MCA targets single mothers: Be forewarned, Pakatan will "pulverize" your rice bowls

Among the many promises in the Barisan Alternatif (BA) general election manifesto for 2008, both PAS and PKR (which had excluded DAP from BA) had pledged to “give allowances to eligible single mothers” under the section “Rakyat’s Social and Welfare.” That poster depicting the portraits of PKR’s Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim smiling broadly when posing together with controversy provocateur sacked PAS Commissioner Dato’ Dr Hasan Ali which is easily available online also featured a pledge to “encourage youths and young women to do business with minimum rent…” and “conduct programmes to enable the poor to obtain an income higher than the poverty line.”

However, as expected the PKR-led state government reneged on their words when the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) demolished 29 stalls at Kompleks Muhibbah’s open space in Section 24. Five of these stalls are better known to the neighbourhood as “single mum” stalls, operated by single mothers who are collectively known as Anggerik Wawasan Single Mother’s Club. The stalls provided a source of income for single mothers, some of whom were abused by their husbands and had nowhere else to turn to.

Arrogance reigned when the Shah Alam Mayor refused to meet or hear the appeals of the Club’s representatives.

Welfare?

PAS muktamar’s bragged about a welfare state. But the demolition of the stalls without any alternative area offered for the affected single mothers reeks renders all their hollering of looking after the welfare of the rakyat as sheer empty promises or plain deception to rein in the votes. Neither PAS, nor PKR and even DAP within the Selangor state government are able to empathise with the hardships endured daily by single mothers. When PAS heap themselves in self-praise about practising a welfare state, it becomes more apparent that their version of a welfare state means depriving genuine hardworking and downtrodden single mothers of a source of livelihood.

The single mothers had taken the initiative to be self sufficient through financial and social independence by operating these stalls. Rather than encouraging these women to do business as promised in the 2008 manifesto, the Pakatan Rakyat literally pulverized their rice bowls. How are these women now going to be able to service their loans taken from Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia? Indeed, such merciless actions reveal the PKR-led Selangor state government fails to safeguard the welfare of the underprivileged in Selangor.

BN’s Government Transformation Programme alleviates hardships

The Barisan Nasional on the other hand is determined to eradicate poverty. The recently released 2011 report of the Government Transformation Programme on Raising Living Standards of Low-Income Households shows that 63,147 households have benefited from the 1AZAM programme which aims to bring people out of poverty through employment, entrepreneurship, agricultural activities and services.

Meanwhile 12,578 people received micro loans while 44,000 households are out of hardcore poverty. Also, RM1.4billion is allocated each year to aid 500,000 welfare recipients through the Kebajikan Rakyat 1Malaysia (KAR1SMA) programme.

Tee Hooi Ling is the Wanita MCA Young Women Bureau (Beliawanis) National chief