Klang MP: RM1,000 aid is chicken feed to flood victims who lost everything
The government has announced several aid incentives for flood victims, such as loan moratoriums, interest-free loans to buy household goods and cash aid.
However, the RM1,000 cash aid per family has been deemed as insufficient to help flood victims, with one lawmaker describing the amount as "chicken feed".
The government has announced several aid incentives for flood victims, such as loan moratoriums, interest-free loans to buy household goods and cash aid.
However, the RM1,000 cash aid per family has been deemed as insufficient to help flood victims, with one lawmaker describing the amount as "chicken feed".
Klang MP Charles Santiago - whose constituency was hard hit by floods last weekend - said many victims had lost everything.
"RM1,000 aid is chicken feed... it will not be able to solve their problems by even five percent.
"In the last few days, we have been on the ground and found that lots and lots of people have lost everything... their furniture, personal documents, kitchenware, everything.
"The worst part of it, many people have also lost money. Many were already unemployed because of the Covid-19 pandemic," he told Malaysiakini.
He added that many he met are also traumatised by the floods, fearing to go to sleep and crying at the sight of rain.
In order to relieve them of their burdens financially, Santiago proposed that the aid be increased to a minimum of RM10,000 per family, with the option of additional aid on a case by case basis.
He said the government should look at this not only as a sustained relief package but also as a way to jump-start the economy.
He also suggested that the government give businesses affected by the floods RM1,500 in rental relief for two months, citing the heavy impact on small businesses who were just starting to recover from the pandemic.
At present, the government is giving RM1,000 per family affected by floods and RM5,000 to the next-of-kin of those killed by the deluge.
Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob also announced that flood victims could get loan moratoriums of up to six months and interest-free loans up to RM5,000 from Bank Simpanan Nasional to buy household goods, among others.
Santiago is not alone in calling for an increased cash aid package. Many are also making similar calls and pointing out that replacing even basic furniture and appliances will cost more than RM1,000.
A tweet calling for aid to be increased to RM5,000 has been retweeted more than 3,500 times as of writing.
Police report not needed to apply for aid
Meanwhile, there also appears to be confusion and a lack of clarity on how to apply for the flood cash aid.
One Klang resident, who only wished to be identified as Wang, said many initially believed they needed to file a police report in order to apply for aid.
She said more than 60 people were waiting at the Taman Sentosa police station when she went on Wednesday morning - most of whom wanted to file a report that their house was flooded.
"I waited almost three hours (for my turn to lodge a report) before someone informed the crowd that a police report was not required to apply for the RM1,000 aid," she told Malaysiakini.
The Vibes also reported another incident on Tuesday when flood victims believed they had to make a police report before applying for aid.
Checks on social media found that postings by the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) on the aid application process have not been widely shared.
According to a Nadma FAQ on Wednesday, flood victims who had been evacuated to temporary relief shelters (PPS) will have their aid applications processed there.
Those who were not evacuated to a PPS will have to apply via their district office or community leader.
Only the head of the household is allowed to make an application.
Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh, however, has raised questions on how frequently flood cash aid would be disbursed.
This is after Ismail said aid would be given for each flood event, while Nadma said it is only once per "disaster season".
Yeoh said this lack of clarity in the aid process could lead to abuses.
"Conflicting SOPs, vague answers, confusion on how to apply will only result in abuse and just a lot of wastage if the actual victims have no access to such funds," she told Malaysiakini.
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