KUALA LUMPUR: The Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (Asli) Centre of Public Policy Studies has proposed the establishment of the Public Fund to Eliminate Hunger (PFEH) to help the bottom 40 (B40) household income group in the country.
Chairman Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam (pix) said the National Economic Action Council (NEAC) should consider setting up the fund as it had yet to come up with measures to reduce prices of basic necessities and prevent hunger.
“We established a national fund to alleviate the national debt problem and raised a large sum of money. Why can’t we do it again for a more needy and human cause like reducing hunger, please?”
“The PFEH could be a public-private sector initiative and could be supported by crowd funding. If 15 million adult Malaysians donate an average of just RM10, we can raise at least RM150 million. I am prepared like many others, to contribute my mite to this PFEH,“ said Ramon in a statement today.
He also proposed that the government raise its allocation for the Foodbank Malaysia programme from RM3 million to RM30 million, not only to cater for B40 students in public universities, but also to distribute surplus food supplies from supermarkets and hotels to the hungry poor.
On Monday, the Finance Ministry announced it had approved a special allocation of RM3 million for the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs to implement the foodbank programme for B40 income group, including students at 20 public universities.
Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said the allocation would be used to purchase 14 refrigerated lorries for logistics purposes.
Meanwhile, Ramon said a National Campaign to Reduce Hunger could also be introduced to help those outside the Klang Valley such as rural villages and small towns.
“If the budget deficit is further strained, then please cut down on the low priority development project expenditure or phase out the implementation out over a longer period, until we overcome the present budget constraints,” he added.
Besides fighting against expenditure wastage, corruption, administration inefficiencies and undue protectionism, Ramon said the NEAC could also explore the possibility of reducing the widening income gap and disparities, which have caused so much resentment.
He said the resentment could lead to social unrest due to the rising cost of living and prices, adding, enforcement agencies should be faster in countering racial and religious extremist views that often appear on video clips and not withdrawn on time.
“These extremists can exploit hunger and poverty and should be pulled up before they do more damage to peace, security and national unity,“ Ramon said. — Bernama
