Media statement by Dr. Hiew King Cheu in Kota Kinabalu on Saturday, 5^th November 2011:

RM100 for school children created complaints

Angry parents have filed their complaints to my office regarding the arrangement set by the government to give the school children the RM100 following the announcement made by the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak recently.

According to the parents who approached my office said that they are required to open an account with the BSN for the kids and must bring the kids along to verify before the account can be opened. There is a long queue and many parents are confused and needed to wait for a long time just to get the account approved and the RM100. For the parents in the remote area, they have to pay RM50.00 of transport in order to register with the bank for the RM100.00.

They said the government is actually torturing the people with the mere RM100, and there is no proper arrangement as how the money to be released and distributed. This is ridiculous and cannot be acceptable said the parents.

They should allow the school to arrange for the money to the student and to bank-in directly to their individual bank accounts. Many young kids already have their own accounts anyway, said the parents. They claimed it is not worth it even though they were given the RM100, and the time and effort spent is really too much to bear.

I went on site to witness the crowd who waited for the BSN bank staff to open the account for the students and I also listened to their grouses and complaints. I also checked with some school principals and found out that many schools did not received any form of instruction from the department concern. It is all confusion after confusion. The principals also said why not allow them to handle this money directly through the school, because it will be more direct and easy, and it will save a lot of the parents' time to get the RM100. We can bank in directly the money to the students' accounts without trouble and mistakes. The schools will have extra work load to arrange and distribute the money.

The arrangement to give the student the RM100 is being carried too hastily and without proper arrangement. There will be many mistake and abuses occurring here and there. I advices the government to review the situation and should come out with a better system of distribution. The bad administrative system of the present government in giving cash money to the students which in turns brings along many side effects. This will not help the students in the long run, and many people suggested that the students should be assisted in some other forms and ways in stead of the RM100 cash. Instead, the school can utilize the RM100.00 to help the students to pay their tuition fees, the PTA expenses, sport uniform and other miscellaneous fees.

* Dr Hiew King Cheu, MP for Kota Kinabalu