KUCHING: Sarawakians are happy with the RM250 billion people-centric economic stimulus package announced by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as it can help those with financial issues due to the current Covid-19 outbreak.
FoodPanda delivery rider Mohammad Along Mohd Zainuddin Toh said he was grateful that the federal government was helping Malaysians who were affected financially by the pandemic.
“To me, the government’s purpose in announcing this package is to help those who have no income for their families or businesses like restaurants which are unable to pay their employees’ wages during the Covid-19 outbreak.
“The stimulus package can help the low-income group, the urban poor and the disabled.
“I think it will make it easier for the people to survive during the movement control order (MCO) period as most of them are instructed not to work unless they are in the essential service category,” he said.
On the RM800 aid to those aged 21 years and above with an income of RM2,000 and below, Along said they could use it to buy essential items like food during the MCO.
He added that many young people were currently jobless as a result of the unemployment in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak.
Freelance videographer Jerry Foo Thai Li said, “It is good for the Prime Minister to announce this stimulus package.
“It will definitely help a lot of the citizens, especially those in the lower class.
“It would have been better if this stimulus package was announced earlier as this could reduce panic in the country.”
Limkokwing Institute of Creative Technology (LICT) student Aina Nabila Khusairy pointed out that the package could really help a lot of people, especially those who infected by Covid-19 and those who were unable to go to work.
On the RM200 aid for students in institutions of higher learning, she said, “There are students who were unable to go home because they could not afford the flight tickets.
“This aid will definitely help them including my cousin who is in Shah Alam right now, to buy daily necessities.
“Other than that, the students can also use the RM200 to buy internet quota for them to attend online classes,” she said.
Graphic designer Kelly Hiu Jing Wen hailed the package as a great and thoughtful measure for the citizens’ wellbeing and the country’s economy.
“Some citizens have enough just to get by or to sustain their family’s needs.
“With the Covid-19 pandemic causing a drop in their incomes, this stimulus package is actually a relief for those who had been badly affected financially.
“The provision of free Internet can help those who are studying online or working from home,” she added.
University College Sedaya International (UCSI) student Mohammed Daniel Jamal said the stimulus package was good for the underprivileged people and the small and medium businesses.
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) student Zinedine Zidane Mohd Zainuddin, said, “The package is good news for those who left their jobs and were not paid when the movement control order was implemented.
“But I’m worried about the country’s financial status after RM250 billion have been channelled into the package.
“I am really curious about our nation’s financial status after all these have ended,” he said.
Zinedine pointed out that the RM200 aid for students in institutions of higher learning would be of a great help to students since they needed money to survive the MCO period.
