(Updated on 25 December 2021.)

The government has agreed to provide a one-off cash assistance of RM1,000 to individuals who were affected by the recent floods, under the Bantuan Wang Ihsan (BWI) initiative. This amount had been increased not long ago from the original provision of RM500 to better alleviate the financial burden of victims affected by calamities. On top of the RM1,000 cash assistance, the BWI initiative will also offer RM5,000 in funeral assistance to those who have lost a family member in the floods.

Eligible individuals who wish to obtain the BWI cash aid are required to apply for it, and the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) has shared an FAQ to offer more details and clarity on the process. Here are some key things that you should know before applying:

Who can apply for the BWI cash aid?

Only Malaysian citizens who are the head of the household can apply for the BWI cash aid. Additionally, NADMA stressed that the aid is only provided for each affected house, regardless of how many families that may have stayed in the house.

To illustrate, two families living in the same house will only get RM1,000 cash assistance. Similarly, several friends who are renting a house together will also be allowed to apply for only one BWI cash aid. Lastly, note that if the tenants of an affected house have already applied for the BWI cash aid, the landlord is not eligible to do so.

Meanwhile, NADMA has yet to clarify if this one-house limitation also applies to the RM5,000 funeral assistance offered.

How can I apply for the BWI cash aid?

The BWI cash aid cannot be applied online. Instead, you will either have to speak to a community leader, district officer, or the personnel at your temporary evacuation centre (PPS) – depending on your current location:

• Evacuated to a PPS: Approach a staff member at the PPS or the Department of Social Welfare (JKM) for help.
• Did not evacuate to a PPS: Approach your respective district officers (JPKK) or community leaders (such as ketua kampung).

What documents do you need for the BWI application process?

NADMA did not share a specific list of documents required, saying instead that it depends on the category that the applicants fall into.

Affected individuals who were evacuated to a PPS, and still have their identity cards (IC) are not required to provide additional documents as their applications will be directly processed by JKM. Meanwhile, those who were evacuated to a PPS but do not have their IC will need to first register with community leaders before they can proceed with their applications.

Individuals who were not evacuated to a PPS – or are staying in ungazetted PPS shelters – are also required to approach and register with community leaders before their applications can be processed.

What happens after I submit my BWI application?

After submission, your application will need to be verified by the chairman of the District Disaster Management Committee (JPBD). He or she must determine if you fit the definition of a “victim affected by the floods”, based on the guidelines provided under the National Security Council’s (KKM) Directive No. 20.

Following that, your application will be forwarded to the chairman of State Disaster Management Committee (JPBN), and then to NADMA for approval. Once it is approved, JPBN will channel the BWI cash aid to the chairman of JPBD, who will then disburse it to you.

How many times can you obtain the BWI cash aid?

You can only apply for the BWI cash aid once during a period of declared calamity. In other words, if you were to be affected by the floods several times during this monsoon season, you will not be able to apply for a second, third, or any other subsequent BWI aids provided later.

(Update: Following an update on 24 December 2021, the government said that victims can apply for the BWI cash aid several times during a period of declared calamity. Applications are, however, subject to approval from the JPBD and the JPBN.

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Aside from the BWI cash aids provided by the government, flood victims can also seek assistance from the banks and insurers within the country. Meanwhile, Malaysians looking to contribute to flood relief efforts can also do so conveniently via selected e-wallets and e-commerce platforms. With these combined efforts, we hope that the many affected individuals will soon get back on their feet.

You can also check out NADMA’s full FAQ for the BWI initiative here.

• TAGS:
• Bantuan Wang Ihsan (BWI)
• Flood
• Flood Relief Assistance Programmes
• Floods
• Longform
• National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA)