The Malaysian Insight

SELANGOR, the country’s richest state, has cut back on popular aid programmes for low-income residents and a state opposition leader is worried that more cuts are on the way next year.

These are mostly programmes under the Inisiatif Peduli Rakyat umbrella, such as Skim Peduli Sihat for B40 households to visit private clinics and KISS, which gives out monthly food supplies to poor mothers.

In its 2019 budget, Selangor slashed its free water programme by more than half compared with that of 2018.

This prompted Selangor opposition and state Umno leader Rizam Ismail to question whether more cuts are on the way next year when the Selangor Pakatan Harapan government unveils its 2020 budget.

Also cut were death payments of RM2,500 for residents to help pay the cost of funerals, Rizam said.

In his 2019 budget speech, Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari said the state is streamlining and restructuring these programmes.

However, Rizam disputes this, blaming mismanagement of the state economy as revenues are decreasing.

“We are worried that this trend will continue next year in the 2020 budget.

“The allocations for the programmes are being slashed, as is the number of recipients,” said Rizam, who is also Sungai Air Tawar assemblyman.

“If the state was so rich in the past under (former menteri besar) Khalid Ibrahim and they could give out large allocations, why aren’t they able to continue now?” Rizam told The Malaysian Insight.

“Is it because they won big in the 14th general election and they are in control of the federal government, so they think they can do what they want?”

Larger majorities

Selangor fell to Pakatan Rakyat parties – DAP, PKR and PAS – in the 2008 general election.

In the 2013 elections, the coalition increased its majority in the state legislature from 36 out of 56 seats to 44 seats.

In GE14 last year, new alliance PH – replacing PAS with Bersatu and Amanah – won a whopping 50 state seats.

Initiatives such as the free water programme, funeral aid, Selangor babies trust fund and the senior citizens’ aid scheme are the reasons PH has been able to expand its control of Selangor.

The euphoria of its huge win in Selangor, however, was dampened when it announced a budget of RM2.65 billion for 2019, about RM470 million less than the previous year.

A huge cut came from its free water programme, which was slashed from RM185 million in 2018 to RM80 million for 2019, according to a comparison of budget speeches for both years.

Starting this year, free water would only be given to B40 households registered under the federal government’s e-kasih data base.

In 2018, RM72 million was earmarked for KISS, a programme where RM200 a month is given to low-income mothers to buy groceries and toiletries at selected supermarkets.

In the 2019, Amirudin said only RM50 million would be allocated for KISS.

Allocations have also been cut by half for Skim Peduli Sihat, another popular programme where low-income families would get RM500 per year to visit private clinics.

In 2018, RM20 million was allocated for Skim Peduli Sihat, but only RM10 million in 2019.

In his budget 2019 speech, Amirudin said Selangor is restructuring all of its welfare programmes, including KISS and Skim Peduli Sihat, so that it will only benefit those who deserve help.

“The programmes will focus on the target groups who need them and not just be distributed freely. In other words, the programmes will be implemented strategically to give more impact to the B40.”

Rizam does not accept the state’s rationale for slashing the programmes.

“I think Selangor voters were taken for a ride in GE14. They gave PH a huge mandate but they had these programmes cut.” – August 21, 2019.