RM150, Responsibility, and the Question We’re Afraid to Ask

A reflection on priorities, youth responsibility, and the culture we are quietly normalising.

RM150 per child.

Not a fortune.
Not a solution to poverty.
Just a small hand extended—meant for schoolbooks, uniforms, shoes, and tools for learning.

A simple gesture.
A simple intention.

So why does such a small amount raise such big questions?

I’ve spoken directly to teachers—men and women on the front lines of education. Not hearsay. Not social media noise. Real conversations. And what they shared was sobering:

The money meant for children often didn’t reach the children.

• It went into groceries—for the household
• Into fast food—KFC, dining out
• Into short holidays—especially for families with many children

Let me be clear: some families truly struggle. Some parents sacrifice silently. Some deserve every bit of help they receive.

But honesty demands this be said aloud:

Some don’t misuse the system because they’re poor—
they misuse it because they can.

And yet, the loudest voices still say: “Not enough handouts.” “Government must give more.”

So here’s the uncomfortable question:

Is the problem really the amount… or the attitude?

If RM150 Can’t Be Managed, What About RM1,500?

Let’s reverse the thinking for a moment.

If RM150—clearly meant for a child’s education—can be redirected so easily, what happens when the number grows bigger?

RM500?
RM1,000?
RM5,000?

Would behaviour change?
Or would excuses simply grow with the amount?

At what point do we stop blaming systems and start examining self-discipline, priorities, and values?

Because money does not create responsibility.
It only reveals what already exists.

From Assistance to Expectation

Fast forward a few years.

Students graduate. Education loans are taken. Degrees are framed.

Then come the complaints:

• “No jobs.”
• “Low pay.”
• “System is broken.”

But then comes the contradiction.

Social media tells a different story:

• New phones—model after model
• Holidays abroad—snow, concerts, quarterly trips
• A lifestyle carefully curated for likes

So which version is real?

Are we unemployed… or are we unwilling to downgrade our expectations?

Are opportunities scarce… or are some jobs simply “not good enough”?

When Lifestyle Outruns Values

Let’s ask the question no one wants to answer:

How does someone earning RM3,000 dream of owning a BMW?

When did patience become weakness?
When did saving become embarrassing?
When did modest living become failure?

We are raising a generation taught to:

• Spend before earning
• Display before building
• Demand before contributing

This isn’t ambition.
It’s pressure without purpose.

We tell our youth to “dream big”
but never teach them how to wait wisely.

Are We Helping… or Handicapping?

So let’s flip the narrative.

Maybe the real question isn’t: “Do youths deserve more help?”

Maybe it is:

“Have we prepared them to deserve it?”

Have we taught:

• Financial discipline?
• Gratitude?
• Delayed gratification?
• Accountability?

Or have we unintentionally built a culture where:

• Aid is expected
• Responsibility is optional
• Complaints are louder than effort

Because if everything is always provided, what exactly is learned?

The Price of Abuse Is Paid by the Innocent

Here’s the cruel truth most won’t say out loud:

When a system is abused, it doesn’t punish the abuser first.
It punishes the next child.

The one who genuinely needs help.
The family that truly struggles.
The student who could have benefited.

Will future children lose support because a few treated aid as entitlement?

Will genuine help disappear because responsibility was absent today?

So, What Are We Really Teaching?

Perhaps RM150 was never about money.

Perhaps it was a test.

A test of values.
A test of priorities.
A test of trust.

And the results should worry us.

Because a society that chooses lifestyle over learning, image over integrity, and convenience over character—

is not being failed by policy.

It is being failed by culture.

The Final Question We Must Answer

So I leave you with this:

Do we want a future where children are empowered… or merely supported?

Because support without responsibility does not build strength.
It builds dependence.

And dependence, dressed up as entitlement, is the most expensive bill any nation will eventually pay.

---

Amarjeet Singh @ AJ

You don’t raise strong citizens by giving more— you raise them by teaching them to manage what they already have.

Note to self (optional): Add a short paragraph here linking back to your earlier article on priorities & lifestyle, with the URL or title anchor text.