AS 2019 draws to a close, low-income folk, already burdened by high food prices, look forward to 2020 with a sense of dread, a survey by The Malaysian Insight revealed.

They fear daily necessities will cost even more when the price of RON95 petrol is floated with the introduction of the targeted fuel subsidy programme (PSP).

Instead of giving more aid such as Bantuan Sara Hidup (BSH), a majority of the 10 low-income families interviewed by The Malaysian Insight wanted the government to control the price of goods and petrol.  

People like food seller Ramli Dahlan, in Kampung Ketengah, near Subang, said things were already expensive with a ceiling price on RON95. 

“I don’t feel the pinch from petrol now but when the price is floated I will definitely feel it. As it is, the price of food is already high because we import so much,” said the 54-year-old BSH recipient.

The problem with aid such as BSH and targeted subsidies is that the system misses many poor people and they do not receive the help they need, said Ramli.  

Ramli knows of people in his village who work odd jobs and lack the documents to qualify for BSH.

Other families also told of friends who were poor but who did not receive aid because of red tape.  

“The aim (of the programme) is good but because of the shoddy execution, the goal is not achieved,” said Ramli, referring to the government aid programmes.

So instead of giving more aid, they felt it was better that the administration ensure that the rise in RON95 will not lead to a spike in the prices for food, household goods and clothes.

This sentiment gels with a separate survey by The Malaysian Insight which found that low-income folk do not want the PSP to be implemented and would rather the government keep a ceiling on the price of RON95.

“I already get BSH and but I don’t think getting more will solve my problems,” said taxi driver and part time cook Bala Segaran, 62, from Puchong.

“It’s better that the government bring down food prices because they are so expensive right now and to reduce the cost of healthcare services such as dialysis.”

The flat where Bala stays with wife and two adult children has a high number of senior citizens like him who suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure and other ailments.

“Dialysis visits cost about RM400 per month at private healthcare centres and there are many who cannot afford to go. The government should help bring down such costs.”  

Store keeper Magson Wong echoed this saying that he burns through his salary before the end of the month on food and infant formula for his wife and four children.

“BR1M or BSH is not the answer, it finishes in the blink of an eye. The government must lower the cost of food,” said the storekeeper from Kuching.

Return what you’ve cut

The Malaysian Insight talked to 10 low and low-middle income families in Selangor, Penang and Sarawak on what were their biggest monthly expenses throughout the year.

They were also asked on how they thought the government could aid families like them since stabilising the cost of living is a key promise made by Pakatan Harapan which helped them win the 14th general election.

Half said they wanted the government to control or bring down prices. Three families asked for more aid either in the form of increasing BSH or one-off payments to help buy school supplies.

Two of them wanted the government to reinstate programmes that they used to qualify for.

Retiree Hattan Rosnan claimed the Selangor Pakatan government had slashed programmes such as vouchers for school supplies and allocations for its “peduli sihat” medical scheme.

“I used to get ‘peduli sihat’ but this year I did not,” said the 64-year-old who claimed to have received less BSH money compared to when the scheme was operated by the Barisan Nasional government and known as BR1M.

“I am angry at the government because it cut aid. If you cannot increase aid I can understand, but why do you have to cut back on the aid that you are already giving?”

Under BR1M, households earning below RM4,000 per month would receive between RM900 and RM1,200, depending on their income bracket.

In 2017 those earning less than RM3,000 received RM1,200 per year while those earning between RM3,001 and RM4,000, received RM900.

But Pakatan’s BSH re-structured the scheme to favour households earning below RM2,000 per month and those with children.  

Households earning below RM2,000 received RM1,000 a year, those between RM2,001 and RM3,000 received RM750 while those earning from RM3,001 to RM4,000 will receive RM500.

In addition, each household would receive RM120 for each child below 18 years of age up to a maximum of four children. Families with special needs children will receive the RM120 regardless of age.

So a family earning below RM2,000 with three children would receive RM1,360 as opposed to RM1,200 under BR1M.

Consider the M40

Although they receive BSH, two of the families interviewed said they hoped the government could help with one-off payments to help them buy school supplies.

“The government should have a special fund to help low income folk buy annual school supplies as it is becoming a real burden,” said lorry driver M. Vasuthevan in Penang.

“When January comes around me and my wife get a headache trying to make sure that both our children are properly equipped for school.”

His two sons are in Primary Three and Five.

“I started saving in October just for these expenses and we buy a little each time.”  

Meanwhile, middle-income earners such as Naim Abdul Samad hoped the government would consider extending aid to them.

“The government has been in power for almost two years and we haven’t felt any real change,” said Naim, a 58-year-old e-hailing driver.  

“I think M40 people are also feeling squeezed and the government should pay attention to them.”

Naim and his wife together make about RM7,000 a month. They have five children to feed, three of whom are in school and two in the nursery.

“They should consider M40 families with lots of children. If you have only one child,  it’s okay but what about people like me who have lots of kids?” – December 18, 2019.