A small gesture by all measures. The operative word is "small"

Great start but.... !
But the cut on JUSA Elaun Keraian / Entertainment Allowance is Peanut@Chickenfeed
Must be 10 - 20 % out of their basic pay !
Grade 51 - 56 >> 5 %
Grade 41 - 50 >> 3 %
the rest RM 30 ( merely kacang putih RM 1 per day ).

# Hundred Millions will be collected monthly $$$$$

fancyme,

I think its 4k ... cut 10% .. 3.6K

https://www.sistemguruonline.my/2017/04/gred-jusa-dan-turus.html

“The ITK reduction is exempted for frontline officers that receive a special allowance in the Prihatin economic stimulus package,” Zuki said in a statement today. The new Perikatan Nasional (PN) government launched the Covid-19 Fund on March 11 to assist those financially affected by the coronavirus outbreak, with the government contributing RM1 million. On March 27, the government also announced a RM250 billion economic stimulus package to further help the country tackle the economic and health ramification of the crisis. To date, Malaysia had recorded 4,119 positive Covid-19 cases, of which 65 patients have died and 1,487 fully recovered.

Covid-19 Fund: Chief secretary announces premier grade public service allowance cuts

CORONAVIRUS | Chief Secretary to the Government Mohd Zuki Ali today announced a reduction to the public service entertainment allowance as part of the civil service contribution to the Covid-19 fight. According to Zuki (photo), any savings from the allowance reduction would be channelled to the government’s Covid-19 Fund. “Public service officers in the top management group are also sensitive to the situation in the country. A meeting between the chief secretaries and heads of service on Apr 7 agreed to contribute to the Covid-19 Fund by reducing the public service entertainment allowances (ITK) for the public sector's Premier Grade (Jusa) employees. “The ITK reduction rate for main grade/special Grade B and C is five percent while it is 10 percent for main grade/special Grade A and above.

When the country is sick, how can economy be revived? You will have dead walking around. Only the funeral parlors will flourish.

The DG of Health should be emphasizing on the health. What is this Professor talking about?

Anyway, this backdoor government has done everything wrong from the start of this pandemic. Emphasis should be more on SMEs and the daily wagers. Why are you people giving the tax payers'money to the civil servants and pensioners who already so bloated? And that silly MTUC, wanted to make termination of staff as an offence?

Arbb makes us 兴 旺 发 啊！All untung kaya raya!

And These ketuanans (bangsa tongkat) wipe their belakang with one hand and stretch out the other to receive money shamelessly!

The first priority in this current crisis is for the money to be distributed to the people as quickly as possible and so IRB has no choice but to use the data at they already have in their system. The income data in the IRB records is based on the data supplied by taxpayers.

By saying......It is not just BPN. The BSH is equally flawed....

The backdoor govt probably prioritised politics over the economy of the country. In their eagerness to transfer money into the hands of the masses, they have overlooked the readiness of a foolproof system to ensure money is given only to those that truly qualify for it. Such hastiness has caused unnecessary wastage which will ultimately be borne by the taxpayers. The aftermath of covid-19 may see the govt imposing more taxes to recoup the money spent. It may also resort to more borrowings and cause the ringgit to depreciate further. Higher taxes and a depreciating ringgit will certainly bring more hardship to the people.

If its really true as mentioned that the BPN payouts is having discrepancies and is not as per persented by the PM then its only fair that the whole excise of pay out is put on hold and a through investigation is done and the corrective action taken before the payout is approved for payment.
Also, both the PRIME MINISTER and the FINANCE MINISTER must come forward to provide an explanation on the cause of it and actions taken.
Please note all these payout are taxpayers money .
The PRIME MINISTER must take full
responsibility and not just keep quiet.

You would think that SUCCESIVE governments who have perpetuated the handout mentality might have refined the system so that it was reasonably efficient and effective

This could be sadly and improperly misconstrued as distributional inequities under the leadership of PM Muhyiddin. Obviously this inefficient situation should be immediately investigated to effectively correct a technical if not a systemic failure leading to such cases of gifts of monies under a stimulus package specially conceived to mitigate the suffering of the needy. On the other hand it’s an hilarious situation for an environment with a notorious past reputation for diverting public funds to personal coffers. Hopefully other ineligible recipients will follow the good example of Puan Fuziah Salleh and declare themselves.

