Irwan Serigar: BR1M your way to an Uber career (Updated)

PUTRAJAYA: 1Malaysia People's Aid (BR1M) recipients will, by this year, be able to utilise the financial aid to purchase a Proton Iriz and sign themselves up as an Uber driver.
Treasury Secretary-General Tan Sri Dr Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah (pix) said the government is currently negotiating with Proton, Uber and the Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) to finalise details.
He said this was one of several changes the government is looking at improving the BR1M distribution mechanism for the rakyat to take advantage of.
"We are already negotiating. I'm not sure of the status yet, but it will be implemented by this year.
"Recipients will be able to utilise BR1M, and Proton will be providing a RM4,000 discount to them. They can use this to get themselves into being an Uber driver," he told a press conference, here, today.
"This is what we are encouraging, and some of the changes that we are implementing. It will help those from the B40 group to achieve income that would put them in the M40 group," he added.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak had, in his Budget 2017 tabling last October, announced that a downpayment for a vehicle can be made using BR1M, with a rebate of RM4,000 being provided for the purchase of a Proton Iriz.
He said this was to encourage the B40 group (those with a household income of up to RM3,855) to join ride sharing app companies like Uber.
Mohd Irwan said the government is also currently looking for a mechanism on how best to implement BR1M, including to use it for skills trainings to help the low income group achieve better incomes.
He also dismissed allegations that the country's economy was getting weaker, claiming that those were just perceptions created by certain quarters, and that the economy remained strong.
He said certain groups and alternative media are publishing stories that made the country look as if it was in trouble, and that this is hurting the economy.
"I was in San Francisco and London recently, and people asked me whether we are in turmoil. I said no, that certain things people are writing are not true.
"We need to correct the perception. The truth is our economy is strong and will continue to be stronger under Najib's leadership.
"We are not in difficulty or trouble. The economy and debt is still manageable. It's the domestic noises that are creating these problems," he said.
Meanwhile, Mohd Irwan said 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) has already appointed Parker Randell, an international auditing firm and the fourth to be appointed to audit the state investment arm, as its new auditor, and that auditing has also started.
"They are already doing the auditing on some of 1MDB's subsidiaries. It's ongoing, we have to wait for the report," he said.
When asked on details of the company, Mohd Irwan said: "You can check that with Companies Commission of Malaysia."