Handout culture causing people to depend on aid, says MP

SHAH ALAM - The handout culture is causing people to become more dependent on aid, says Wangsa Maju MP Zahir Hassan.

He said this ongoing practice has created a culture where people expect and hope for handouts, to the point where some families delay buying necessary items until the "Back To School" programme where most of the items are provided for free.

“It becomes part of a culture where people hope and expect that thing (handouts).

“It has reached to a point where some families would choose not to buy a bag until ‘Back To School’ programme,” he said as a Sinar Wacana panellist titled ‘Livelihood: Are People Still Tightly Constrained?’ aired on all Sinar Harian platforms last night.

Other panellists were the Central Pas Muslimat Council deputy chief Dr Rosni Adam and Malaysian Muslim Consumers Association (MCAM) activist Izham Nayan while Ismail Adnan acted as a moderator.

Zahir said while short-term gains from aid can help people gain financial stability but sustainable initiatives and programmes are needed to help them become independent.

For instance, he said the Selangor government has launched the People's Income Initiative, which offers farming and food sales opportunities to B40 and hard-working poor groups, among others, to enable them to stand on their own without relying on government aid.

“This is important because with the people relying on the government, they would follow suit on the government’s words but I believe that Malaysians are now smarter.

“However, we want people to be free from poverty so they can experience true freedom not only from an economic standpoint but on deciding the future of politics too,” he added.