Rafizi slams government’s RM100 aid rollout as poorly planned

 

FORMER economy minister Rafizi Ramli has criticised the government’s handling of the recent RM100 disbursement, saying the exercise has backfired and created unnecessary hardship instead of winning public support.

He said the initiative, rolled out through an online system linked to the MyKasih Foundation rather than a government-owned platform, exposed weaknesses in planning and execution.

“When you make such a public giveaway, people will naturally flock to it. The government cannot then be surprised and say, ‘so many people are going,’” he said during a podcast discussion.

The disbursement, meant as cost-of-living relief, saw long queues forming as recipients struggled to access the system. Rafizi said this not only undermined trust but also risked politicising aid.

“The intention of the government is to get political capital, to win support from the people. But when there are disruptions like this, that objective fails,” he argued.

Rafizi said his perspective differs from that of the finance ministry. He stressed that he does not support piecemeal measures, arguing that any initiative must come in the form of structural economic reform.

He urged a more sustainable model that relies on Malaysia’s existing income data to enable automatic transfers. “If families are supposed to get RM300 a month, it can go straight into their bank account. No need for people to wait or line up,” he said.

Rafizi also questioned the involvement of third-party systems in handling sensitive data. “When we build systems for public data, secrecy must be guaranteed. But in this case, it is not even a government system,” he warned.

On RON95 subsidies, Rafizi cautioned that using identity card-linked systems at petrol stations could cause major disruptions. “If the database is incomplete or the system hangs, people will get stuck at the station.” he said, reminding the audience of the hassle of pumping fuel in the 1980s when no modern payment systems were available. — Focus Malaysia