Julian Tan
BINTULU (Oct 8): The Sarawak government has been called on to be more transparent on the disbursement of the Sarawakku Sayang Special Assistance (BKSS) 7.0 of RM10,000 for businesses.
Julian Tan, a special assistant to state Democratic Action Party chairman Chong Chieng Jen, pointed out that Economic Planning Unit director Dr Muhd Abdullah Zaidel had said the cash aid would be automatically disbursed so there was no need for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to apply for it.
Tan claimed there are actually many conditions attached and documents that need to be prepared and submitted by applicants.
“It is most regrettable that the initiative announced in August turns out to be a disappointment for many businesses in Sarawak that truly needed the help amid the pandemic crisis,” he said in a statement, adding not all SMEs are eligible.
“Most ironic of all, all the requested documents can be made readily available to the state government. Why the need to add further hardship to the business owners? Is it not the Sarawak state government’s vision for Sarawak to go digital and high-tech, yet the state government can’t even automate the process with information already available to them.”
Tan also claimed the cash aid website was down and inaccessible to many, while the hotline became a “no-through-line”.
He also claimed while many are struggling to combat the pandemic, the unnecessary application process has been a waste of time.
“Sadly, the RM10,000 cash aid will not benefit more than 44,000 traders and small businesses. They too contribute to our state’s GDP (gross domestic product), and they also suffer tremendously under the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.
According to Tan, those who have received the Prihatin Special Grant (GKP) would also not be eligible to receive any federal government aid or BKSS.
“Let us not forget they too contribute greatly to job creation. Many had already lost their jobs as many businesses in this category folded, primarily due to the prolonged lockdown,” he added.
He called on the state government to adjust the criteria for the BKSS 7.0 financial aid to include this group of business entities.
from Borneo Post Online https://bit.ly/3uRSCL3
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