Yong shows the letter to Abang Johari.
KUCHING (March 13): Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong has formally written to Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, urging for more time for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and micro businesses to amend documentation for the Sarawakku Sayang Special Assistance (BKSS) 7.0 and 7.0 Plus application.
In a statement yesterday, Yong said she had sent an appeal to the state Economic Planning Unit (EPU) asking for a last chance to submit proper documentation and correct mistakes but was rejected.
She said the reason for the rejection was that the Evaluation Committee had decided on Jan 17 that mistakes must be corrected and documents submitted by Feb 28 to receive the financial aid.
“Most businesses suffering from the impact of the pandemic are in desperate need of government financial aid.
“As revealed by Abang Johari in January this year, about 77.7 per cent or 9, 955 out of 12,809 SMEs and micro businesses that applied for BKSS 7.0 or BKSS 7.0 Plus submitted incomplete or inaccurate business documents, resulting in the computer system rejecting the applications,” she said.
Yong reasoned that the state EPU had sent emails regarding resubmission and correction of incomplete and inaccurate business documentation by Feb 28 on the third and fourth week of February, giving extremely short notice for rectification to be done online.
There was no other prior announcement on the matter, she claimed.
Yong said she had been approached by a small number of micro business owners who were unaware of the emails and missed the deadline to make good their errors.
She went on to say that certain documents from banks or Socso take time to obtain.
“Many applicants expressed disappointment with the tedious application process which they are unfamiliar with,” she stated, adding that such harsh decision was contrary to the state government’s aim to benefit target groups with one-off assistance of RM10,000 (BKSS 7.0) and RM3,000 (BKSS 7.0 Plus).