‘BR1M inconsistent with poverty rate’
Sibu MP Oscar Ling Chai Yew questions why BR1M allocations are being continued when poverty rate seems to be on the decline.
Leven Woon, FMT
An opposition MP today questioned the government’s rationale in increasing the allocations for Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) this year despite the official poverty statistics showing a declining trend.
Training his gun at the government’s “targeted subsidy” policy, Oscar Ling Chai Yew (DAP-Sibu) asked why the Finance Ministry has allocated RM2.9 billion for BRIM 2.0 this year, an increase from RM2.6 billion disbursed last year under BRIM 1.0.
He said the increase was inconsistent with the official poverty rate data which showed that household poverty rate has reduced from 3.8% in 2009 to 2.4% in 2012.
He said in Sabah,the rate has fallen to 8.1% from 9.7% in the same period.
“Is it that the real poverty rate is much higher than the official statistics given?” he asked Deputy Finance Minister Ahmad Maslan (BN- Pontian) in a supplementary question.
Ahmad replied by citing the benefits of targeted subsidy, which he said can stimulate domestic consumptions because recipients used the money directly.
“For the statistic part, my answer will come later,” he said without elaborating.
Nawawi Ahmad (BN-Langkawi) then asked whether the ministry would widen the scope of the recipients from only those who earn less than RM3,000 a month to those who earn RM5,000 a month.
