Thursday, February 24, 2011

Same Wound, Different Treatment

srizals@gmail.com

Grameen Foundation in Bangladesh has helped more poor people free themselves from hopelessness than any other. It gives an option to the poor, empowerment. This new and unique concept of helping the poor is truly ahead of its time. It provides help to the needy without making them loose dignity and motivation. Because it is free from any political interest, it is less likely to be exploited by the not so poor that is only interested in free help and relaxing in leisure.

In the land of Negri Antah Berantah, even the housing scheme for the poor cannot escape exploitation and wastage of dwindling resources. One famous case was when a "poor" was caught renovating and enlarging the house of the poor given freely to him with fancy ornaments unsuited for its price, and it’s not cheap. Many other citizens could only watch in amazement as  most of the poor old houses built not cost-free  but only given for free, remained empty since the "poor" actually lived in another house, which is of course, quite magical and bizarre since the "poor" shouldn't be having two houses at once. He must remember that the poor must not have fancy house other than the house that was given freely to him in the expense of so many other quite hardworking citizens. It is hard enough to see "poor" drivers drive their Mercedes to see the lands that they had been granted with, also for free, when more hardworking citizens bleed and sweat it out to pay for this existence in a biased caring country that favoured the few while ignoring the many. 

Many years back, the poor were required to build a house on the land that was given to them for free. And so, many built a nonsense building doomed to be a ghost house where bats mate and drug addicts sleep. Maybe they do not want to see such wastage of resources go to waste. Some even dared to sell them even though they were not allowed to in ten years time after receiving the grant of the land. While the name on the grant cannot be changed for another ten years, he had already profited twice out of unnecessary, misplaced generosity. 

The Grameen Foundation is praised and respected by many, locally and internationally. The over-generous that has been selective in its treatment to its people in Negri  Antah Berantah would not. They do not deserve any. 

The house of the poor costs around RM35k and the free land costs around the same depending on location. Easy money.


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