Media Statement by MP for Kulai, Teo Nie Ching in Parliament on 9 December 2020:
The Federal Government through Budget 2021 has agreed to increase the monthly welfare aid as per below:
- The welfare aid rate for people with disabilities who are unable to work is increased from RM250 to RM300;
- The welfare aid rate for senior citizens and people with disabilities care assistance and chronic patients are increased from RM350 to RM500;
- The allowances aid rate for people with disabilities is increased from RM400 to RM450; and
- The welfare aid rate for children from poor families increased from RM100 for each child with a maximum of RM450 for the whole family, to RM150 for each child aged from 7 to 18 years old or RM200 for each child aged 6 and below with a maximum of RM1,000 for the whole family.
According to the speech by the Finance Minister on 6 November, this rate increase involves an allocation of RM2.2 billion which is an increase of RM700 million and will benefit more than 400,000 recipients.
First question. The allocation for the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM) in the year 2020 was RM2.472 billion. The allocation for KPWKM for the year 2021 is 2.584 billion. Where is this additional RM700 million allocation mentioned by the Finance Minister?
Budget 2021 is still at its Committee stage. The Prime Minister made an announcement during the International Day of Disabled Persons 2020 on 3rd December saying that “the welfare aid from the Social Welfare Department (JKM) at this time is from RM200 to RM300 to those eligible will be increased to RM1,000, most certainly people with disabilities will be included within the social groups that will benefit from the increase. I will make sure that this suggestion will be implemented as soon as possible. Insya-Allah (God’s willing).”
Second question. When will the JKM monthly welfare aid be increased to RM1,000? What does ‘soon’ mean? January 2021? March 2021? If the YAB MP for Pagoh intends to increase the JKM monthly welfare aid to RM1,000, why wasn’t it mentioned in Budget 2021? More importantly, where is the allocation for this increase?
Moreover, if the increase were to benefit more than 400,000 recipients, we need an allocation of RM400 million a month, or RM4.8 billion per year. The allocation for KPWKM for one year plus allocation for administration and development is only RM2.5 billion per year. Where is the welfare aid for people with disabilities that was promised by the Prime Minsiter?
Third, the KPWKM Minister has failed to clarify her stance and KPWKM’s views on the acquirement of Malaysian citizenship for children born overseas to mothers with citizenship with fathers without citizenship.
If a Malaysian man were to marry with a foreign woman and have a child overseas, that child will automatically receive Malaysian citizenship. However, Malaysian woman who marries a foreigner and have a child overseas, even if the marriage is recognised, their child will not automatically granted with Malaysian citizenship.
This is discrimination and oppression against the women of Malaysia. Children of Malaysian men that are born overseas would also have the possibility to be granted dual citizenship. So why do only children of Malaysian women are considered to be a national security threat?
This is not the first time that the Home Ministry gave an answer that is oppressive and regressive in nature. Malaysian women and children are still waiting for the KPWKM Minister and her deputy to defend the rights of women and children.
Teo Nie Ching,
MP for Kulai.
