Padu must take M40 singles’ situation into account, experts say

KUALA LUMPUR: Unmarried professionals in the capital city with a gross monthly income of more than RM5,000, categorised as the M40, are often left out from receiving government assistance because they are classified as ineligible.

However, in reality, those in the M40 group with a monthly income of between RM4,851 and RM10,970 are also financially burdened, especially those who are breadwinners in the family responsible for household needs, schooling and medical expenses.

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“Some professionals, although unmarried, have to pay for the needs of two households – their residence in Kuala Lumpur and their parents’ in their hometown or village.

“This can be stressful if the Central Database Hub (Padu) does not take into account the burden facing M40 singles,” said private sector employee Suraya Ali, 37.

Many in the M40 group breathed a sigh of relief with the launch of Padu as it takes into account their monthly household expenses, dependents and cost of living according to location and is not solely based on their income tier classification.

However, there are complaints among single M40s, especially those who have heavy responsibilities. They claim the fields in the Padu registration portal are not comprehensive and need to be improved.

Several experts are of the view that specific details related to “total dependents” and the term “household” need to be re-examined.

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Otherwise, single M40s with heavy commitments who are eligible to receive subsidies and assistance may be left out because of incomplete information gathered, said Universiti Tun Abdul Razak (UniRazak) economist Prof Dr Barjoyai Bardai.

This is because “households” are classified as those living in one house using the same allocation for utility payments, kitchen needs and daily life, while the concern is for those who live apart from their dependents.

“What is needed is a space that details the financial situation of every person registering with Padu so that the unique aspects of their financial situation can be taken into account and addressed.

“If this can be done, then it can be said that the Madani government truly cares for the well-being of its people.

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“Regulations and policies can be modified according to the specific needs of each household without the need for general rules about the definition of household and family,” he said.

The need for detailed information was raised by UKM Education Faculty head of Graduate Programmes Associate Prof Dr Ku Suhaila Ku Johari during a counselling session attended mostly by single M40s.

She said based on several studies, they are more comfortable being single because of the huge commitments of married life.

“It is subjective. We may think that M40 singles are happy as they don’t have children to send to nurseries or childcare centres and so on, but some have parents and siblings to support even though they may not be living in the same house.

“As such, I believe that the Padu system needs to be refined for groups like this because they fear they may not be eligible with the government keen to implement targeted subsidies,” she added.

Based on the figures from the Statistics Department, the percentage of unmarried women in the 25-29 age group increased to 37.8% in 2010 from 29.8% in 2000.

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Nevertheless, the government is committed to ensuring that eligible groups – including the M40 – are not left out, said Universiti Utara Malaysia deputy vice-chancellor (Student and Alumni Affairs) Prof Dr Ahmad Martadha Mohamed.

He said many in the M40 group are pressured by the challenges of life and the increasing cost of living after the Covid-19 pandemic.

“There should be no more classification of B40, M40 and T20 in determining the distribution of aid and subsidies given that the M40 group living in cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Shah Alam and Penang are increasingly pressured by the impact (of these factors).

“Considering that their salary increase is not as fast as the increase in living cost and price of goods, Padu is the answer that the M40 has been waiting for,” he said.

Padu was developed using in-house expertise by government agencies including the Economy Ministry, Statistics Department and Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (Mampu), with the cooperation and support of various ministries, agencies and state governments.

The national data hub to prevent oversights in the distribution of government aid and subsidies was launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday (Jan 2).

The system also aims to avoid leakage in the provision of aid and subsidies as studies found that the previous distribution of subsidies did not fully reach target groups. – BK