Jainab (centre), Ellron (third left) and Zaiton (third right) with government officials and participants after the event.
KENINGAU: A system is needed to help single mothers in the state, said Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister, Datuk Ellron Alfred Angin.
“The government needs to find the best way to help these people because most single mothers left by their husbands have many dependents and need help to lighten their burden,” he said in his speech at the Consumerism and Goods and Service Tax (GST) seminar here on Saturday.
Ellron was commenting on the issue of single mothers raised by Pensiangan Women and Family Development Council chairwoman Hajjah Zaiton OKK Anik in her speech at the event.
He also suggested that all 60 members of the State Legislative Assembly sign a memorandum to be submitted to the government to help single mothers in the state.
As a leader, he said it was a serious issue because it involved the welfare of children borne by single mothers.
Ellron hoped the government would take swift action on this matter by providing assistance in the form of skills training and capital assistance in areas such as handicraft and small businesses that can lighten their burden.
Earlier in her speech, Zaiton disclosed that in Nabawan area alone there are more than 1,000 single mothers who were unable to get assistance from the government via e-kasih.
She said most of them also have many dependents and are in dire need of government assistance through e-kasih.
“Most of them are also not listed in the e-kasih even though there are many applications and they missed the assistance provided by the government, especially in the 1 Azam program,” she said.
Zaiton, who is also Pensiangan Wanita Umno chief, proposed to the government that these single mothers be given help through 1Azam although they are not listed in the e-kasih.
She said they can be identified through the e-kasih application forms which were confirmed by the district officer and the village chiefs for giving priority assistance from the government through 1Azam.
Meanwhile, Ellron who is also Sook assemblyman, said that widespread information in social media on the GST was misleading the public, including in his area.
“They do not understand about this tax and just take the opportunity to give a negative perception of the tax to the people so that they hate the government,” he said.
According to him, 160 countries in the world have implemented the GST and the people of these countries do not say that GST is burdening them.
Ellron said Singapore had implemented the GST at a rate of seven per cent, which is higher than Malaysia’s six per cent.
“People in those countries have not said that the GST was not good. Through the implementation of GST, the countries concerned can provide infrastructure and economic development to the people,” he said.
According to Ellron, people in Malaysia should be given an understanding of the benefits of GST in order to reject the negative perception propagated in social media.
He said the implementation of the GST by the government in this country was not to oppress the people but to benefit them for the future of the country and the people.
“GST is needed in this country because more development is needed by the people, especially in the rural areas that are still backward.
“GST is also one of the government’s efforts to eradicate poverty and to me it should be implemented and at the same time, people who still do not understand this tax, can get information from the Customs Department so that they are not easily influenced by misleading information in social media,” he said.
The seminar was officiated by Community Development and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Hajjah Jainab Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Ahmad.