HAPPY FACES: Naroden (eighth right), Zainul and Anthony with some of the recipients after the ceremony.
SIMUNJAN: Assistant Minister of Resource Planning Datuk Mohd Naroden Majais yesterday advised the people not to believe claims by certain quarters that the 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) is a vote-fishing ploy.
He said such propaganda was made by the people who failed to get the assistance in order to instigate the people.
Naroden explained that BR1M was to complement other forms of assistance like e-kasih and 1AZAM, all aimed at helping the lower income group improve their standard of living.
“When we talk about BR1M, it is not about vote-fishing as claimed by certain quarters.
“In fact, it is the government’s sincere effort to look after the welfare of the people, especially the poor,” he said at the presentation of BR1M for Sadong Jaya parliamentary constituency at Dewan Mesra here yesterday.
Some 438 applicants received their RM500 vouchers at the event.
Altogether 6,903 people in the constituency are eligible for BR1M, where 3,025 applicants, including those at yesterday’s event, have collected their vouchers.
According to Naroden, the remaining ones will be paid on three separate functions on Feb 22, 23 and 28.
Naroden said he was puzzled as to why BR1M was seen as a vote-fishing exercise for the coming general election, particularly when the election date was not known.
“Not even the Chief Minister (Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud) or Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) know when the election will be held.
“So, to say that the BR1M is a vote-fishing effort (as claimed by certain quarters) is totally out of context,” the Simunjan assemblyman said.
Touching on development, he said Simunjan had developed by leaps and bounds, although he acknowledged that there was still plenty to be done.
He cited that way back in 1981, where he first became an elected representative in the constituency where there were no proper roads and clinics.
He also recalled a case in 1982 where 72 people suffering from malaria in Gedong had to stay in Tebakang due to the unavailability of clinics in the area.
“Our development programme will be on-going to meet the needs of the people,” said Naroden, who is also Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office (Bumiputera Entrepreneur Development).