Ungrateful B40 Students Cause Food Wastage in University of Malaya

by Syasya Amalin

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The high cost of living in the city is a major problem for B40 students in University of Malaya as everything is expensive. Many students complain that there are no helping hands or organisations willing to provide them free food to feed their empty stomach and at the same time lessen the burden on their shoulders.

Students who come from an underprivileged background are classified in the bottom 40% or middle 40% according to their family’s income. This is because their family’s median income is below RM3000 per month. So obviously, help that is given to these students aims to reduce the burden that they are carrying.

Helping hands such as Food Coupon FASS, Food Bank, and as such are given to these students who have insufficient money and savings in order for them to feed their starving stomachs and continue their study in a more comfortable manner in University of Malaya. Shockingly, these aids given are only taken for granted.

Tons of free food distributed by a Food Bank in each Residential College that were supposed to be given to the B40 students were left wasted. It turns out that they are bunch of ungrateful students as only very few of them actually care and use the benefit given properly.

Due to the thoughtlessness of most of these B40 students, Food Bank supplies that actually belong to them are left wasted. If only the founder of Food Bank, Umar Aiman Abd Manan, knew that his efforts are meaningless and pointless to certain students, he would be very disappointed as his hard work is not being appreciated. Sometimes, the foods have to be given randomly to other students whose names are not listed to avoid wastage.

Most of the B40 students who have been claiming that they are having hard time in the universities are all talking lies. The percentage of the actual B40 students is only 40%, while the rest of them do not deserve Food Bank, Food Coupon and whatsoever helps that they have been and will be receiving next as they only take things for granted. This is because they have working siblings and other family members who can provide them with what they want and need, at the same time spoiling them with luxuries.

A 1st year student who wishes to only be identified as Aminah, 24, is majoring in Environmental Studies from Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. She is the youngest daughter in her family. She is spoiled with whatever she wants and needs from her brothers and sisters.

“Why would I bother with it? I have already eaten the food I bought myself. I can buy something better than what the Food Bank wants to give me,” she said. “Other students who want to take the food can go ahead, I do not mind.”

Unfortunately, when some of the B40 students who refused to accept the help given from Food Bank or Food Coupon were asked to take their name down from the name list, they refused to do so as they are afraid of the possibility of them being blacklisted if they back out. It is considered as a selfish act as they are actually stealing someone else’s fortune who deserves better than them. What is the point of them filling the form if they have no intention to receive the help given with open arms? It is pointless as they only search for the help when no one in their family is able to help them.

A student who wants to be known only as Siti, 21, is from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. She is a PTPTN recipient from the B40 income group and has received so many helping hands in the university but she has taken the opportunity for granted.

“I rarely take the Food Bank that has been given to me as it doesn’t suit my appetite and the hours do not suit my eating schedule”, she said. “But I don’t want to remove my name from the list as I am afraid that I might not be listed in the future when I actually need the help. I would rather let them give away the food on my behalf to other students.”

I once tried the food given by the Food Bank. In my point of view, it has nothing to do with the food because it can be considered as delicious. The problem is themselves. They are ungrateful spoiled kids who are not thankful with what they have received. At the very least, they should have taken the food provided and gave it to their friends who might need it more than they do.

A 2nd year student, the committee member of Sponsorship and Corporate Relation from 3rd Residential College, who wants to be known as Izzat, 22, said, “Normally, these B40 students from the lists do not even take the food provided for them. It’s only a waste of money and energy to have a list as in the end, students from M40 background will be taking the leftover food that the original target group had wasted. Sometimes, the food even goes to the bin.”

Hopefully, student committees and college fellows are aware of these issues as it causes wastage of food as well as of golden opportunities given to the B40 students. Someone has to speak up as many of them let go of the chance designated to them and these students’ names should be taken down from the list.