selecting qualified recipient for the People’s Cash Aid Scheme (BR1M), which is expected to start distributing starting January next year.
Its information chief, Jen Lim, said there has been no clear method or calculation for selecting qualified recipients for the aid, and this may result in many unqualified person receiving the financial assistance.
“Would this aid actually achieve its purpose? Because the allocation for the cash assistance program will likely cost the government approximately RM7.5 billion in 2015,” she questioned.
“Would there be any method or calculation to work out who qualifies for the aid based on the income level, so that it actually target those who really needed it?” she asked.
A number of recipients had complained last year that those who have received their first cash payout were no longer eligible for the second payout. Some have also said that there were reductions in the payout. Why is it so?, she asked.
Since the government takes pride in its slogan ‘People First, Performance Now’, Lim suggests that the cash assistance should be given to each and every household.
“We need to think that not all needy Malaysian are the same as the living costs are different in every state, even people in the urban areas are suffering from the hike in the cost of living.
“In the urban areas, transportation, and utilities need to be taken into consideration. The monthly expenditures are higher than in the rural areas.
“I think the government should put in more effort into helping the rakyat if it really wants them to live with no burden. It is either give every member of the rakyat cash assistance or perhaps set a threshold to calculate consumer price index for urban and rural areas,” she said.
“I believe that by setting such threshold, the government will only then knows if the BR1M is really able to help us or not, because the purchasing power of one individual differs from another, especially those who have many dependents but low income,” Lim added.