BARISAN Nasional should not use the 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) to belittle the people, said PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar.

She said the caretaker federal government should, instead, show how the cash handout, which began a year before the 2013 general election, has been effective in lifting people from poverty.

“How effective has BR1M – a populist move by BN – been in elevating people above the poverty line?

“Based on its performance and policies since 2013, the government should explain,” she told a press conference at Yayasan Aman in Penang today.

The Permatang Pauh candidate was commenting on caretaker deputy finance minister Othman Aziz’s statement carried on Bernama yesterday that BR1M has been effective in helping the bottom 40% of households (B40) group.

This group refers to households that earn RM3,900 or below a month.

Othman, who was criticising Pakatan Harapan chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s son, Mokhzani Mahathir, said the government is helping the B40 group, and that “one of the most effective initiatives until today is BR1M”.

Mokhzani, one of the richest people in Malaysia, recently said there is no pride in receiving BR1M. The remark earned him backlash from BN politicians, including caretaker prime minister Najib Razak.

Nurul Izzah said it is a given that the people are happy about getting the aid, but the initiative alone is not a good move.

“I regret Othman’s remarks. To me, it is not an accurate statement. It made it sound like the B40 group needs the pity of the government to survive.

“BR1M is the people’s money anyway, and it is the duty of the government to assist those affected (by the rising cost of living).”

She cited a study on poverty by Universiti Malaya Professor Fatimah Kari, which states that the rationalisation of subsidies by the BN government is one of the reasons households have fallen into the B40 group.

It has been reported that the federal government has saved RM20 billion from the rationalisation of subsidies.

“The government has to be responsible. Its policies have caused inflation to rise from 1.6% in 2012 to an average 4% last year,” said Nurul Izzah.

“BR1M recipients have increased in number since the initiative started in 2012. There are 7.2 million this year, or 25% of the country’s population.

“The cost of paying BR1M is RM7 billion, and you still have to consider the costs for other social safety nets, like food and education aid, and infrastructure.”

She said if PH succeeds in winning Putrajaya, it will introduce initiatives that empower the B40 group, like the policies introduced under Selangor’s “Peduli Rakyat” initiative, and not depend on cash handouts. – May 7, 2018.