Perikatan Nasional’s caring aid packages bring relief amid pandemic

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Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announcing the new PEMERKASA assistance in Putrajaya in March 17. — Bernama photo

KUCHING: The Perikatan Nasional government’s Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat (BPR) has helped youths in Sarawak cope with the challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, said Sarawak Dayak National Union (SDNU) Youth secretary Surai Abell.

Surai Abell

He said that due to the pandemic, many youths who were daily paid were badly affected as they had lost their jobs while others had to take a pay-cut.

“Though the (BPR) aid for single or unmarried people is less than that for those with families, it still greatly helps them as it at least allows them to buy food and ration,” he said when contacted.

The BPR, which was announced during the tabling of Budget 2021 to replace the Bantuan Sara Hidup (BSH) B40 assistance scheme, is expected to benefit some 8.1 million recipients with an allocation of RM6.5 billion.

Compared to the previous BSH scheme, the age eligibility for single individuals has been lowered from 40 to 21 years old. Cash aid will be disbursed in two installments to applicants who fall under one of the four categories eligible for the scheme.

The four categories are households with income of RM2,500 and below; Households with income between RM2,500 – RM4, 000; Households with income between RM4,001 – RM5,000; and single individuals aged 18-59 who earn a monthly income of RM2,500 and below.

The payout is disbursed in three payments in February, May and September this year.

Aside from that, Surai said fresh graduates were also hit badly as they couldn’t get jobs, and some who found jobs in the Peninsular Malaysia had to delay their commencement.

“I know some of them who have secured jobs in West Malaysia but cannot start working due to travel restrictions. Thus, they have no income, and have to struggle a lot,” he revealed.

Aside from that, the lifting of conditions for i-Sinar Employees Provident Fund (EPF) withdrawal also helped SDNU members as they have access to more money to help tide things over during the pandemic.

The non-conditional withdrawal was introduced this year and application just started on March 8.

The amounts for withdrawal as well as the maximum six-month payment schedule of the amounts are based on balance available in Account 1, with a maximum total amount withdrawal allowed capped at RM60,000.

Motor vehicle dealers also faced tough times when the Covid-19 pandemic hit last year as the public were held back from buying new cars and opted to save money for other uses.

However, the situation has improved after the sales tax exemption on passenger vehicles was introduced by the government to help boost the economy.

Tan Sri Abang Khalid Marzuki

Association of Importers and Traders of Motor Vehicles Malaysia (Pekema) Sarawak president Tan Sri Abang Khalid Marzuki said the last three months of 2020 recorded an encouraging increase in sales.

“Now that the government has agreed to continue this sales tax exemption incentive until June this year, it has brought relief to the industry as the buying trend will prevail a little longer.

“Looking at the market uncertainty this year with the ongoing trend of increasing Covid-19 cases, industry players still cannot make sales projections, hence any assistance from the government is very welcomed,” he said when contacted.

“This is one of the government’s good and proactive efforts to help businessmen like us to continue to survive and remain relevant in the industry,” he said.

The sales tax exemption and discount on passengers and imported vehicles under the National Economic Recovery Plan (PENJANA) package was first introduced in June 2020 and was supposed to expire in December that year, but Putrajaya on Dec 29, surprised the industry and decided to extend it until June 2021.

Buyers can enjoy a 100 per cent sales tax exemption to purchase locally assembled vehicles and a 50 per cent sales tax exemption to buy imported cars.

Abang Khalid said at the start of the pandemic like many businesses, his association’s members had to close down their business immediately.

However, once businesses were allowed to reopen, things started to get better little by little, he said.

Mohd Ariffin Abdullah

Meanwhile, Sarawak Traders and Hawkers Association president Mohd Ariffin Abdullah agreed that any assistance rendered by the government is useful and beneficial to those affected by the pandemic.

It does not only help move the economy and encourage consumer spending but also boost sales for traders and hawkers, he said.

“The assistance received, no matter the amount, will ensure that the people can put food on the table.

“At the same time, I also encourage our members who were severely affected to start planting their own vegetables so that they at least have a food source in their own backyard.

“With the availability of Covid-19 vaccines, things will improve and people can resume their lives like before the pandemic,” he said.

Mohd Ariffin said both the BPR and Bantuan Prihatin Nasional were very useful to members.

The BPN was announced at the start of the pandemic by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. It was part of the economic stimulus packages totalling RM250 billion to help Malaysians face the Covid-19 pandemic and the after-effects of the movement control order.

For the first phase of the BPN, RM10 billion was allocated with payout in two phases at the end of April and May 2020.

