Muslimat chief tells Malaysians not to be pound-foolish

Dec 13: The adage 'penny-wise and pound foolish' best describes those who are taken in by the RM500 one-off cash aid by the government through the Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) programme. According to PAS Muslimat chief Siti Zailah Mohd Yusuf (pic), people should not invite another five years of suffering and pain in exchange for the one-off payment, saying the exercise was another vote-fishing tactic by UMNO. “Don’t profit for a day, and suffer loses for another five years under UMNO-BN. This one-off phenomenon is happening robustly now. This is the spin off from the culture of corruption engraved deep in UMNO-BN’s administration,” she told Harakahdaily. Zailah described the cash aid a temporary relief, and warned that living costs would continue to rise so long as Barisan Nasional was in power. She reminded those with many dependents "not to be too excited with the amount of RM500". Last Saturday, second finance minister Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, launching the RM2.6 billion-funded Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia, said there were 5.2 million people eligible to receive the aid based on data received from the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN). He added that applications would be referred back to Bank Negara Malaysia, among others. Successful applicants can expect the aid by mid-January next year, two months ahead of the widely speculated 13th general election.