PM should strengthen safety net for low-income group - Klang MP

A DAP lawmaker has urged Prime Minister Ismail Sabri to strengthen the social protection network for the lower-income group who are vulnerable to surging inflation and increasing cost of living. 

In a statement today, DAP’s Klang MP Charles Santiago said Ismail Sabri had neglected to mention the cost of living crisis when he spoke to the media in several interviews to commemorate his first anniversary as premier last Saturday.

“In the various interviews, he mentioned the need to do more for the people, especially the poor,” he said. 

“This view is very welcomed but he missed out on talking about the cost of living crisis that’s hitting the B60 (lower-income bottom 60), a downgrade from the B40, due to inflation and price increases.

“This means that now 60 percent of Malaysian households would earn below RM4,850. The steep increase in price levels impacts different groups of people differently,” he said. 

“It also exposes the vulnerabilities in Malaysia’s food security and hits the poor significantly as they spend about 25 percent of their monthly income on food as opposed to the rich, who spend about 12.6 percent,” added Charles.

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob speaking during an interview with the media

Malnutrition among the poor

Charles also raised malnutrition concerns among children and they are likely to become early candidates for diabetes and other diseases.

“The ‘new poor’ (B60) are struggling to put food on the table. So, what’s the next best option for them? It’s resorting to cheap but unhealthy food supplies such as instant noodles. Children are fed carbohydrates as a way of keeping their stomachs full,” he said. 

“We have an urgent matter to address - the poor eating patterns among the B60. To help assist these families, the government could consider cash transfers such as Bingkas, an i-Selangor government programme to address the food burden of low-income earners.

“Here, an amount of RM300 is transferred to single mothers with children below 18 years of age to ensure that poor families, especially children, have access to nutritious food,” he said.

“The government could also consider a targeted breakfast scheme to overcome stunted growth and malnourishment among schoolchildren,” added Charles.

“Ismail Sabri’s government has to, therefore, ensure domestic food security because now, we depend on foreign imports for local use,” he said.

He proposed that the wakaf land, or land donated for religious or charitable purposes, to be used for agricultural production and effort must be put in to eliminate middle persons and monopolies that control production and costs.

“In short, the government must make agriculture ‘sexy’ again, especially to the young,” he said. 

He also urged the government to consider the employment of refugees, prison labourers, and documenting existing undocumented workers as a way to address the labour shortage, particularly in food production sectors. 

“While I congratulate the prime minister for his first year in power, I would also like to stress to him the need to put together a set of social protection efforts, with reforms in the production and management of the food sector, in order to ensure Keluarga Malaysia will be able to manage the cost of living crisis,” he said. - Mkini