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THE government’s Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) and Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) programmes have been making the rounds on social media recently. While these offer financial assistance where it is most needed for the B40 (lower income) group, we need to also think about how prolonged reliance on government help might affect people’s independence in times of economic hardship.
Psychologically, such a dependence can have a negative impact at both personal and societal levels. Recurring use of financial aid might promote a psychological dependence, diminishing the drive which motivates people to better their economic status on their own. This in turn might diminish people’s belief that they themselves can make a difference in their own lives.
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