By Malcolm Lau
KUCHING, March 30: Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) is urging the government to take proactive action to help small-medium enterprises (SMEs) ease their financial burden resulting from the movement control order (MCO).
“The public including small and medium business owners are hard-hit by the 28 days of Movement Control Order (MCO) and they do need immediate financial assistance,” according to its president Voon Lee Shan in a press statement.
“PBK received a lot of complaints which are mostly concerning the ‘forced payment’ of salaries and other benefits of their employees with threats from the relevant authorities.”
According to Voon, as businesses could not operate during this period, it would be difficult for business owners to pay rental and employee salaries. Thus, the government should take action in paying 80 per cent of the salaries during the MCO period to relieve employers’ burdens.
“Any economic stimulus package, without money, the Sarawak government would find it difficult to overcome all financial problems which Sarawak and its people are facing at the moment,” he pointed out.
“Those who are now fighting this deadly Covid-19 at the frontline like doctors and other medical staffs, immigration officers and police officers should be given proper allowances.”
He also opined that the government should only consider giving relief to the government status servants under B40 in these situations. — DayakDaily
