BIGGEST JOKE: NAJIB INCREASES BR1M TO RM1,200, THEN CLAIMS M’SIA IS ‘UPPER MIDDLE INCOME’ NATION

PETALING JAYA – The Government will increase the 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) next year for various categories eligible for the assistance.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said households in the e-Kasih database with a monthly income below RM3,000 will see their BR1M increased to RM1,200 from RM1,050 and RM1,000.

“For households earning between RM3,000 and RM4,000, BR1M will be increased from RM800 to RM900,” Najib said in his Budget 2017 speech in Parliament Friday.

Meanwhile, single individuals earning below RM2,000 monthly will enjoy an increase in assistance from RM400 to RM450.

In announcing the increase in BR1M, Najib hit out at those who referred to the aid as “animal feed’ and “bait”.

“Mr Speaker, BR1M is not animal feed nor is it bait. Rather, it is a sincere assistance from the Government as we always prioritise the rakyat’s needs. Hence, we are providing more assistance,” he said to cheers from the floor.

Najib, who is Finance Minister, also announced that the annual Bereavement Scheme would be continued with an RM1,000 compensation for next of kin of BR1M recipients for the households and elderly category.

“Overall, the BR1M programme will benefit seven million recipients with an allocation of RM6.8bil,” he added.

UPPER MIDDLE CLASS

Malaysia has achieved the status of an upper middle-income nation based on its Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) per capita, according to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

PPP, determined by the World Bank in a report every three years, refers to the quantity of currency needed to buy a common basket of goods and services, taking into account the cost of living and inflation.

In presenting the RM260.8bil Budget 2017 in Parliament Friday, Najib said Malaysia’s PPP per capita increased from US$23,100 in 2012 to US$26,891 in 2015.

In his speech titled “Ensuring Unity and Economic Growth, Inclusive Prudent Spending, Wellbeing of the Rakyat”, the Finance Minister proposed RM214.8bil be allocated as operating expenditure and RM46bil as development expenditure.

 He said the total did not include contingency reserves of RM2bil.

This is the eighth budget presented by Najib since he became Prime Minister in 2009.

ANN