Jonathan Chai
KUCHING (July 26): The Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Sarawak (Acccis) has proposed to the Sarawak government to introduce and implement a Wage Subsidy Programme (WSP) to assist the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the state amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Its secretary-general Jonathan Chai said they had proposed the state WSP to offer SMEs RM600 per employee for three months, just like the federal WSP recently announced by the prime minister.
“What we have proposed is akin to the subsidies of RM600 for each employee provided by the federal government under the People’s Well-being and Economic Recovery Package (Pemulih) announced by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin recently,” he told The Borneo Post yesterday.
He said this when asked what the Acccis had put forward to the state government on the short-term assistance to SMEs which Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg is expected to announce.
During the recent launch of the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030, Abang Johari said he would soon announce details on the short-term assistance to SMEs.
“On the short-term assistance to SMEs based on the views expressed by the various chambers of commerce, the state government is in the process of finalising the details and it will be announced soon,” the chief minister said in his keynote address at the launch.
Chai said based on the feedback gathered by Acccis, the employers found the WSP to be the most beneficial among the measures in the Prihatin Economic Stimulus Package provided by the federal government.
He said employers had pointed out that the WSP had effectively helped to ease the cash flow of their business operations and thus would help to keep the business afloat, thereby avoiding massive unemployment.
“In addition, we have also appealed to the Sarawak government to provide a budget or even if necessary, to draw from our state’s reserves and give a sum of RM500 to every Sarawakian.
“And the money to be spent by the beneficiaries would energise and speed up the recovery of our economy,” said Chai.
Based on Sarawak’s 2.8 million estimated population, he said the state government would be looking at a budget of RM1.4 billion to implement such meaningful social policy.
He asserted that such policy will enable all Sarawakians to enjoy and reap the joys and benefits of the state’s successful recovery of over RM3 billion in the State Sales Tax imposed on petroleum products.
“Such a move would be justifiable as even the Singapore government, which is well known for its prudent financial management, had drawn from its reserve during this pandemic to finance aid measures for its people.
“And such a handout in this testing period would be meaningful as it allows Sarawakians to taste the sweetness and pride of the ownership of our bountiful resources,” Chai added.