KUCHING: The second economic aid package worth RM1.1 billion announced by the state government to alleviate the burden of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), micro enterprises, hawkers and petty traders would boost the confidence of the business community in facing tough challenges ahead, said Jonathan Chai Voon Tok.
The Kuching Chinese General Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCGCCI) secretary-general said that the business community would certainly welcome any form of financial assistance from the government to assist businesses, especially SMEs, in overcoming difficulties and challenges anticipated from the deteriorating economy as a result of the movement control order.
“Indeed, we are grateful to the Sarawak government in acknowledging that SMEs are key drivers of the state’s economy – making up over 75 percent of our business sector, contributing 20 percent to the state’s gross domestic product (GDP), and providing about 600,000 jobs for Sarawakians,” he said.
He noted that the Sarawakku Sayang Assistance Package 2.0 comprised four measures, including interest-free soft loans for SMEs, rental waivers for retail SMEs operating in premises owned by state government-linked companies (GLCs), and a special grant of RM1,500 for hawkers and petty traders.
“This could be seen as an icing on the cake in addition to the various aid and measures provided by the federal government under the Prihatin Rakyat Economic Stimulus Packages announced by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin recently,” he said.
