By Peter Sibon
KUCHING, Mar 25: The federal government should use its reserves to provide financial assistance to those who lost their jobs or whose income have been affected due to the Movement Control Order (MCO), opined PBB information chief Dato Idris Buang.
He said if the national reserves were not sufficient, then it should borrow from the World Bank with minimal interest.
“This is the time the federal government must come up with a concrete solution to assist the poor especially the B40 to cope up with the Covid-19 pandemic that threatens the lives of all mankind,” Idris told DayakDaily today.
He also hoped that the UN, WHO, World Bank and IMF to come to the aid of countries who need them most.
“We must fight this nasty Covid-19 wholeheartedly and with our resources. We must think of the poor and the needy as well as the refugees,” he said.
He also hoped that the federal government would match Sarawak’s financial aid of RM250 per month for the next six months to the B40 group.
“At the same time, we also hope that the federal government will match the Sarawak government’s incentive of RM300 to the front-liners such as the healthcare workers and another RM200 for enforcement officers such as the police, armed forces and Rela members,” he said.
Idris, who is also Muara Tuang Assemblyman, said that he supported the call by the Sarawak government for all GPS lawmakers to contribute to the State Disaster Management Committee to assist in the fight against Covid-19.
Earlier today, Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing disclosed that he had donated towards the committee last week after he received the directive from the Sarawak government. —DayakDaily
