GEDONG: Assistant Minister of Resource Planning Datuk Mohd Naroden Majais said the people who are not eligible for the 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) should not vent their anger on the government.
Instead, they should be grateful, having enjoyed subsidised food items provided by the government.
Naroden pointed out that the BR1M was meant to assist those earning below RM3,000 per month and having dependents so those not eligible should consider themselves fortunate because they earn higher income.
“To those eligible to receive the BR1M, they should be grateful, and to those not eligible, they should also be grateful.
“This is because the rich also enjoy subsidised items provided by the government,” the Simunjan assemblyman said when presenting the BR1M vouchers at the Community Hall here yesterday.
Among those present were Sadong Jaya MP Nancy Shukri and Simunjan district officer Zainul Abidin Hussein.
Naroden cited sugar, cooking oil and other controlled food items, as heavily subsidised by the government and also enjoyed by rich people.
He added that the people in the state were fortunate, having enjoyed various assistance fromthe government like housing programmes and financial assistance for poor school children and for poor
families.
He spoke of his experience in Australia, where assistance were only given to the jobless until they can find jobs and the elderly who had nobody to turn to.
“In Malaysia, we are fortunate because the Barisan Nasional (BN) looks after the welfare of the people,” the Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office pointed out.