ZAHARAH OTHMAN rails at the injustice of the British system which allows some to live a life of luxury at taxpayers’ expense.

WHILE we grapple to understand the meaning of credit crunch and all its attendant woes, for one family, news of the global financial crisis that has been hitting the banks and our pockets the last few weeks has no relevance or significance at all.

News of the asylum-seeking Afghan family living at the taxpayers’ expense in a £1.2 (RM7.2)-million seven bedroom house a few hundred kilometres away from me, has brought about the same effect here in Britain as news of Shahrukh Khan being conferred a Datukship in Malaysia.

The locals are furious. I am furious. As a taxpayer who has been feeling the pinch of the credit crunch and spiralling cost of food, and other everyday necessities, I too feel the injustice of it all.

I sent out all the children to work to earn their keep while at the same time they have to juggle with school and universities.
There are then others who are lapping up the life of luxury, with a house fully furnished with plasma TV and the latest computer games for the children, with not a care in the world because everything is paid for by the taxpayers.

The family of a single parent with seven children, two of them over 20 and not working, receives £170,000 a year in benefits.

This is in stark contrast to the majority who are wondering when the bailiffs will come knocking on the door, or whether our jobs will still be there when we turn up for work.

When the family heard that they were being rehoused in a £1.2-million double fronted seven bedroom Edwardian villa, they didn’t complain. After all, the council is forking out the monthly rent of £12,450 to pay to a private landlord, who isn’t making a fuss as well.

They are just benefiting from a scheme being introduced recently, which not only allows qualified tenants to receive a weekly bonus but also practically gives a licence for landlords to cash in as well. Not a bad deal at all.

It is no wonder that people are flocking to Britain where for some, the streets are really paved in gold.

Asylum seekers aside, people are still coming in and overstaying, and searching for loopholes that enable them to cash in on the generosity of the local councils.

Recently, an international organisation funded by the British government, the International Organisation of Immigrants, urged immigrants, especially those who are living and working illegally in Britain, to return to their home countries.

Malaysians are notoriously known as among those who have flouted the immigration laws.

The British government is now considering imposing visas on Malaysians coming to Britain if the record is not put right.

But in spite of the promise of confidentiality and a free flight home as well as expenses paid for those willing to return, not many are taking up the offer.

The reason is clear; for those who are hardworking and with enough knowledge and help to escape tax and immigration officers, the returns can be lucrative.

If they play their cards right, the offer of a council house too can be theirs although not one as luxurious as the £1.2-million home currently being enjoyed by our Afghan neighbours. But who knows?

For some, it does pay not to work. Benefits come in many forms. The more children you have, the more benefits you get.

People make it their business to explore what else they can get out of the system which can sometimes spell a lottery win, such as that enjoyed by the Aghan family.

But for most of us, even the house that we pay for with our hard-earned cash is not that secure. The fear of losing jobs has never been more real and frightening.

Zaharah Othman is a Malaysian living in the United Kingdom. She can be contacted at zwan_uk@yahoo.co.uk