Wednesday, 21 Jul 2021 06:59 AM MYT
BY SYED JAYMAL ZAHIID
Zaidi Dollah, 56, hoisting a white flag in front of his house in Kampung Banggol, Gelang Mas, Kelantan, July 1, 2021. Bernama pic
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KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 While the informal #benderaputih movement to help to the sections of the country most in need of assistance was lauded by many, some responded cynically and disparaged the humanitarian campaign.
These people derided the movement where desperate households were asked to raise a white flag to signal a call for help as yet another way for those they viewed as lazy to get yet another handout.
YOURSAY | NEP: A noble idea still being abused 50 years later
Modified12:20 am
Existential Turd: A noble idea without accountability as well as effective checks and balances is just an open invitation to abuse. And the New Economic Policy (NEP), along with all its iterations, was abused.
Several observations can be made. Implementation-wise, the NEP only benefited the well-connected. Maybe some marginal benefits went to those who deserved it, just to give the policy some semblance of respectability.
But the well-connected control all the channels of dissemination of benefits. The poor received some help and they were fed propaganda that if they chose a more meritocratic way of doing things, they would not even receive the meagre help they are getting. So they keep electing the same people who exploit them, general election after general election.
July 11, 2021
A woman sits on an art installation at Trans Studio in Jakarta, Indonesia. Photo: Reuters
Before Covid-19 hammered the Malaysian economy, Kuala Lumpur native Jeremy Johnson made 7,000 ringgit ($2,250) a month as the general manager of a coffee company, and even had a car as part of his work benefits.
His family of six were firmly entrenched in the middle class: what Malaysia calls the M40 – for the 40 per cent of households considered “middle income” – defined as those earning 4,850 ringgit to 10,959 ringgit a month.
But movement restrictions forcing people to work from home and cautious spending from consumers hit his company hard and Johnson lost his job in August last year.
Human Writes: Ordinary Malaysians step up as families become desperate thestar.com.my - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thestar.com.my Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Is Covid-19 terminal for the rising middle classes of Malaysia and Indonesia? A woman sits on an art installation at Trans Studio in Jakarta, Indonesia. Photo: Reuters
Before Covid-19 hammered the Malaysian economy, Kuala Lumpur native Jeremy Johnson, 43, made 7,000 ringgit (US$1,670) a month as the general manager of a coffee company and even had a car as part of his work benefits. His family of six were firmly entrenched in the middle class - what Malaysia calls the M40, for the 40 per cent of households considered middle income , defined as those earning 4,850 ringgit to 10,959 ringgit a month.
But movement restrictions forcing people to work from home and cautious spending from consumers hit his company hard and Johnson lost his job in August last year. Since he was the sole breadwinner, that one change swept his family into the low-income group. He is unable to access government handouts and relies on assistance from his family and friends from church.