PM announces extra 1Malaysia shops, clinics to help poor cope with ringgit plunge

PUTRAJAYA, Sept 14 — As market fluctuations continue to batter Malaysia’s currency, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced today his government will build 37 more grocery shops and 39 more clinics under the 1Malaysia brand to help provide cheaper goods and services to the country’s bottom 40 per cent income earners.

He also said the government aims to hasten the construction of more affordable houses as well as ease housing loans for the younger generation under its Young Couples Housing Scheme where they will also receive RM200 a month for two years to service the loan.

The announcement was a part of a raft of policies derived to help low-income earners cope with rising inflation amid Malaysia’s economic slowdown.

“To help households deal with the rising cost of living, these are the actions we will take,” Najib told a press conference here.

The prime minister said at the moment, there 169 outlets that provide affordable services and goods like the Kedai Rakyat 1 Malaysia (KR1M), Kedai Kain 1 Malaysia, Menu 1 Malaysia and Kedai Buku 1 Malaysia.

He said 25 more will be added this year and 12 more in 2016.

As for the 1 Malaysia clinics, Putrajaya will add 16 more this year and 33 more the next.

Najib also announced an easy payment scheme for loan takers. He said this will help them adjust payments to lenders accordingly during tough times.

On affordable housing, the prime minister said the Finance Ministry will offer housing schemes to 20,000 young couples aged between 25 to 40 years.

Those eligible for the RM200 incentive to pay for the housing loans are those with household incomes of less than RM10,000 a month and properties valued between RM100,000 and RM500,000.

Najib also announced measures to address graduate unemployment, although he maintained that the rate remains stable compared to that during the 1998 Asian financial crisis.

Training schemes will be provided to improve skills tailored for labour market demands. The trainings will be provided by government-linked companies as part of its corporate social responsibility programme.