The Malaysian Insight

ON PAPER, Mohamad Zin Jani is supposed to be the male version of “Makcik Kiah” – an archetype created by Putrajaya to show how its Bantuan Prihatin Nasional schemes will help low income families struggling through the Covid-19 pandemic.

When Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced the Prihatin schemes, he said Makcik Kiah would receive a total of about RM8,600 in aid ranging from direct cash transfers, to rental savings to micro-credit loans.

Like Makcik Kiah, Zin is a pisang goreng seller living in a low-cost flat in the Klang Valley, whose income dried up when the economy was shut down for the movement-control order (MCO) beginning on March 18.

However, that is where the similarities end, as Zin has only seen about one-fifth or 18% of what the fictitious Makcik Kiah was supposed to receive.

Zin, a 66-year-old single parent, has applied for aid from the Welfare Department and the Selangor government, only to be repeatedly turned down.

This despite the fact that on some days, he only makes RM10 in net profit from selling goreng pisang on his makeshift roadside stall in Puchong.

Zin’s experience is echoed by all of the nine B40 families The Malaysian Insight interviewed recently on how they are getting back on their feet after Malaysia opened up almost all parts of the economy on July 1.

His tale of bureaucratic red tape in applying for government aid and the dispiriting, unexplained rejections from the civil service was repeated by other families trying to scratch a living as micro-entrepreneurs.

The Perikatan Nasional (PN) government has often boasted of helping micro, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs through its Prihatin and Penjana schemes.

However, the petty traders met said they did not apply for these schemes because of the same reasons Zin mentioned.

To add insult to injury, Zin and community activists in his neighbourhood alleged the local council was going around shutting them down and, at times, seizing equipment on the excuse that they were blocking traffic.

“These local council officers still harass us when we are just trying to get back on our feet,” said Zin, referring to Subang Jaya Municipal Council officials.

V. Kabilan, who helps distribute aid and donations from civil society groups in the Puchong Perdana flats, said MPSJ is being unsympathetic to poor folk.

“Down the road, a poor auntie selling fruits near the roadside had her stall shut down. She is trying to make a little income and MPSJ shuts her down.”

“How are people supposed to recover from this crisis if MPSJ keeps going around and harassing them?”

Out of touch officers

The Muhyiddin administration announced a range of credit and digital training schemes to help micro and small entrepreneurs deal with cash flow disrupted due to the MCO.

Community activists such as Kabilan alleged that even the distribution of direct aid schemes such as food parcels by the Welfare Department was uneven and officers would skip over needy households.

In Penang, nasi campur seller Hassan Sidek has not had time to apply for a proper business licence because he was busy taking care of his ailing wife.

“As I did not have a licence, I could not get any aid. Also, the process is too tedious,” said the 62-year-old, whose income fell by 90% during the MCO.

“I hope that in this crisis, the government can look at ways to give out business aid without requiring the person to have a licence.”

David, who owns a small electronics store, had also heard about the special low interest loans under Prihatin and Penjana that are meant to help businesses like his.

“I didn’t bother to apply, because there is so much paperwork and you have to go up and down all these government departments. I’ve applied before and got rejected. It’s a waste of time,” said the 57-year-old.

Meanwhile Zin said he didn’t bother to apply for the special no-payback RM3,000 grant for micro-entrepreneurs like him because of these same reasons.

“I’ve filled in forms so many times to get aid as a single parent and I got rejected. Why should I waste my time? I am already an old man.”

Harun Yaakob, another community activist in Puchong Perdana, believed the problem lay with the civil service officers in charge of approving these applications who are out of touch with the reality on the ground.

“For example, a senior citizen applies for welfare aid and the officer sees that the guy has five grown, adult children. So, he thinks each child can donate RM100 per month to help out his dad. So, the officer rejects the application.”

What the officer does not see is that the five adult children are barely earning the minimum wage as factory workers or security guards, said Harun, who also channels aid from civil society groups to poor families in the flats.

“The problem is these officers are not on the ground to see how the poor really live.”

Harun’s colleague Kabilan saw this in action during the MCO when the Welfare Department came to distribute food parcels.

“They go to one house, they see the family has a television. So, they don’t give any food because they think you have Astro, therefore you have enough money.

“They don’t realise that the family had no income at all because of the MCO and no way to buy groceries.

“At the end of the day, the Welfare Department came with 50 bags of food but only gave something to five households.” – July 6, 2020.