No gov't cares more than ours, says Ahmad Maslan
Lawrence YongPublished: Jan 3, 2014 5:34 PM | Updated: Jan 4, 2014 9:35 AM
No government in the world gives more welfare aid packages than Malaysia, Deputy Finance Minister Ahmad Maslan said today, dismissing protest against price hikes.
UPDATED 7.39PM
So don't protest so hard, the deputy finance minister advises.
VIDEO | 2:23 min
No government in the world gives more welfare aid packages than Malaysia, Deputy Finance Minister Ahmad Maslan said today, dismissing protest against price hikes.
By his account, only three items - petrol, sugar and electricity - faced price hikes. But in contrast the government had 10 welfare packages covering education, healthcare and housing.
“Don’t protest so hard, it’s not fair to us,” Ahmad Maslan (right) told reporters at the Inland Revenue Board’s office in Cyberjaya.
“Give me a country similar to Malaysia where the cost of living is not rising... Got? No, you won’t find. The important thing is we have a social safety net. And we strive to raise income. If incomes rise, then the cost can be absorbed.”
Ahmad Maslan spoke after checking up on applicants for the BR1M handout, which he listed as one of the forms of generous aid.
He reiterated that the government has allocated RM4.5 billion for BR1M 3.0 in 2014, up from RM3billion for BR1M 2.0.
About 7.9 million households would be qualified for cash handouts of RM300-RM650 each.
Hours before the end of 2013, over 10,000 Malaysians marched together to Dataran Merdeka, to protest against rising cost of living following the announcements of various cost hikes by the government, among which, aside sugar, fuel and electricity tariff, include KL assessment tax, and toll fares.
'It's the motive that matters'
Maslan, who is also the MP for Pontian, disagreed.
"There is no government in the world that gives as much help to the public as we do," he said, rubbishing the opposition's claims.
Pakatan Rakyat have charged that the government's move to cut subsidies and raise taxes is a solution to a problem BN had created over the decades.
With its spendthrift ways and unchecked corruption, it said, the Malaysia government has been in a fiscal deficit for the last 15 years. This prompted rating agencies to review Malaysia's debt position, which threatened to hike up the country's future lending cost.
The government's answer to this was an austerity package of 11 items announced before the New Year.
The opposition has denounced these measures as inadequate. However, when asked on this, Maslan simply told reporters it was the motive that mattered more.
"We hope the people will save up to overcome the cost of living... Similarly, to overcome the government deficit, the government is also saving," Maslan said.
"We don't just ask the people to save, the government itself is taking the initiative because this is a proper thing to do."
Giving an update on BR1M, Maslan said that since the government counters opened for registration a week ago, they have received 270,000 new applications for aid.
This was less than 30 percent of some 900,000 Malaysians whom the ministry said would for the first time qualify for BR1M, as their households earn between RM3,001 to RM4,000.
In previous BR1M packages, only those earning below RM3,000 qualified and some 6.8 million receivers were counted.
Applications for BR1M 3.0 close at the end of January and payouts would begin the month after.
Other than BR1M, the other 10 welfare aid packages recounted by Maslan included subsidies for petrol and diesel, cooking oil and gas, flour and rice, aid to fisheries and plantations, hospitals and clinics, education aid and book vouchers, low-cost and affordable homes, entrepreneur funds and state charities.
No government in the world gives more welfare aid packages than Malaysia, Deputy Finance Minister Ahmad Maslan said today, dismissing protest against price hikes.
By his account, only three items - petrol, sugar and electricity - faced price hikes. But in contrast the government had 10 welfare packages covering education, healthcare and housing.
“Don’t protest so hard, it’s not fair to us,” Ahmad Maslan (right) told reporters at the Inland Revenue Board’s office in Cyberjaya.“Give me a country similar to Malaysia where the cost of living is not rising... Got? No, you won’t find. The important thing is we have a social safety net. And we strive to raise income. If incomes rise, then the cost can be absorbed.”
Ahmad Maslan spoke after checking up on applicants for the BR1M handout, which he listed as one of the forms of generous aid.
He reiterated that the government has allocated RM4.5 billion for BR1M 3.0 in 2014, up from RM3billion for BR1M 2.0.
About 7.9 million households would be qualified for cash handouts of RM300-RM650 each.
Hours before the end of 2013, over 10,000 Malaysians marched together to Dataran Merdeka, to protest against rising cost of living following the announcements of various cost hikes by the government, among which, aside sugar, fuel and electricity tariff, include KL assessment tax, and toll fares.'It's the motive that matters'
Maslan, who is also the MP for Pontian, disagreed.
"There is no government in the world that gives as much help to the public as we do," he said, rubbishing the opposition's claims.
Pakatan Rakyat have charged that the government's move to cut subsidies and raise taxes is a solution to a problem BN had created over the decades.
With its spendthrift ways and unchecked corruption, it said, the Malaysia government has been in a fiscal deficit for the last 15 years. This prompted rating agencies to review Malaysia's debt position, which threatened to hike up the country's future lending cost.
The government's answer to this was an austerity package of 11 items announced before the New Year.The opposition has denounced these measures as inadequate. However, when asked on this, Maslan simply told reporters it was the motive that mattered more.
"We hope the people will save up to overcome the cost of living... Similarly, to overcome the government deficit, the government is also saving," Maslan said.
"We don't just ask the people to save, the government itself is taking the initiative because this is a proper thing to do."
Giving an update on BR1M, Maslan said that since the government counters opened for registration a week ago, they have received 270,000 new applications for aid.
This was less than 30 percent of some 900,000 Malaysians whom the ministry said would for the first time qualify for BR1M, as their households earn between RM3,001 to RM4,000.
In previous BR1M packages, only those earning below RM3,000 qualified and some 6.8 million receivers were counted.Applications for BR1M 3.0 close at the end of January and payouts would begin the month after.
Other than BR1M, the other 10 welfare aid packages recounted by Maslan included subsidies for petrol and diesel, cooking oil and gas, flour and rice, aid to fisheries and plantations, hospitals and clinics, education aid and book vouchers, low-cost and affordable homes, entrepreneur funds and state charities.
View Comments0