Wong (second right) presents a voucher to a recipient as Lau (right), Sim (partly hidden, third right) and others look on during the launch of BR1M 3.0 at Sibu Town Square yesterday.
Recipients check their names at the counter before taking their BR1M voucher.
An orderly queue of recipients waiting to get their cash voucher.
Tiaw Sekalai happy with no long queues and chaos.
Nibi Aying
Binit Kayan
SIBU: The distribution of 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) 3.0 cash vouchers for five state constituencies here, namely Bawang Assan, Nangka, Bukit Assek, Dudong and Pelawan, received mixed reactions, with recipients in Sibu happy to be spared of any chaotic rush.
Tiaw Sekalai, 59, from Rumah Steven Bana in Tutus, Igan near here said his assumption that there would be a long queue and chaotic situation turned out to be wrong.
“This is my first time to receive the aid. In the previous years, I heard the situation during the distribution of the voucher was unruly and not systematic.
“Some even had to queue up for long hours but today, it is different from what I heard,” he said when met at Sibu Town Square yesterday.
Tiaw said he was in seventh heaven that his application for the aid this year was approved.
Nibi Aying, 29, from Sibu Jaya said many longhouse folk were unaware of the new distribution channel of the aid through bank account.
He said eligible recipients, especially the elderly in rural areas, may not have provided their bank accounts either because they did not know about it or did not know how to update their information.
“I am one of them. Nobody informed me about the new distribution channel because I work in a timber camp upriver. Probably the government should improve on the way to spread this kind of information,” he suggested.
Another recipient, Binit Kayan, 41, from Rumah Kelukut, Nanga Telesa in Mujok, Julau, commended the government for increasing the aid amount.
Binit, who works as a crew of a tugboat, said he received RM650.
“I have three school-going children. The money will be used for their schooling purpose and some will be spent on our household expenditure. At least it lessens my burden as the breadwinner of the family,” he said.
Earlier, Second Finance Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh officiated at the presentation of the aid for the recipients who did not have bank accounts.
When met by reporters later, Wong noted that the situation was quite orderly if compared to BR1M 1.0 and BR1M 2.0 distributions.
He said BR1M recipients without bank accounts in the five state constituencies were given until March 3 to collect their vouchers from counters set up at Sibu Town Square.
“After that, the vouchers will be sent to their addresses if they did not come to claim them,” he said.
Also present at the function were Sibu Resident Sim Kok Kee and Temenggong Vincent