SIXTY per cent of Malaysia’s adult population, or 12.6 million people and including the M40, are receiving cash aid under the government’s Bantuan Keluarga Malaysia (BKM) programme. 

Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz revealed the figure today, saying the RM1.74 billion in cash handouts to be given under BKM Phase 2, which begins today, is the highest amount of aid given in Malaysia’s history.

His statement comes ahead of impending polls and as the government grapples with public anger over earlier plans to float the price of chicken and eggs from July 1, prompting a U-turn on the matter. They will no longer be floated, and new ceiling prices are to be announced soon.

Subsidies for bottled palm oil cooking oil, however, have been removed. Only the subsidy for cooking oil sold in 1kg poly bags for RM2.50 remains.

The RM1.74 billion handout will benefit four million households, 1.2 million senior citizens and 3.4 million bachelors.

Compared with the previous phase, only 8.6 million people benefited from the BKM handouts, Tengku Zafrul said.

When compared with Bantuan Sara Hidup, the programme under Pakatan Harapan government only benefited 4.5 million recipients, the finance minister added.

“The increase in the number of recipients is because the eligibility threshold was raised, from a monthly earning of RM4,000 and below, to RM5,000 and below under BKM.

“This means more people in Keluarga Malaysia qualify to receive aid, including the M40, and it is not limited only to the B40,” Tengku Zafrul said.

The figure for the ongoing BKM Phase 2 handout includes the extra RM100 per household and RM50 per single individual as announced by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob last week. – June 27, 2022.