By Samantha Joseph
Tiger thinks that the poor in Malaysia are getting the short end of the stick. Cash handouts and noble programmes are all well and good, but will it do anything to alleviate the poverty level in Malaysia and help the poor out of their problems in the long run?
Tiger is an equal-opportunity sort of cat. All delicious four- and two-legged meat steaks are par for the course (second or main, usually), never mind whether they are lonely, or lame, or half-starved or profess to a cult that doesn’t allow them to be eaten by awesome predators. It is a predator-eat-prey world and Tiger is the ruler (unless Hippo tries to infringe).
Tiger admits this is all well and good in the natural world, but when it comes to running a country, blanket insensitivity is far from the way things should be implemented. At least that’s what Tiger assumes from his few and far-between interactions with humans who are constantly complaining about injustice and unfairness when it comes to money, mating and life in general.
The Malaysian government announced that the Bantuan Rakyat 1 Malaysia handouts would be increased to RM1,200 per low-income family. Later they announced that there would be bumiputera empowerment programmes where RM30 billion would be injected into a Bumiputera Economic Council that would distribute it to the relevant bodies.
Down in the dirty jungle, this is what’s called ‘throw money at the problem’ policy (actually that’s not true, there is no printed currency in the jungle).
With all these efforts, how much of it actually reaches the poor, the disempowered? Bumiputra progress has been lagging since 2009, and the bottom 40% has shown little improvement despite the existence of beneficial policies.
Throwing money into entrepreneurial programmes, ensuring that Petronas projects benefit bumiputra companies, adding to the shares of Amanah Saham Bumiputera – one would expect only those of the middle class and above to be able to take true advantage of these opportunities.
Where are the poor bumiputra going to scrape up the money to fund a company that will win million-dollar contracts? Where are they going to find the money to invest? How will they even know these exist, when they have little awareness and little education?
It looks like these empowerment efforts tend to benefit the same few who have already made bank with previous policies. And no wonder, as the top cats that include policy makers would no doubt want to continue having their bowls filled with minimum effort and minimum competition.
Poverty in the country, on the other hand, does not seem to have shown much improvement.
Tiger thinks that most people reading this do not completely understand what it is like being poor. It is more than just not being able to keep up with monthly rental, credit card or loan payments. It is more than not being able to afford what you want. It is a completely different way of life to the one that is known by the middle classes, even those who profess to be lower-middle class and whinge about not being able to afford a Volkswagen (‘the people’s car’ konon).
In the jungle, the weak die. In a civilised society, a government exists to protect the interests of all its people, but especially the weak.
Tiger wonders why a more thoughtful approach has yet to be taken by Malaysia’s leaders to deal with income inequality. Tiger and his Brazilian friend Jaguar sometimes hang out and watch the babes…I mean the waves and shoot the breeze. Jaguar told Tiger about Bolsa Familia, the social welfare programme introduced by the Lula administration.
While there were cash handouts, the programme combines this with long term solutions that include free education and healthcare efforts for the poor. Reports say that this contributed to a 27% fall in poverty during Lula’s term.
Perhaps the Lula government were focused on changing the fortunes of their people for the better rather than making choices that would amass the most votes. Tiger wonders why some people felt that a policy that would help all poor would not amass popular support.
If a needs-based policy is implemented, wouldn’t the majority group, bumiputras in this case, still be the main beneficiaries? Something smells fishy when it looks like economic aid policies are implemented in the name of race but benefit a few, while a needs-based aid policy would benefit many, but lack political impetus to be pushed through.
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