In her winding-up speech on the 12th Malaysia Plan, she told the Dewan Rakyat that the ministry maintained the RM980 line as one of the criteria to determine individual and household eligibility for welfare aid.

She said the government made this decision as Putrajaya was already under heavy financial burden.

“It was calculated that if we were to use the new poverty line, it would cost the government an additional RM3 billion,” she said in reply to an interjection by Nurul Izzah Anwar (PH-Permatang Pauh).

Siti Zailah said the ministry would start using the new poverty line as the criteria next year, which would see more households and individuals eligible for government welfare aid.

She also said a senior citizens bill was in the works with the aim of protecting the welfare of the elderly as the nation headed into an aging society status over the next few years.

When asked by Hannah Yeoh (PH-Segambut), she failed to give a timeline on when the bill would be tabled.

Yeoh had also asked for an update on the tabling of four other bills – an amendment to the Persons With Disabilities Act, a gender equality bill, the anti-sexual harassment bill and a social work bill.

Siti Zailah told Yeoh, who was the deputy minister during Pakatan Harapan’s administration, that she would understand the legal process the ministry needed to go through and reiterated that she would work on the matter.

“We have commented on the sexual harassment bill so many times, God willing, we will ensure by the end of the year it will be tabled. And the senior citizens bill is being arranged.

“They (the bills) have to go through the required process. As the former deputy minister, you should be aware of this,” she said.

To this, Yeoh replied: “There’s no need to be angry, I’m just asking for a timeline.”