The recent Unicef report points to deeper underlying issues within PPR (low cost) flats resulting from decades of neglect by detached Umno ministers who are too busy enjoying their prosperous lives.
People in PPR flats have been struggling for a very long time - the Unicef report highlights the fact that the people who suffer the most when policies fail are the children.
There are many NGOs that have done good work in PPR flats - listen to them and they will tell you the full story. When I was with Ideas, I learnt from our own visits, as well as from my NGO colleagues, about the struggles faced by residents in PPR flats.
Besides nutritional deficiencies, residents also face various safety hazards and sanitation issues. Ambulances and fire trucks cannot get through to the flats, building maintenance is poor and residents do not have access to a steady supply of electricity and clean water - things that many Umno leaders have never experienced. They are detached from daily challenges that the common people face.
What is happening right now is an issue of accountability and failure of follow-up. In 2017, the Ministry of Finance was supposed to allocate RM300 million towards the maintenance of PPR projects, but we don't know what happened with that money. These problems are endemic and a reflection of Umno's lack of focus on the issues that matter to common people. Umno has failed to listen to the needs of the people.
The issues surrounding poverty are all inter-linked. It goes from nutrition all the way to deep underlying psychological issues. If we really want to do something, we need a targeted approach, like cash transfers to specified groups of the population, and we need to empower those that are already doing the right things for this community, like the many NGOs that are already on the ground.
WAN SAIFUL WAN JAN is Bersatu's deputy chairperson of Strategy and Policy. -Mkini
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