Chong: BKSS 6.0 doesn’t address pressing predicaments faced by people, businesses affected by MCO

Chong Chieng Jen

KUCHING (May 31): The recently-announced Bantuan Khas Sarawakku Sayang (BKSS) 6.0 does not address the immediate and pressing predicaments faced by the people and businesses affected by the current Movement Control Order (MCO), said Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen.

In a statement yesterday, he said the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and business sector were left to fend for themselves without any help from the state government.

He added that there was no wage subsidy for the SMEs to keep their work force despite the economic slowdown and the losses that they suffer as a result of the pandemic and the MCO.

“The refusal on the part of the state government to give wage subsidy to the SMEs and businesses will result in deduction of wage and allowances or even retrenchment of the employees.

“To many employees, their losses will be more than the BKSS B40 cash handouts given by the state government under BKSS 6.0,” he said.

Chong also questioned why the state government wanted to wait until end of July to rollout the BKSS6.0 to B40 recipients and hawkers.

He said both the groups felt the impact of reduced income immediately, but they have to continue paying their car and housing loans

As such, he pointed out that the aid should be distributed to both the groups immediately instead of waiting until end of July with some aid distribution was scheduled for December.

“The government has all the data and the SarawakPay that enable the government to roll out the assistance immediately. Why drag for two months and some even six months?

“The people need the financial aid now, but the government will only give out the financial aid in two months’ time as it defies all logic and common sense,” he added.

He then questioned whether BKSS 6.0 was a genuine aid for the people or a Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) state election ‘cash for vote’ tactic.

In the statement, Chong also complained that the tourism sector is receiving too little assistance under BKSS 6.0.

He said the sector has been most affected since the beginning of the pandemic.

However, after suffering for a whole year, he said only a total of RM1.63 million (less than 0.2 per cent of the announced total assistance) was allocated for the sector.

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