KUALA LUMPUR: The government should review its cash aid programmes and focus more on helping people earn a living, says Datuk Dr Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh.
The Pasir Puteh MP said assistance should be aimed at building self-reliance, including by providing equipment and tools for people to start or grow small businesses.
“If we have an allocation to help the people, give them a fishing rod, not fish. If we give them a fishing rod, we teach them how to provide for themselves.
“If we only give them subsidies, the fish, it teaches them to become lazy,” he said while debating the Supply Bill 2027 in the Dewan Rakyat.
Nik Muhammad Zawawi said cash assistance was still needed for certain groups, including single mothers with many children, those who were ill and persons with disabilities.
However, he said people who were able to work should be given the means to support themselves instead of depending on regular cash handouts.
“If we give them money, they may spend it all within a week. But if we give them pots, pans, machinery and equipment, they can use these tools for years and may be able to improve their lives,” he said.
Nik Muhammad Zawawi said he had studied the 2027 Budget but believed allocations to empower people remained insufficient.
He urged the government to examine its aid policies carefully to ensure assistance truly benefited recipients and the wider community.
