PUTRAJAYA has defended its 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) annual cash handout, saying it is not a form of bribery but merely a “gift” from the government.

Deputy Finance Minister Othman Aziz said the temporary cash handouts were part of the government’s plan to break the vicious intergenerational poverty cycle.

“Gifts are something that we give if we are able, we give them to those who deserve it.

“What I understand about ‘dedak’ is, it is for chickens; we can’t liken BR1M recipients to chicken or cattle,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.

The Malay word “dedak” translates into “animal feed’” and is slang for bribery.

“For bribery, you will get something in return. But this is something from a government that can afford to give it, to those who are eligible to accept it,” said Othman.

He was responding to a question from Abd Latiff Ahmad (BN-Mersing) who wanted to know how much BR1M had helped offset the rising cost of living for the lower-income group as and how much it had aided economic growth.

Latiff had asked for clarification on whether the aid was a bribe. “Mersing constituents say this is a gift from the government while the other side says it is a form of bribery – ‘dedak’,” he said.

Othman earlier confirmed the government had spent RM32.42 billion in BR1M payments since it was introduced in 2012. 

Last month, Prime Minister Najib Razak denied the money was to buy votes as the opposition had claimed.

Since it was introduced, the brainchild of Najib has been tweaked to cover those earning RM2,000 or less a month (RM450 one-off payment), households with monthly income between RM3,001 and RM4,000 (RM900 yearly) and households with monthly income of RM3,000 and below (RM1,200 yearly).

Last year, 7.2 million recipients received RM6.3 billion in BR1M payments. 

BR1M has been dismissed by the opposition and its leader, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, as a ploy to buy support for  Barisan Nasional. 

Dr Mahathir, who heads Pakatan Harapan, has often used the term “cash is king” in reference