Five types of aid for single mums

EASING THE BURDEN: Govt all out to help women face rising cost of living 

KUALA LUMPUR: SINGLE mothers are set to receive a host of benefits, including a customer discount card, an affordable insurance scheme, housing and legal aid to ease their financial burden.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said some 831,860 single mothers were eligible to receive the 1Malaysia consumer discount card, which allows women registered with the government to receive between five and 50 per cent discount on purchases at 2,170 premises in Malaysia.

"Along with other programmes, such as the 1Malaysia People's Aid (BR1M), this will reduce the financial burden of our mothers in the face of rising costs," he said at a gathering attended by 13,000 single mothers at the Putra World Trade Centre, here, yesterday.

Najib, who is also Barisan Nasional chairman, said single mothers would receive more benefits if the coalition was given the people's mandate in the 13th General Election, including a RM12 million life insurance scheme. The scheme, he said involved a RM12 annual premium that would allow the women to receive up to RM5,000 in death benefits, RM10,000 in accident coverage and RM10,000 for disability caused by accidents.

"This insurance scheme will be added to our election manifesto as part of our pledge to help single mothers."

Legal aid would be provided to single mothers to help them deal with cases such as divorce and maintenance, he said.

A percentage of the People's Housing Projects (PPR) will be set aside for single mothers.

Najib also said cash aid would be provided to 125,393 single mothers in Selangor. He said the opposition-led Selangor government failed to fulfil the same pledge made in the 2008 general election.

"If the opposition can't fulfil their promises, BN will do it."

Najib said the BN government would continue to support and uphold the interests of single mothers, a demographic he viewed as a "fixed deposit" given their loyalty to the coalition.

"I want to do more for single mothers but we have to cross a small bridge first... a bridge that ends on May 5 (polling day)."

Najib also launched the Malaysian Single Mothers' Network (Juwita), a body which will allow single mothers' associations to raise issues relating to their plight with the central leadership.