KUALA LUMPUR – Only RM177.2 billion of the overall RM305 billion in assistance under the various government stimulus packages have been distributed to the respective target groups so far, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Deputy Finance Minister II Mohd Shahar Abdullah (BN-Paya Besar) said this amounted to 58% of the overall aid announced by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said that the figures remain low as many of the packages are not one-off payments and are disbursed over a period of time.
“Some of these initiatives take time. The wage subsidy programme is one example of this. It was paid out across six months for the first cohort, before it was extended by another three months.
“So of course the full amount will only be paid across six months,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
Shahar was responding to questions from Steven Sim (PH-Bukit Mertajam) on how much has been spent under the Laksana packages, whether the response has been satisfactory, and if bureaucracy has led to delays in payment.
On the breakdown of the stimulus packages, he said RM155.9 billion out of RM260 billion (or 60%) under Prihatin and Prihatin 2.0 has been spent as of November 13.
“For the RM35 billion National Economic Recovery Plan, the government has spent RM14.32 billion (41%) of the amount," he said.
“For the latest RM10 billion Kita Prihatin Package, RM7.1 billion (or 71%) has been distributed as of November 13." – The Vibes, November 25, 2020