This stupidity is simply inexcusable for the very reason you mentioned: we need public (i.e., taxpayer) fund to fight COVID-19, not to buy PN support through yet another backdoor means.

If this is a technical error, it is also very bad because how can this government be trusted to do things right, after so many other kalang kabut kinds of decision making have been witnessed, the most recent being the Heineken stupidity?

Hey, PN government, the rakyat already has enough stress just fighting COVID-19. We do not need your incompetence and/or backdoor hanky-panky to add to it.

The so-called experts are still issuing wishy-washy comments on the efficacy or otherwise of wearing face masks. ''The World Health Organisation’s official guidelines state that members of the public should only wear face masks only if they are sick, or if they are caring for the ill.'' Then why bother at all to even wear a face mask as ''there is only very limited evidence of the benefits of wearing face masks by the general public, no evidence that wearing them in crowded places helps at all, and no evidence at all yet related to Covid-19,'' said University of
Reading expert.
The West, because of their unpreparedness and lackadaisical attitude at the initial stage of the spread of Covid-19 are critically short of medical supplies and equipment. And the apologists in the medical field are trying to cover up the the inaction of their respective governments.

YES Agree with alipay88!

Regardless of any scientific evidence, wear a face mask if you absolutely have to leave your homes to get essentials. Go to YouTube to make your own face mask if you don't have access or could afford to buy any N95 proof face masks by now. In fact, some of the home made face mask on You Tube are higher than N95 proof. This is no time for this or that science ministry in Malaysia to tell you whether you need to wear a face mask or not. Do you even trust them? Science is not without mistakes. Save yourself as much as you can psychologically, emotionally by wearing a face mask when you need to go out to shop for essentials. This is my really basic advise for you. Simple logic, really!! We Malaysians simply can no longer trust our various ministries to tell us what is right since they are stuffed with IDIOTS in the very first place.

Use your commonsense.

If the Chinese government still advise their citizens to wear masks, we should follow suit.

It's a little inconvenience if you wear.
It could be your life if you don't.

If the virus spreads mainly by droplets from the mouse and nose, common sense tells us that properly wearing a mask will help to limit it's spread !

Researchers are only good at research, they normally don't conclude. It is we the norm make sensible decision. For your added protection and safety, just wear it !

On Saturday, however, WHO's top emergencies expert Dr Mike Ryan suggested that using improvised ‘mouth coverings’ by members of the public is “not a bad idea”. "So we can certainly see circumstances in which the use of masks, both homemade or cloth masks, at the community level may help in an overall comprehensive response to this disease," he said. However, he stressed that medical-grade masks should be prioritised for healthcare workers, and if masks are used, it should be part of a strategy that does not negate the need for handwashing and social distancing. Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah had said the ministry is still waiting for new guidelines from the WHO, but reiterated that those who show symptoms of illness should wear a mask.

“For the public, if you have symptoms, then, by all means, put on a mask. “The question is should everyone always wear masks but if you are exposing yourself to the public, perhaps you should, but again we need to look into evidence first,” he told a press conference on Sunday.

“This study, therefore, supports the importance of prioritising limited stocks for healthcare staff and other key workers in the high-risk settings identified by the study as more likely to benefit from mask use. “It is important to synthesize what we know right now, and even though these studies largely do not relate to the current outbreak, it is the best knowledge available at present,” she said. University of Southampton senior research fellow in global health Michael Head told the SMC that the review shows that there are special circumstances where masks are useful, such as when moving around people with weaker immune systems and others who are more vulnerable to disease. “There was also evidence of a potential small protective effect when facemasks were worn in community settings where the contact was quite brief such as in shops.

“However, these protective effects appear to be very small, and the studies reviewed typically contained significant biases (for example, when reporting user compliance). “Thus, despite this excellent review, there are still uncertainties around future policies that consider facemasks,” he said. Currently, the World Health Organisation’s official guidelines state that members of the public should only wear facemasks only if they are sick, or if they are caring for the ill. Those who do wear a mask must know how to use and dispose of it properly, it said, and to use it in combination with frequent handwashing.

Meanwhile, in the observational studies, they found that the odds of spreading respiratory diseases is reduced by 19 percent if both the infected person and their housemates wore a face mask. The effect is ‘very small’ if only the infected person or their healthy housemates wore the masks.

