By Clara Chooi
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 28 ― Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today described Barisan Nasional’s (BN) Budget 2013 handouts as mere “titbits” fed to the poor and middle income earners, pointing out that the move would do nothing to narrow the country’s income gap.
The prime minister hopeful agreed that the fresh round of cash handouts in Budget 2013 to middle- and lower-income Malaysians was proof that the government was merely concerned with its chances at the ballot boxes in the coming months.
“The announcements of handouts to general Malaysians is just a small dosage for the elections... but the basic structural problem of the country, where the rich cronies and their family members amass millions of dollars of profits through improper means ― that is left intact,” Anwar said.
He pointed out that disbursing one-off cash aids to Malaysians but failing to address these allegedly “improper” amassing of wealth by government cronies would not help improve the livelihoods of the masses.
“That is our problem ― because the profits amassed by the rich, in the billions, should be fairly distributed to those in the middle to lower income categories.
“Now, all you do is feed titbits to these groups but you do not touch the massive monopolies that have reaped billions from the country,” he said.
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