Najib drops hint to BR1M recipients' letterboxes

Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) recipients came home to a letter in their mailboxes yesterday, and in it was a hint from BN chief Najib Abdul Razak.

“BR1M is a sign of the government's concern and effort in easing the cost of living to ensure your well-being.

“In the coming years, we plan to do more for the rakyat, so in other words, more will be done for the greater benefit of all Malaysians,” Najib said in the heartfelt letter (left) which arrives a week to nomination day.

Writing to the BR1M recipients via the Prime Minister's Office, the letter, which bore no political party symbols, is labelled a “sincere note from the (caretaker) prime minister”.

“I, Mohd Najib Abdul Razak, hope that you are in good health. It is also my hope that you have received the BR1M,” he said in the letter which bore the federal crest.

Najib, in announcing the BN manifesto last week, said that if elected, the BN government will more than double the BR1M from RM500 per household today to RM1,200 per household by the end of the next term.

Single individual recipients will also get a raise from RM250 per person to RM600 per person.

He, however, stressed that the BR1M is not a vote-buying exercise but a form of targeted subsidy.

The second round of the BR1M had benefitted 4.3 million households and 2.7 million unmarried individuals who earn less than RM3,000 a month nationwide.

Both Pakatan Rakyat and BN have included cash handouts for various groups in their respective manifestoes, with Pakatan offering cash for senior citizens among others.