KOTA KINABALU – Sabah DAP is urging the federal government to grant automatic loan moratoriums to all Malaysians and approve all applications made under the Employees Provident Fund’s (EPF) i-Sinar scheme.
Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Foong Hin said that the Perikatan Nasional government must start listening to the MPs as they voice out the concerns of the people who are suffering financially.
He said the MPs’ voices during parliamentary sittings can be a good avenue for the government to get input as the MPs are the ones receiving the people’s complaints and feedback.
“We (MPs) are asking the government to grant an automatic loan moratorium to all Malaysians, regardless of income level, without the need for applications at banks, and approve all applications for the i-Sinar scheme without discrimination.
“The government must also approve all applications for wage subsidies by employers and simplify aid distribution by cutting the red tape.”
Chan added said that all applications under the Geran Khas Prihatin 2.0 should be approved without the need for appeals.
“It is better to help first and punish those who submit false information later,” he said.
Chan, who is also the Sabah DAP secretary, said the opposition MPs are ready to debate and support a supplementary budget bill in Parliament.
“The government’s main focus should be on providing additional allocations to uplift the welfare of the unemployed, extending the loan repayment moratorium, implementing more hiring incentives, facilitating digital education, and establishing credit lines for affected businesses.
He said that during the Budget 2021 debate, DAP secretary-general and former finance minister Lim Guan Eng said that a RM45 billion economic stimulus package is needed to create new sources of economic growth as well as limit job losses and business closures.
“If Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz holds true to his forecast that our gross domestic product (GDP) will grow between 6.5% and 7.5% this year, then he cannot continue to rely on the vaccine as a miracle panacea to solve all of his problems.
“Tengku Zafrul needs to start taking in suggestions, including from the opposition members, and provide immediate relief for the economic pain suffered by the people,” he said.
Chan also said there is a possibility that Tengku Zafrul’s prediction of the nation’s GDP growth this year will not be realised now that the second movement control order has been enforced. – The Vibes, January 16, 2021
