MANY Pakatan Harapan lawmakers have yet to receive Welfare Department food baskets to distribute to the needy, who are the most affected by the movement-control order (MCO).

In a Jom Channel webinar on Facebook last night, Balik Pulau MP Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik, Dr Hatta Ramli (Lumut) and Akmal Nasir (Johor Baru) said they have not seen a single basket, and have had to come up with other ways to feed the poor amid the Covid-19 crisis.

Moderator Hannah Yeoh (Segambut) said she has received only 250 of the promised 1,000 baskets, adding that a large number of opposition MPs are facing a similar situation.

According to a tally by Yeoh, who is former deputy women, family and community development minister, as of Sunday, 63 PH lawmakers had yet to receive food aid from the government.

Hatta said MPs also face issues getting food hampers from the National Disaster Management Agency, and that he has turned to civil society groups and fundraising to feed the underprivileged.

“This shouldn’t happen during the MCO. There are political interferences, unnecessary bureaucracy and unnecessary red tape.”

The former deputy entrepreneur development minister said Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had promised fairness in food distribution.

“However, recent actions have shown that the government places more importance on politics than public interest.”

Some PH lawmakers have discovered that food baskets meant for their constituencies have been in storage for more than a week, he said.

“It is not fair at all. I wish to put on record my dissatisfaction over what has happened.”

Bakhtiar, who is former deputy tourism, arts and culture minister, said underprivileged children are the most affected.

“Usually, they would get food at school, so now, they have to skip meals. Each day, they would eat just one meal because of poverty.

“I went to a house where a woman lives with her eight children, and only the eldest child has a job. They eat only rice with soy sauce because there’s nothing to cook. They are at risk of being undernourished.”

He said his office and several groups have raised money to ensure the poor do not go hungry.

“We want to make sure they have milk, cereal, juice. We want the children to have at least a healthy breakfast. We also provide books for them.”

Women and Family Development Minister Rina Harun, who is in charge of the government’s food aid distribution, yesterday denied that baskets are being given only to B40 households in certain constituencies.

She said the distribution is based on applications made via 108 Welfare Department offices nationwide.

“During this critical period, we’ve received applications from MPs and various parties, including mosque committees, village heads, individuals and civil groups, through Talian Kasih.”

She was commenting on Ipoh Barat MP M. Kula Segaran’s statement that his constituency has yet to get food baskets.

Rina said more than 360,000 baskets have been distributed to Malaysian households comprising some two million people. – April 28, 2020.