“We want to find a new, more effective mechanism to assist the lower-income group to move up the (economic) ladder,”  treasury secretary-general  Irwan Serigar Abdullah said during a press conference to discuss issues surrounding BR1M.

He said studies were also underway to reduce the number of BR1M recipients, that totalled seven million at present, by helping the lower-income group to move up the economic ladder.

“We may restructure BR1M so that people can buy food items and necessities with it. We are also studying how BR1M can be used for (skills) training, so the recipients can use BR1M wisely to start their own businesses,” he added.

Irwan said BR1M was not a form of bribery but a sincere cash handout from the government to assist those in the low-income group.

At present, BR1M comes in the form of a yearly one-off cash payment. The amount varies according to the recipient’s household income and marital status, with the maximum being RM1,200 a year.

Irwan said Prime Minister Najib Razak’s announcement that BR1M recipients would receive a rebate of RM4,000 to buy a Proton Iriz car and become Uber drivers would be realised this year.

“They (the recipients) can earn RM4,000 to RM7,000 (a month as Uber drivers) and eventually move up the ladder,” he added.

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had recently criticised BR1M, saying it was designed to make the people dependent on the government. He also argued that what the poor needed to earn a better income was the creation of more jobs. Mahathir had warned that BR1M was not only a form of corruption, but that it corrupted the minds of the people as well.