Yap Cheen Boon
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Employers Association (SEA) is holding a reserved reaction for the time being until the details of the Pemerkasa Plus aid package, especially the terms and conditions, are released by respective agencies for applications.
Its president, Yap Cheen Boon, said the government’s actions have not been reassuring for businesses lately – first with the debacle on announcement of total lock down without relevant standard operating procedures (SOPs), followed by SOPs being released haphazardly, in particularly with the many U-turns on approving agencies, resulting in many businesses still unable to get approvals for operations.
He said the loan moratorium and wage subsidies announced are certainly attention grabbing.
However, Yap said without the word “automatic”, and seeing that there are only applicable for those “affected” will raise more questions on the eligibility.
He said total lockdown will affect not just sectors that are deemed not essential hence unable to operate during this period, but also businesses that are essential and allowed to operate, albeit facing restricted capacity in terms of workers, hours and customers’ patronage (market demand).
“It is inconsistent to have aid packages that can help at fundamental level such as loan moratorium and wage subsidy which benefit everyone attached with conditions that discriminate unjustifiably.
“Seeing that many businesses have yet to get operating approvals, would they be considered as affected hence be eligible, and acknowledged in due course by various government agencies for aids, especially the banks that are given discretionary power to approve or reject?
“SEA is not holding its breath as yet, and will see how all these will pan out,” he said.
The government has announced a RM40 billion Pemerkasa Plus stimulus package with a total of 12 initiatives based on three main goals to shore up the country’s economy and assist the people amid the stricter Movement Control Order implemented to curb the rise in Covid-19 infections.
The three main goals are expanding the public health capacity through an allocation of RM1 billion, continuing the Prihatin agenda with a RM33 billion allocation and supporting business continuity with an additional RM6 billion,.