KUALA LUMPUR – Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abul Razak said that much of the government aid handed out to Malaysians during the current pandemic is rooted in programmes conceived by the Barisan Nasional government before May 2018.
He cited the 1Malaysia People's Aid cash handout as an example, which was renamed as Cost of Living Aid under the Pakatan Harapan administration from May 2018 to February 2020.
It was subsequently rebranded as Bantuan Prihatin Nasional under the current Perikatan Nasional government.
“Whatever the name it is given, its foundation, goals, and methods were started and issued during the BN administration,” he said during a livestreamed year-end address on his personal Facebook page this evening.
“It also eased the way for the government to hand out assistance to people in need, especially those facing Covid-19.”
He said regardless of the varied opinions and theories surrounding the policies, direct assistance to the people is the right decision and should be continued.
Najib, who was prime minister and Umno president from 2009 to 2018, also pointed to the Workers' Insurance Scheme under the Social Security Organisation, which was tabled and approved in 2017, and then implemented in 2018.
“At the time, there were those that mocked and berated me. There were some who wanted the scheme to be fully abolished, but I have been sincere in wanting to help the people,” he said.
He added that he had always wanted to provide a social safety net for the people as he did not want anyone to lose their jobs or income, although there were times that unforeseen circumstances made such instances unavoidable.
“Whether it is due to PH’s weakness in managing the economy or due to Covid-19 this year, hundreds of thousands have benefited from the insurance scheme.”
He said that this year alone, 100,000 Malaysians had received assistance from the scheme, which provided for up to 80% of their salary and RM10,000 for those eligible.
Najib also said BN was instrumental in urging the government to allow the people to make withdrawals from their Employee Provident Fund.
“But I was not satisfied with the tight conditions as many did not have the opportunity (to withdraw) as they were not eligible,” he said.
“But later, this was expanded for two million people, and later eight million people, to benefit.
"What we wanted were EPF withdrawals without tight conditions. There were many who likened it to applying for loans at banks and there are still millions of people who cannot make any withdrawal from EPF at the moment."
He added that he did not understand why millions of people needed to go through long queues at EPF offices during a pandemic to submit documentation.
“It does not make sense and endangers many people. It is also the same for the moratorium. Many have been affected because the banks refuse to compromise and place importance on profits rather than the hardships faced by the people,” he said.
“But the reality today is that I am not the government and the decisions were not in my hands. I can only bring the people's voice in giving pressure to the government so that they are heard and respected.”
Najib also said he would continue to amplify the people's voices because “there was nothing more important than the welfare of the people”. – The Vibes, December 30, 2020
