Kepong MP cries foul over conditions attached to cash aid

Kepong MP cries foul over conditions attached to cash aid

DAP's Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng has questioned the government’s conditions attached to the RM300,000 food basket aid allocated for each parliamentary constituency, saying they are inefficient and troublesome.

“[...] the conditions set for the fund spending are very complicated, and only cause troubles for MPs, especially those in the opposition.

“The RM100 spending ceiling on each family is annoying. A family with nine children will need to spend more than RM100 compared to a family with only one child.

“The conditions attached make it as if (the government) does not want people to receive the aid,” Lim (above) said in a statement today.

His statement came after the Prime Minister Department’s (PMD) Implementation Coordination Unit issued a strict list of items for each food aid basket that every MP’s office can spend on.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had announced that every MP will receive a total of RM300,000 to be used as food basket aid as part of his Covid-19 recovery package Pemulih.

Lim also chided PMD over the lack of logistical planning when it comes to the implementation and distribution of food baskets.

The three-term MP said the government overlooked aspects such as the need for space to store the aids and the speed needed to distribute food items before they get spoiled.



“With a small workforce, MPs’ offices are asked to do everything from beginning to end, starting from purchasing the items, arranging, packaging, and distributing to those in need.

“It’s convenient for PMD to channel those funds and then set conditions for spending without considering those hurdles,” he complained.

Lim said a better move would have been for the government to give MPs discretionary powers to decide what’s best for the community in each constituency.

He suggested turning the cash allocations into shopping vouchers while engaging selected convenient shops in each constituency.

Lim said the government can then set conditions to limit the items that can be purchased using those stimulus vouchers, where people cannot purchase cigarettes, top-up cards, and alcoholic drinks using them.

“Through this, individuals in need can spend on whatever they can buy and if a family has a lot of members, more vouchers can be given to them.

“If the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Council can provide those affected (by the lockdown) with shopping vouchers, why can’t MPs do the same thing?” he questioned.

Describing the list as evidence of how out of touch the “higher-ups” are with the common people, Lim called on the government to be more observant of people’s struggles during the lockdown.

“Clearly this list of necessities was drafted in an air-conditioned room by those who continued to receive their paycheques,” he added caustically.