Actually, I have tons of things to write.

But, what's on my mind right now is...

Well, I just had a client, an ex-engineer, and whose one of the children is also an engineer.
So, I thought, okay, should have no problem is terms of payment.
Then, the daughter was talking about the possibility of asking help from Baitulmal.

I was surprised, of course. On the surface, I get the impression that they come from a quite well-to-do family. The father speaks English very well. He even had an iPad and a smart phone next to him while talking to me!

I don't know lah whether I am a shallow person, but to me, it's quite hard to believe that you don't have RM10k when you can afford an iPad .

This has made me thinking:

- When I get the impression that you should not have financial problems based on your appearance, are you telling me that you are actually broke? Does that mean you spend your money just to look affordable when in actual fact, you are not? Why do you that?

- You are an engineer. Don't you have RM10k in your bank account? Okay, you don't have RM10k. RM5k, maybe? And certainly your children can chip in to top up to required the amount?

- I'm glad I don't work with donated money/ zakat. Don't you thing it's a huge responsible? You have to be jujur, telus dan amanah. I once met a lady who works in this department. She's in charge in distributing the money to the needy. Sometimes, it's quite difficult to fully assess the financial situation of a family. She told me, before she gives out the money, she always asks the recipient,
"Pakcik, duit yang saya nak bagi ni, hasil kutipan Zakat. Pakcik rasa, Pakcik layak tak dapat Zakat?"

When she explains it that way, most recipients would pause and think for a moment, reassessing back their status. Sometimes, the reply she gets is,
"Pakcik rasa tak payahlah. Anak Pakcik ada kerja...Boleh tolong..."

But of course, this only applies to people who truly understands the weight of accepting something you are not eligible to.

- Same goes to my client. I mean, wouldn't you question yourself until you cannot sleep at night, thinking, my iPad is RM1k, my phone is RM1k, my laptop is RM1k, I watch Astro, I use the Internet 4G, I dine at nice restaurants, but I don't have any savings...

- The same lady, told me about her dilemma she once faced. She received a call from Somebody to give the donation money to a YB. He's a YB, pangkat Dato', he was surely not eligible for the Welfare money! But, if she didn't use up the allocated fund for that year, the amount would be reduced in next year's budget. Nanti kesian pulak dekat orang tahun depan.

- I mean, if I was that Dato', (and even as rakyat jelata) I wouldn't even request for it in the first place! Itu kan duit Welfare. Okay, it might not necessarily be donated to the fund, the Government gives the money to the Welfare. But, one of the sources of the Government's income kan from the tax payers. Which means, it's also my money, and I don't want to give my money to you lah, Dato'! Oh, don't tell me the BS of- I pay the tax, so why can't I use the tax money...How much do you actually pay per year?

- Of course, one could argue that Zakat money can be distributed to those who are in debts. But I strongly think are certain conditions for that. I pun ada hutang juga (and am so not proud of it) tapi I don't think I fall under the category of one of the Asnafs.

- I once read my friend's status on Facebook (bless my friends, most of them always share informative and beneficial status updates): One of the reasons why those in debts should be helped with Zakat money is because Allah doesn't like His slaves to be in debts. Hence, we should try our best to avoid being in that situation. Jika berhutang, langsaikan cepat-cepat. Orang yang banyak berhutang itu sebenarnya orang miskin.

- Many people condemn our Zakat centre. Macam-macam kata. Makan duit Zakat lah, tak distribute duit Zakat lah...
Honestly, as a person who's never worked there, I, myself can't imagine doing their work. How do you choose? Man, it's hard work to work there! I'll be fearing my life every night thinking whether I've made the right decisions. Ini duit Zakat weih...

Lepas tu, kalau tak bagi, orang mulalah nak mengutuk.

But, how do you really assess? There so many people falsifying their statements these days. Come on, it's quite common to see parents lowering their household income just so their children can get the PTPTN loan, right? (Lepas tu, tak bayar balik...Another story!)

I see them giving out the money, no problem. But sometimes, I see people who I think are not eligible, bringing letters to the Zakat centres, and also receive the money.

The people yang benar-benar layak? Possibly don't even know how to get to the Zakat centre! Just waiting for house visits at their home...

- To be fair, this subject is relative. A single person who earns RM3k might be enough to sustain herself. But a father with 3 kids who's living in KL, RM3k is not enough.

- When I see more and more clients requesting help from NGO, I am wondering, is our country really that poor? When our country keeps trying to convince us that we are in prosper, I keep getting more and more people needing financial aid.

- You know the saying, 'Beggars can't be choosers?'
Haha. Could no longer apply it in today's world. From what I encounter, some beggars can be choosers!
When we offer them a cheaper option (and of course, comparable! Eg: Cheaper but lasts longer, compares to pricier but faster), many opts for the more expensive option.

They think, expensive is better (despite our extensive explanation). So, they demand for the more expensive option.

"But, we have to wait for the funds from the Welfare. Perhaps you can pay half?"
"No. I don't have money. Can't you help me get it sooner? I've been waiting for so long, I can't wait anymore!"
"We are trying our best."

Since you have been waiting for so long, shouldn't you have a little bit of savings to help yourself?
What have you done all this while? Just sit and wait and demand like you're the only one applying?

- Do people have become more and more unwilling to pull money out of their own pockets? Have we become so spoiled? Are we becoming a lazy nation?

- I hope I could teach my children to save. And to set their priorities straight. If you don't have money for something important, eliminate all of your unnecessary expenditures!

- Please pray for me so I'll be debt free soon! Hutang duit lebih senang nak langsai daripada hutang servis ni...

Okay. Dahlah tu. Sekian essay hari ni.
Sebenarnya banyak lagi cerita lain yang best yang nak ditulis.

Why did I choose this topic in the first place! Grrr...