Nik Aziz should focus on Pakatan’s unfulfilled promises instead of condescending needy people as animals

PAS spiritual adviser Dato’ Seri Nik Aziz whereby insulted the Bantuan Rakyat 1 Malaysia (BR1M) should be chastised for completely disdaining Barisan Nasional’s efforts to alleviate the burden of the lower income groups as “like scattering padi and coconut husks in front of chickens and cows to entice them to come close (The Star, 21 Feb 13).” Effectively, Nik Aziz has disparaged BR1M recipients by likening them as animals.

I wish to alert the Nik Aziz that the destitute, the underprivileged are also decent human beings who are our fellow citizens. The PAS spiritual adviser has no right humiliating them but on the contrary, should be able to empathise with their daily struggles.

BN delivers where Pakatan state governments fail

On the contrary, PAS should be appreciative of BN’s efforts to reach out to the needy irrespective of their political affiliation in states throughout Malaysia including Pakatan-helmed states like Kelantan which is reputed to have the highest rate of poverty on the peninsular, Kedah, Selangor and Penang.

The BR1M aid to households earning less than RM3,000 per month, or RM250 aid to singles above 21 years and earning below RM200 monthly will benefit 2.7million unmarried individuals and 4 million households. Meanwhile, a few other examples of BN’s efforts which benefit every Malaysians are:

·        RM100 schooling assistance for Year 1 to Form 5 students
·        Insurance coverage for children travelling by school bus
·        Reducing individual income tax by 1% for each grouped annual income tax exceeding RM2,500 to RM5,000 which will remove 170,000 from paying tax

This shows BN’s sincerity which is completely opposite to that of state governments helmed by Pakatan.

Penang

In Penang, the Penang state government introduced an Anak Emas Programme where each newborn would be given a one-off RM100 imbursement. Elements of discrimination already prevail where the condition stipulates at least one parent must be a registered voter in Penang. This similar prequalifier is also applied to other DAP-helmed Penang state government programmes like RM100 each paid annually to eligible recipients under the Senior Citizens Appreciation Programme; Single Mother and Disabled Person Programme and Golden Students Programe.

These eligibility sieves indicate the Penang DAP state government’s insincerity in its project while blackmailing parents into switching the constituency where they cast their vote.

Selangor

In Selangor, the Pakatan state government has failed to deliver on their 2008 manifesto to provide:

·        free medical benefits for senior citizens above the age of 65
·        RM75 financial assistance per month for every child sent to a nursery
·        RM50 monthly assistance for pre-school education
·        RM2,500 in Takaful (insurance) for senior citizeins, the disabled and orphans

The Pakatan Selangor state government goes down history as the first state administration to be sued for not fulfilling its promises e.g. special monthly allowances of RM600 for single mothers, while other suits are underway.