In studies on Hajj pilgrimages, the evidence on the protective effect of facemasks is inconsistent. However, the researchers criticised that the quality of the available studies was poor, and that the RCTs would underestimate the protective value of facemasks while the observational studies would exaggerate it. “The evidence is not sufficiently strong to support widespread use of facemasks as a protective measure against Covid-19. “However, there is enough evidence to support the use of facemasks for short periods of time by particularly vulnerable individuals when in transient higher-risk situations,” the group said, while advocating higher quality studies on the subject. Other scientists not involved in the review praised the new paper as timely and backed its findings.

“This research, while not yet peer-reviewed by scientists, is a reasonable review of previous studies and presents the existing evidence fairly – which is that there is only very limited evidence of the benefits of wearing face masks by the general public, no evidence that wearing them in crowded places helps at all, and no evidence at all yet related to Covid-19,” said University of Reading cellular microbiology Simon Clarke to the UK non-profit group Science Media Centre. University of London biological anthropologist Jennifer Cole told the SMC that the study supports prioritising limited stocks of face masks for healthcare workers, as well as others in ‘high-risk settings’ such as supermarket checkout staff and public transport operators.

Review finds facemasks only ‘modestly effective’ at best

CORONAVIRUS | A systematic review of the available research has found little evidence to support the widespread wearing of facemasks to prevent respiratory diseases such as Covid-19. The paper ‘Facemasks and similar barriers to prevent respiratory illness such as Covid-19: A rapid systematic review’ has published at the pre-print repository MedRxiv yesterday and has not yet been peer-reviewed. In the review, a group of researchers based at the University of East Anglia, UK, systematically searched and analysed studies that looked at the effectiveness of facemasks. They searched for studies on whether such masks could prevent the spread of influenza-like illnesses and other respiratory symptoms in community settings, as opposed to medical settings such as clinics and hospitals. Overall, they found 31 studies that meet the criteria of inclusion in their analysis, including 12 randomised control trials (RCTs). In most cases where the information is available, these studies had used medical-grade paper surgical masks. Of the 31 studies, three RCTs found that the masks reduced the odds of developing influenza-like illnesses and respiratory symptoms by only six percent.

I think our Newest PM is doing a good job on Covid-19 n even prayed for us for all Malaysian well being.

He made sure no one is left behind like the Singaporean army actors !

I believe we can't find another Good Promoter in i3 after the these few coming years!

RevenueQueenie, you are right and well said .

the stock market has gone through numerous crisis, it is always in the long-term uptrend.No need to get panic and run for the exit if you are in above and if you have invested in good businesses.

For those who has a lot of cash and thinly invested, it may be a good time to start nibbling; buy some good companies slowly.The future is unpredictable, the pandemic can get worse (or better). Low stock price can go lower, much lower.

detach yourself from this short term “external” loss in this bear market and reduce stress.Survival is the only road to riches.

No one is certain how the covid-19 pandemic will finally play out. Have cash reserve which will last you for a long time, First one must have a clear mind the purpose of investing; is it: To get rich quick, but subject to high risk (b) to build long-term wealth steadily, safely but surely

If Tested positive must be isolated for treatment. Guess human are prune to phobia of social isolation causing many avoid go for test even if its free

Free subsidy test screening follow by medicine drug Remdesivir must be easily accessible at all pharmacies besides public hospital. Let private sector also help to cure fast, if any.Test is pre-emptive fast to identify at early stage as many not even know when they get infected and may be too late by the time showing symptoms

AI screening? Suddenly privacy is not an issue anymore?

Haha, vit-c so powerful nowadays

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): People whose test results for Covid-19 come back negative remain at risk of being infected with the virus, says the Health Ministry’s (MOH) family medicine specialist Dr Zienna Zufida Zainol Rashid.

She said that might happen if such individuals are exposed to risk, such as having close contact with a Covid-19 patient.

"In this situation, the person may get infected. ... if you tested negative once, (this) does not mean you will remain negative in the future, ” she said during the Ministry’s Facebook live-stream on ‘Kenali Covid-19’ (Get to know COVID-19) Friday (April 3).

The live-stream, which also included the Ministry’s medical specialist Dr Aizuniza Abdullah, was aimed at answering questions on Covid-19 posted by the public.

