KUALA LUMPUR - Deputy Finance Minister I Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri has urged Malaysians to be patient and wait for the Budget 2021 tabling to find out if the blanket loan moratorium will be reintroduced.
Responding to a supplementary question from Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub (PH-Pulai) in the Dewan Rakyat, Abdul Rahim merely said the query will be answered this Friday.
“The budget will be tabled this Friday. Whether or not it (blanket loan moratorium) will be implemented, let's wait for Friday to find out,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
Salahuddin had asked if the moratorium, which the rakyat are placing high hopes for, would be extended to next year, seeing the economic situation of the country at the moment.
The blanket loan moratorium, which started in April this year following the implementation of the movement control order (MCO), ended in September.
The government later announced a three-month extension, ending in December this year, albeit more targeted to Malaysians who are directly affected by Covid-19, including those who lost their jobs or had their salary cut.
To Salahuddin’s main question on the implementation of the various stimulus packages to date, Abdul Rahim said the government has provided numerous assistance to the rakyat and businesses to help overcome the current financial challenges.
He said this included direct financial aid of up to RM1,600 to those in the B40 and M40 groups, allowing contributors to withdraw part of their Employees Provident Fund, and wage subsidies to employers to retain their staff.
“Additionally, cash assistance is also given to taxi, e-hailing and bus drivers. We also provided RM1.6 billion grant to small and medium enterprises and sales tax exemption. – The Vibes, November 4, 2020