The aid was continued and BPN 2.0 was announced on Sept 23.

It was part of the RM10 billion Prihatin Supplementary Initiative Package (Kita Prihatin). The second phase of the aid payment totalled RM2.38 billion and paid to 11.06 million recipients, including 460,000 new recipients.

To-date, RM7.18 billion had been paid or allocated to the 11.06 million BPN 2.0 recipients, comprising 5.82 million unmarried individuals and 5.24 million households.

Families find strength, hope in uncertain times with govt’s help

KOTA KINABALU: When Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced the Movement Control Order (MCO) in March last year to curb the soaring number of Covid-19 cases in the country, many Sabahans who were self-employed were filled with uncertainty.

However, the subsequent announcement of various special assistance packages by the Perikatan Nasional government has provided them with that much-needed relief.

Ermaleena and Hidayat at their pop-up booth at ITCC Mall in Kota Kinabalu.

Bantuan Prihatin Nasional (BPN), the one-off cash aid that was distributed in early April 2020, helped Ermaleena Madsah, 31, and her husband Muhammad Hidayat Shaharudin, 32, to survive without any income due to the MCO restriction on business activities.

“We are self-employed. We sell Sengkuang Calit (fruit salad) and Mooncake in pop-up stalls around the city. Our business was totally affected because we normally do our business in shopping malls, and the malls were closed during the MCO.

“Since we don’t have any children yet, we received a total of RM1,200 in cash aid. The first distribution of RM700 was credited into my account and the balance was given in two more phases.

“And since the Ramadan bazaar was not allowed last year, I kept some of the money on standby, just in case I can sell something from home, and true enough, I received orders from my social media friends during the fasting month,” said Ermaleena when contacted.

“Apart from that, we also benefited from the continuation of the government’s cash aid under BPR 2.0 and Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat (BPR),” said Ermaleena.

With the opening of more sectors in Sabah since early this year, Ermaleena and Muhammad Hidayat are gearing up to reopen their pop-up stalls.

The couple is hoping they can make more income soon, especially with the upcoming fasting month.

“We are thankful for all the assistance given by the government. They not only helped us to survive during these difficult times, but also gave us the ability to start over,” she said.

Bringing smiles to children

Hadiati Inchok

For 35-year-old mother of three, Hadiati Inchok, the various financial aid schemes for the past one year since the first announcement of MCO had not only helped to ease her working husband’s burden but also brought some peace of mind as she became a mum again

The housewife delivered her third baby in Sabah Women and Children Hospital under the new norm necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Getting pregnant and delivering during MCO was a totally different and meaningful experience.

“Before Covid-19 pandemic hit the world, we often heard pregnant mothers going around looking for food they craved. I also had the same desire but it was totally different this time around because I stayed at home most of the time. I only went out when I had a clinic appointment.

“With the cash aid directly credited into my account, I managed to buy many things online, including baby’s clothing, food and also household items.

“Although my part-time income selling clothing online was badly affected due to MCO, but cash aid from the government was a blessing that I never expected,” she said.

Since her husband is working in the hospital, Hadiati said the MCO period was a very stressful moment and losing her income was another issue that she was afraid would affect her pregnancy.
“I sincerely thank the government for looking after our welfare during these challenging times. I personally think that we should appreciate the cash aid by spending it wisely.

“For some people it might be small, but for my family it was a special aid that brings smiles to my children. The recent BPR that was credited in February helped me buy school necessities for my eldest daughter who is in primary school,” she said.

Keeping business going

BPN is a one-off cash assistance under Prihatin Rakyat Economic Stimulus Package (Prihatin) announced by Muhyiddin on March 27 last year.

BPN 2.0, is part of the Prihatin Supplementary Initiative Package (Kita Prihatin) worth RM10 billion which was announced on Sept 23, also last year.

The BPR is an enhanced cash aid that replaces the previous Bantuan Sara Hidup that was announced in January this year.

Culo Sani

In Sarawak, fishmonger, Culo Sani, 48, said his business was severely affected due to the pandemic.

“The BPR aid and other government assistance like the BPN 1.0 and BPN 2.0 had helped me greatly in continuing now when there is so much challenges because of Covid-19.

“I used the aid I received from the government to help me continue with my business,” he said.

Culo said he had also used the government assistance to buy daily essentials for his family.

“Because of this Covid-19, business has been quite unstable. Many people have not been coming here (the Samarahan ferry jetty) to buy fish. But with the help of the government, I have been able to carry on,” he said.