Mohd Salim Mohd Sharif (BN-Jempol) told the Dewan Rakyat the budget had neglected and discriminated against those living in rural areas.
“Padi farmers, rubber tappers and fishermen are not mentioned by the finance minister in the budget.
“Those in the rural areas are struggling to make ends meet. Their plight has been ignored by the PH government.
“Are these people not important to the PH government?
“If they are important, then their plight and their welfare must be given attention,” he said when debating the budget.
Salim said under the previous BN administration, the welfare of the farmers, fishermen and rubber tappers were always given a lot of focus. They were given the biggest allocation of RM6.5 billion in Budget 2018, he added.
Salim said RM2.3 billion was allocated for incentives such as fertilisers for padi farmers, small-scale farmers, rubber tappers and fishermen.
“There was also the monsoon season aid for 440,000 farmers and rubber tappers, totalling RM261 million. A total of RM150 million was also allocated to help 200 farmers waiting to harvest crops.
“We gave cost-of-living allowance for fishermen, totalling RM12 million, to help 5,200 fishermen.
“There was also a monthly living allowance of between RM1,000 and RM1,500 for 31,000 settlers involved in replanting schemes.”
Salim urged the government to reconsider the disbursement of incentives to the group.
“The Langkawi MP (Dr Mahathir Mohamad) had once said the government would discontinue incentive payments to oil palm workers, rubber tappers and fishermen. This comes at a time when their financial situation is critical and they need the government’s help.
“To whom do they look to for mercy and help, if not from the ruling government?”
Salim said the price of oil palm had dropped from RM530 a tonne in January to RM380 last month.
“This drop in price since May has impacted the income of workers all over the country,” he said.
Salim said each settler would usually have 4ha of land, capable of producing eight tonnes of oil palm in a month if there were no problems.
“They’ll then get an average income of RM1,000 monthly.
“Rubber tappers get RM900 monthly after the price of rubber dropped drastically to RM1.80 a kg.
“However, there is no announcement in the budget that brings them any relief.
“Is this what they mean by a sacrificial budget — one borne by the rural people?
“We also hear of those who need to borrow from loan sharks to meet expenses. PH should not be prejudiced towards this group and punish them like this.”
Salim proposed that PH give a one-off financial assistance to rubber tappers and those who work in oil palm estates.
He wanted the government to come up with a new mechanism to fix the base price at RM500 a tonne for oil palm and RM4 a kg for rubber to help smallholders cope with the present uncertainty.