FOLK in Penang’s Bagan parliamentary constituency who qualify for the 1Malaysia People’s Aid can collect their vouchers at Bagan MCA’s One-Stop Service Centre in Jalan Kampung Benggali, Butterworth.
From today till tomorrow, they can drop by the centre from 10am to 4pm (lunch break is from noon to 1pm) to collect their vouchers.
Uncollected vouchers will be posted to recipients’ addresses, said MCA state secretary Dr Tan Chuan Hong.
He said 1,058 people in the constituency would be getting the vouchers and the MCA division was providing the service to ensure that the aid would reach the hands of recipients.
He said MCA had gained much experience in helping the people receive their BR1M aid without hassle since it had been in place for six years.
“Rather than risking the vouchers being lost in the mail or sent to old addresses, we have learnt that this is the best way for us to look after BR1M recipients in our constituency,” he said.
Dr Tan expressed happiness on seeing people of all races going to the service centre to collect their vouchers on Sunday when the service began.
“This is a tangible benefit that reaches out to Malaysians who need it without including people in higher income groups who don’t need it,” Dr Tan said, comparing BR1M to previous subsidies on commodities such as foodstuff and fuel.
Also present to help recipients check and receive the aid was MIC central working committee member J. Dhinagaran.
BR1M vouchers were also handed out on Penang island yesterday, and the timing could not have been better for Noraini Khairudin, 46, from Air Itam because she had just quit her job in a factory to look after her mother who underwent surgery to treat her cancer.
“For an unemployed, BR1M is a blessing,” she smiled after collecting her aid at SK Sri Aman.
The staff of Bank Simpanan Nasional were also at the school to help recipients redeem their vouchers on the spot.
Rohani Said, 56, who works as a cleaner, said the money would be a rare treat for her.
“My kids have all grown up so I might spoil myself a little and save a part of my salary,” said Rohani.
Gerakan Air Itam constituency coordinator Cheang Chee Gooi, who oversaw the operations at the school, said the aid had a positive spillover impact on the economic strata of lower income groups because it would boost their spending, which would in turn benefit the economy in their community.
“We believe that as the Malaysian economy grows, the amount of aid given through BR1M will increase too,” he said.
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