By Mariam Mokhtar

Just over a year ago, Muhyiddin Yassin presented the People's Economic Stimulus Package (Prihatin) worth around RM250 billion to ease the burden of the rakyat.

To illustrate the aid which the average Malaysian would receive from the government, he used a fictitious woman called "Makcik Kiah" to show the cash support and savings she would accrue over a six-month period.

In his speech in March 2020, Muhyiddin calculated that Makcik Kiah and her family would receive RM8,664 of aid over a six-month period, or RM1,444 per month. He claimed that her total savings would be RM4.464.

He proudly boasted, "Even Makcik Kiah can smile a little after listening to my calculations."

Today, we ask, "Is Makcik Kiah still smiling?"

To remind readers, Muhyiddin's Makcik Kiah sells banana fritters (goreng pisang) and lives in a government housing project. Her husband, a government pensioner, earns extra income as a Grab driver. Their daughter borrowed money from the government's PTPTN student loan scheme. Their unmarried son lives with them.

In reality, Makcik Kiah is livid. She does not have any savings, nor does she have the money to pay off any of her commitments such as her rent, car loan, her electricity bill or her daughter's student loan.

In the Prihatin package, these payments were suspended for six months. They were not waived. So, what will happen when she is forced to resume making the payments? Makcik Kiah did not save RM4,464. Deferred payments cannot be called savings. She was misled.

During the lockdown, Makcik Kiah was unable to sell goreng pisang. She could not earn any money, her husband, a Grab driver was in a similar position.

As she is unable to pay her bills, Makcik Kiah will end up deeper in debt. Petty traders like her want to know if there is a stimulus package for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the backbone of the economy.

Despite not being able to trade as normal, businesses still had to pay rent and service charges. Many were forced to close down and make their staff redundant. The owners and employees have loans and family commitments, such as educational loans.

It is not just petty traders who are angry. Green Identity Card holders and stateless people are ineligible for aid from the state.

One green IC holder said, "As far as the government is concerned, we do not exist. So how can we apply for state aid?"

Many of these people are illegitimate children or children of parents who are illiterate. They were unaware that the birth of their children had to be registered.

Friends who run soup kitchens have admitted that more people are utilizing their services so that they can at least get one decent meal a day.

One attendee who joined the soup kitchen said, "Last year I had a decent job, but when the coronavirus pandemic worsened, my boss closed shop and fired his staff.

"I have no money to buy food and I cannot forget the photo on social media of parliamentarians eating a meal of lobsters when outside parliament, people are starving.

"Some friends get food parcels from NGOs to feed their families. We are suffering."

Petty traders are also furious with the flip-flop about trading laws. After pressure from food hawkers, the government said that Ramadan bazaars could open till 2am. The relaxation in lockdown rules after little consideration caused another spike in coronavirus infections.

Food sellers were livid when the rules changed again and they were told they could not trade. Many demanded compensation for the food wasted. They said that the poor communication was both erratic and confusing.

Lack of information and late announcements of school openings have angered many parents and teachers. In addition, Malaysians were appalled by the slow vaccination rollout.

Others were angry at the lack of a concerted plan to manage the coronavirus pandemic. The bad example set by ministers made people increasingly reluctant to observe the rules.

As the disease has not been taken seriously, infections and deaths have risen. Reports of refrigerated containers being used as temporary morgues have caused alarm.

Unemployment, children's futures being uncertain, and the more contagious variant of coronavirus are all cause for concern.

Makcik Kiah is not smiling, but what is the government doing to address her fears?

Source:

1. Malaysia Kini: 'Mak cik Kiah pun dah boleh tersenyum sikit'

2. Berita Harian: "Keluarga Makcik Kiah dapat manfaat lebih RM8,600" – PM

3. Aliran: Muhyiddin, don't mislead Makcik Kiah; her saving is not RM4,464 – it's a hoax!

4. Channel News Asia: COVID-19: Another total lockdown would be 'very detrimental' to Malaysia's economy, says finance minister

5. Malay Mail: More than a year after Covid-19, Malaysian soup kitchens, companies still feeding the poor who need help

6. Yahoo News: Malaysian PM and friends called out over RM6,500 feast in Parliament House

7. The Star TV: Budget 2021: Special aid to be given to civil servants

8. Malay Mail: Muhyiddin's visit to spur Riyadh-KL ties to new heights, says Saudi foreign minister

9. The Straits Times: Malaysia exempts travelling ministers from quarantine, raising anger over double standards

10. Free Malaysia Today: RM60K for Neelofa, RM50K for burger seller – it's just not fine, say netizens

11. Yahoo News: Oops, she did it again? Neelofa and family reportedly break MCO rules again, this time over Hari Raya visit

12. The Edge Markets: Aidilfitri bazaars allowed to operate until 2am, says Ismail Sabri

13. Malay Mail: Govt owes us an explanation, say some parents wrong-footed by school reopening in March

14. The Edge Markets: Special Report: Why is Malaysia lagging behind in the vaccination rollout?

15. Malaysia Kini: Health director shares stories of how Covid-19 spread in Terengganu

16. The Star: Container doubles up as morgue

(Mariam Mokhtar is a Freelance Writer.)