Senior citizens who return money will be struck off list

Senior citizens who insist on returning the RM100 received under the Senior Citizen Appreciation Programme may do so by filling in a form to be obtained at their respective district office.

State environment, health, welfare and caring society committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said they have to respect the rights of the people. "If they really believed the lies spread by Umno and wanted to return the money, we now have a standard operating procedure for them to do so," he said.

Phee, reminded the senior citizens that funds for the programme was obtained from the state government’s coffers through stringent budgeting under the Pakatan Rakyat state government.

"The programme was approved under the state budget in 2009 and the allocation came from the consolidated funds of 2009," he said.

He said it was the standard procedure that all monies received this year can’t be used as it would have to be recorded and audited before it was segmented into various sections for use in next year’s budget.

Since many senior citizens had wanted to return the money, the state government decided to come up with a proper mechanism for them to do so.

"Since the money was disbursed by the district offices, then they should rightly return the money through the district offices," he said.

In the procedure, senior citizens need to fill in a form and leave their thumbprint and a copy of their identity card for verification together with the money.

"We do not accept en bloc refunds as the money was disbursed individually and we want the individual to come to the district office to return the money personally," he said.

Upon the return of the money, the individual’s name will be struck off the iSejahtera list under the programme and they will no longer be eligible to receive the RM100 in future.

Those who wish to re-register in future will not be able to do so automatically.

Phee said this is to prevent senior citizens from being cheated as it was believed that there were groups instigating senior citizens to return the money and pocketing the money themselves.

"The money can only be returned to the district offices and nowhere else," he said.

Phee also said the state government has yet to receive the money that a few hundred senior citizens had allegedly returned through their Umno state assemblymen.

"We have not received a single sen from any of the Umno state assemblymen," he said.

Some Muslim senior citizens had expressed concern regarding the source of the funds under the Senior Citizen Appreciation Programme after Umno leaders alleged that the funding came from a donation by the Penang Turf Club.

The PR state government announced the programme in 2008 and started registration of senior citizens last year. The funds were only disbursed in the first half of this year - Agencies.