More MPs found to be 'eligible' for BPN aid

CORONAVIRUS | As the world struggles to manage the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh (above) said the government cannot afford to make mistakes with its Bantuan Prihatin Nasional aid that may have been opened to a serious system error.

Following news reports that Members of Parliament and former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak's wife Rosmah Mansor were among those eligible to receive the RM800 aid, Fuziah said she went online and checked her own personal status.

"My finding was shocking because I was also approved to receive the aid.

"I wish to clarify that I am not a recipient of (Pakatan Harapan's) Bantuan Sara Hidup and I have never applied for Bantuan Prihatin Nasional," the former deputy minister said in a statement.

"So the question arises: how could our names have been approved by the system when I am certain that all of us are ineligible to receive the BPN," she said, noting that the "mistake" could involve many other individuals.

Malaysiakini's checks through the website of the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) confirmed that Rosmah has been "approved" to receive the financial aid.

However, Najib - who is the Pekan MP - is not eligible.

The checks were conducted recently, after the matter was highlighted by various netizens online, who used the couple’s IC numbers that were obtained through court documents to verify this.

In a Facebook post later, Najib said Rosmah was never notified that she qualifies for aid but if it is channelled to her account, the amount would be donated to the government's Covid-19 fund.

Fuziah noted that the "mistake" could involve many other individuals who might not be aware that they received the automated payment.

'Country's resources must be used judiciously'

"The country's resources must be used judiciously in the war against Covid-19 and we, as a nation, cannot afford to commit these kinds of mistakes," she added.

The present system utilised by the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) relies on an existing Bantuan Sara Hidup (BSH) list, whereby those who are eligible for the BSH aid do not need to apply for the BPN aid.

Aside from Fuziah, another former deputy minister, Mahfuz Omar, also called for an overhaul of the BPN system after he was found to be an eligible recipient of RM1,000 aid.

Malaysiakini's checks also confirmed that at least two other MPs - former deputy minister Razali Ibrahim (Muar) and Wan Hassan Mohd Ramli (Dungun) - are eligible for RM1,000 and RM1,600 BPN aid respectively.

For the record, under the Members of Parliament Remuneration Act 1980, an MP is entitled to a salary of RM16,000 per month, plus various perks and allowances.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had announced the BPN on March 29 as part of an economic stimulus package to soften the impact of Covid-19 on the economy.

Among others, the government will pay single individuals a total of RM800 in April and May, if they earn below RM2,000 per month.

Singles earning between RM2,001 and RM4,000 will receive RM500 over the period.

Meanwhile, households earning RM4,000 and below will receive a total of RM1,600, while households making between RM4,001 and RM8,000 will get RM1,000. - Mkini