Don’t wait, give out aid immediately, says MP

 

Payments under the Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat scheme should be made immediately, says Wong Chen. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: The government should have kept up the people’s hopes by immediately dispensing aid when the movement control order (MCO) was announced in May, an MP said tonight.

Subang MP Wong Chen of PKR was critical of Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat aid only being paid into recipients’ bank accounts from the end of June.

He said some people could not earn an income because of lockdown restrictions, and the government should have made it a point to give them the assistance first to ensure their survival.

“Petty traders haven’t been working for two months since the MCO started and they probably have no savings. The government should have paid out the support system as soon as the lockdown was announced in May. Once you’ve announced the MCO, just pay people,” he said in a live video broadcast on Facebook.

Subang MP Wong Chen.

“I think it’s absolutely appalling when they can spend RM15 billion for 5G (the new mobile network) but can’t spend money to help poor people immediately. This is madness,” he said when commenting on a reported rise in suicide cases of late.

He said it was probable that the rise in suicides was linked to people being in desperate financial situations, adding that the government was indirectly responsible.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced the Pemulih package of relief measures earlier today. Wong said Putrajaya must dispense the aid as soon as possible so that vulnerable people do not lose all sense of hope.

“The second thing is to empower MPs with financial help, so they can go out and reach out to these people and try to help them as much as we can.”

Befrienders KL recently told FMT that its helpline received 10,412 calls from people who were distressed and needed emotional support between March and May this year, a more than 50% increase compared to 2020.

The health ministry’s mental health and psychological support services helpline also received 122,328 calls in the past six months, with 89.4% of callers going through psychological effects from various social problems, including loss of jobs or income. - FMT