PETALING JAYA: The prime minister has been urged to address the cost-of-living crisis that has hit the B60, a downgrade from the B40, due to inflation and price increases. This means that now 60% of Malaysian households would earn below RM4,850.
In congratulating Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri on completing his first year as prime minister, Klang MP Charles Santiago highlighted the plight of the lower-income group in the country.
“In the various interviews to commemorate the first year, he mentioned the need to do more for the people, especially the poor,” Santiago said in a statement today.
“The steep increase in price levels impacts different groups of people differently.
“It also exposes the vulnerabilities in Malaysia’s food security and hits the poor significantly as they spend about 25% of their monthly income on food as opposed to the rich, who spend about 12.6 per cent.
“Big corporations are minting profits by the billions, whereas the ‘new poor’ (B60) are struggling to put food on the table. So, what’s the next best option for them?”
Santiago said the poor are resorting to cheap but unhealthy food supplies such as instant noodles. Children are fed carbohydrates as a way of keeping their stomachs full, he pointed out.
“Ismail Sabri’s government has to, therefore, ensure domestic food security because now, we depend on foreign imports for local use.
“To do this, the ‘wakaf’ land, for example, could be used for agricultural production. And while productivity through greater use of technology should be encouraged, it is important to eliminate middleman and monopolies that control production and costs.
“In short, the government must make agriculture ‘sexy’ again, especially to the young,” he said.
The MP said he understands this is a bit more complicated as SMEs in the food production sectors face difficulty producing at previous price levels due to global supply chain shortages, lack of workers and a weaker currency resulting in business closure or reduced production for the market.
“To mitigate the short labour supply, the government should consider the employment of refugees, prison labour and documenting existing undocumented workers.
“However, 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,” he said.
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.
The government could also consider a targeted breakfast scheme to overcome stunted growth and malnourishment among schoolchildren, Santiago added.
