A mortal sin to steal Covid-19 aid for the poor

A few days after some five-star hotels in the Klang Valley had agreed to let their premises be used as quarantine centres, a friend suggested that “it will be interesting to find out how much these high-end hotels are charging”.

He added: “We should know how much we, taxpayers, are paying the hotels to quarantine people”.

Of course, I knew where my friend was coming from.

Still, I tried to believe in the goodness of Malaysians. This is the time for humanity to shine; surely, this isn’t the time to think of profits but to save lives.

So, I responded to my friend with this message: “I don’t think the five-star establishments and other hotel owners will have the heart to make a kill during this trying time. They will be stupid to attempt any such move. The people are watching all government expenditures now with a hawk's eye”.

Thankfully and rightly too, the government later announced that a flat RM150 rate per day has been agreed with the hotels.

Of course, we could still ask whether the lower-end and budget hotels are also being paid RM150 per day but that would be one petty poser too many.

There will be no end to such queries. Probably, querying the disbursement of the RM250 billion BPN will be more worth our time and effort.

One thing is clear as to why people are asking questions and demanding answers. Malaysians do not trust politicians in handling the rakyat’s money.

Even before Covid-19, it has been a turbulent 22 months across the political spectrum in the country since GE14. Why should anyone be surprised if Malaysians pitched politicians at the bottom of the ranking list of the most and least trusted professions?

I am particularly concerned about the distribution of food aid for the poor at this juncture. We have heard of many cases of those who have been left out, in particular, the very desperate families with children.

Of more concern to many is whether government aid meant for the needy and destitute has been siphoned off along the way.

I think such public concerns are not totally unfounded. For too long, politicians in power and their underlings have been so used to “digging into the till” where government contracts are concerned.

To these unscrupulous people, who are still inclined to think that government aid for the poor is also an opportunity to make a quick buck, let me remind them that it is a mortal sin to steal Covid-19 aid meant for the poor.

How can anyone be so inhumane to see a poor kid go hungry? If an RM100 food aid is supposed to be allocated to a family, stealing RM50 from the package is unforgivable.

Already, we have heard of such sad stories – recipients being given only half the food aid. Imagine a single mother with four children and one OKU elder to look after at home. Can we expect RM50 of food aid to last them a month of MCO?

If anyone is involved in any such despicable and immoral practices, be reminded that the wrath of the Almighty will befall upon them and do not expect Him to be merciful.

We are all aware that all Members of Parliament and state assemblypersons have been given Covid-19 allocations to help the needy.

In Sarawak, each state assembly member has been allocated RM200,000, but questions bordering on suspicion are already being asked in the media on how the money had been spent.

Trust, accountability and transparency are the issues at play here.

Let me suggest to all lawmakers to furnish a public account of how their allocations have been spent, how many families have benefitted and in which areas of their respective constituencies.

No matter how our politicians tried to explain the accusations against them, there is nothing like a verified detailed public account of the food aid being given to the needy.

This is the kind of accountability and transparency that the people will only be satisfied with. Politicians must remember that the people do not trust them with handling public money.

If an NGO like Bersih 2.0 is able to reveal details periodically of how the RM300,000 contributions for its MakanKongsi programme have been utilised, why can’t the lawmakers do the same?

Finally, let me thank Wangsa Maju MP Dr Tan Yee Kew (on left in photo) for highlighting what I think has been a long-neglected issue – urban poverty. 

“The problem of urban poverty has been highlighted for more than 20 years, yet emphasis has continued to be given to the rural poor and it was not until the last two years that urban poverty was acknowledged,” she said.

Tan called for a concrete plan and substantial funds allocated for the elimination of urban poverty.

This pandemic has brought to the forefront the extent of poverty in the urban areas, with many living from hand-to-mouth, day in and day out. Urban poverty is believed to be far more harsh and extreme than rural poverty.

Tan’s call for a serious plan of action to eliminate urban poverty is timely indeed.

Meanwhile, dear Tan, may I suggest to you to take the lead in declaring a detailed public statement of your MP’s Covid-19 aid for the needy.

This is not asking you to be a hero or heroine, but it is the right and proper thing to do. Thank you.

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FRANCIS PAUL SIAH heads the Movement for Change, Sarawak (MoCS) and can be reached at sirsiah@gmail.com. - Mkini