‘BR1M: No question of favouritism’

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GOVT AID: Coordinator of Pokok Sena parliamentary seat, Datuk Ahmad Lebai Sudin taking to a recipient of BR1M aid Che Chik Bakar at Alor Setar. — Bernama photo

KUALA LUMPUR: The government’s commitment in providing a comfortable life for the people transcends political and communal boundaries.

Even those who live in states ruled by political parties other than Barisan Nasional (BN) are treated equally by the BN government in all respect.

The same goes to the distribution of the BR1M conducted in stages starting from Jan 15.

The BR1M has received both praises and brickbats as it involves a RM2.6 billion allocation and is expected to benefit 5.2 million households, about 80 per cent of the total households in the country.

The Finance Ministry’s Deputy Secretary General (Policy) Datuk Dr Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah in an interview with Bernama ruled out claims that the RM500 aid under BR1M would be distributed along the political lines.

“In distributing the BR1M, those earning RM3,000 and less qualify for the aid regardless of their race, religion or even their political affiliation. There is no question of favouritism in regards to the distribution of the BR1M,” he said.

He pointed out Kedah being a good example because the opposition ruled state has one of the highest number of BR1M recipients.

 

Multiple effects

 

The BR1M is truly meant to help the people tide over the rising cost of living though it is only a one off payment.

“Those earning RM3,000 and below are the ones most affected by the high inflation as they have to bear with higher rental cost, vehicle ownership and others.

“We look at this way, say an household has an average of 4.5 people and we divide it with the country’s population of 28 million, we will have 6.2 million households. With 6.2 million of the households getting the BR1M aid, it means almost 80 per cent of the households in Malaysia will be enjoying this benefit.

“This means, the government has helped a staggering 80 per cent of the households in the country in addressing their plight without discriminating anyone,” he said.

Apart from this, the government’s decision to extend the closing date for the submission of the BR1M forms to 10 Feb, a one month extension, opens the door for more deserving Malaysians to enjoy the aid.

 

Stringent verification

 

Meanwhile, on the possibilities of some irresponsible people capitalising on the BR1M handout, Mohd Irwan Serigar pointed out that ministry is aware of such people and has taken a proactive stand.

There are admittedly vulnerabilities in the whole process especially when the application for the aid is based on ‘self-declaration’.

There could be those who are earning more than RM3,000 from undeclared sources like rent and etc.

“Normally we look into the gross income. If added with other income from assets and their own salary, those with income exceeding RM3,000 do not qualify.

“However, we are aware that there are some who will try to cheat their way. That is why we conduct the verification process in stages with the cooperation of related agencies, departments and ministries.

“More than 15 agencies are involved in the verification process to verify the information provided by the applicant. The reason why the Inland Revenue Department is our main referral point is because of its comprehensive taxpayers’ database,” he said.

And for those who cheat, they can be charged in court.

 

Facing the challenges

 

Distributing BR1M to the people is no easy task and it is made even more difficult by unwarranted accusations on the intentions and the whole distribution process.

Some even questioned the source of the funds for the BR1M especially when looking at the uncertainties looming in global economy and its implications on the national economy.

Other than the challenges in verifying genuine applicants, distributing the forms and the RM500 cash vouchers in the interiors is also a Herculean task.

On whether, the ministry is ready face the backlash from those who failed in their attempt, Mohd Irwan Serigar noted that they could still appeal.

“The government will do what is right. If they are really poor and deserving, there is no reason why they should be denied of this aid,” he said ending the interview.

Up to Jan 10, a total of 4,123,713 application for the BR1M aid have been received from all over the nation.

From this number, 3,850,668 have been recorded in the data system for verification process with 3,102,054 applications already being approved.

All BR1M applicants will be informed of their application status through post or they can verify through the 1-800-222-500/1-300-88-3010 hotline starting Jan 16. — Bernama