BY: NICHOLAS LIM

While there has always been a welfare system in this country to cater to the down and out, it now looks like, given the changes the Covid-19 pandemic brought about, that Malaysia must become a full-fledged welfare state.

The reason for this is simple and obvious. The huge number of Malaysian households that are carrying debt and the subsequent spate of bankruptcies that have mushroomed gives the nation no choice but to be a welfare state.

While this is not a cheerful assessment, the future for many Malaysians in this country will be bleak if there is no government intervention in providing financial assistance and other forms of aid to assist the poor and needy, especially those in the B40 Group.

The Malaysian government is doing the right thing to alleviate the suffering of the poor and needy and by providing schemes and opportunities for people to get their lives back on track, especially with regard to their finances.

More economic opportunities must be created by the government and more jobs that provide meaningful employment with appropriate salaries based on deliverables must be given priority by those in power.

The fact that Malaysia has become a welfare state is nothing to be ashamed of but there is no need to stay as a basket case. The government just has be proactive in devising mechanisms to pull Malaysians out of the rut of poverty.

-THE MALAYSIA VOICE

** The views expressed on this opinion is of the writer and not the publisher