Prices of goods are increasing from year to year. People especially in the city area are struggling to cope with the increasing cost of living. The Malaysian government has recently introduced an immediate measure to ease the financial burden of low-income Malaysians. It’s a RM500 one-off aid called ‘Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia’ (BR1M) will be given to a household with a monthly income lower than RM3,000
Personally, I think the scheme is an effective immediate effort by the government to assist the people in this trouble times. The only problem is that a comprehensive long-term financial solution must also be included in future plans if ever Southeast Asia were to face a similar crisis as the European Union.
There is indication that Malaysia will be facing tougher financial crisis next year. On that note the Government needs to further expand ‘Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia’ (KR1M) as its numbers are quite limited. The reasonably priced mart should be made available all around the country in addition to the ‘Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia’. Another method would be, in the future, the government might want to provide cash vouchers instead of cash to make sure the money will be spent effectively. It’s not that I don’t trust the people but there are always those who will abuse the aid.
Finally, BR1M was stated as being a one-off thing. My concern is that whether there will be more similar efforts in the near future to ease the people’s burden. As we all know, the General Election is coming and let this not be an attempt to gain voters. It is a noble effort so let just hope there will be more to come.