Elaborating, Dr Zienna said it was therefore important for people to adopt preventive measures such as washing their hands, social distancing, and staying at home to contain the spread of the outbreak.

Meanwhile, on claims that vitamin C could prevent Covid-19, Dr Zienna said so far no studies have proven it.

"Generally, vitamin C can be taken as a supplement but not to prevent Covid-19. No studies have suggested it, ” she said.

Covid-19: Negative test doesn’t mean you’re home-free … and no, vitamin C doesn’t stop it

Bank Negara says World economy in recession,The global economy is expected to contract this year as the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has significantly weakened growth prospects, (say thank you to china,lol)

a US$2.2 trillion aid package approved by the U.S. Congress on Friday to cushion the blow to consumers and businesses — more than double what it pledged in 2009.

The end of covid-19 oredi got begin with the above US aid package.

Please no fight with all the central banks n world banks in the world.

No one can win including Mr Sorrow.

alipay88, With tariffs, banning of Hua Wei sales and a string of foul language heap on China, do you think China would not feel the stab?
Xi told Trump, no priority, he can queue up to do the purchase. Xi can even ban sale as Trump has banned sale of chips to China.
The fool-hardly proud, short-sighted and evil man must be brought down to earth and respect others.

Economic relief

After days of wrangling, the US Congress passed a US$2.2 trillion relief package yesterday, sending the bill to Trump, who promptly signed it into law.

In addition to aiding hospitals, the package will send cash to businesses and unemployed workers suffering from the effects of stay-at-home orders that have had the side effect of strangling the economy.

A number of hotels in New York City, including the famed Plaza Hotel, the St. Regis and the Four Seasons, are making rooms available to medical workers fearful of carrying the virus home to their families after work, or to non-critical care patients, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

Marney Gruber, an emergency doctor who works in multiple hospitals around New York City, said commonly used medications were in short supply and hospitals were running out of oxygen tanks.

“These are staples in emergency medicine and ICUs — these are your bread and butter, truly, your very basic essentials,” Gruber said.

At least two New York medical schools, New York University and Columbia, have said they will graduate their fourth-year students early so they can begin treating patients with the coronavirus right away.

In the nation’s second-largest city, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said cases were spiking, putting the Southern California region on track to match New York City’s infection figures in the next five days.

The mayor spoke as he and California’s governor, who ordered all coronavirus-related evictions banned through May 31, toured a newly arrived naval hospital ship equipped with 1,000 patient beds at the Port of Los Angeles. Its sister vessel is to be deployed to New York Harbor in the near future.

At the Riverside County Fairground east of Los Angeles, California National Guard troops were setting up a 125-bed medical station to serve residents of the Coachella Valley, an area teeming with elderly retirees considered especially vulnerable to Covid-19.

The US military also is setting up field hospitals in Seattle and New York, the Pentagon said.

As US virus cases exceed 100,000, doctors decry scarcity of drugs and equipment

Doctors and nurses on the front lines of the US coronavirus crisis pleaded yesterday for more protective gear and equipment to treat waves of patients expected to overwhelm hospitals as the number of known US infections surpassed 100,000, with more than 1,600 dead.

Physicians have called particular attention to a desperate need for additional ventilators, machines that help patients breathe and are widely needed for those suffering from Covid-19, the respiratory ailment caused by the highly contagious novel coronavirus.

Hospitals in New York City, New Orleans, Detroit and other virus hot spots also have sounded the alarm about scarcities of drugs, medical supplies and trained staff while the number of confirmed US cases rose by 15,000 yesterday to just over 100,000.

That was down slightly from more than 16,000 new cases reported on Thursday, the largest one-day US surge to date, but kept the United States as the world leader in the number of known infections, having surpassed China and Italy on Thursday.

“We are scared,” said Dr Arabia Mollette of Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Centre in Brooklyn. “We’re trying to fight for everyone else’s life, but we also fight for our lives as well, because we’re also at the highest risk of exposure.”

The United States ranked sixth in death toll among the hardest hit countries, with at least 1,605 lives lost as of Thursday evening, marking the first time the country had recorded more than 300 deaths in a single day, according to a Reuters tally of official data. Worldwide, confirmed cases rose above 576,000 with 26,455 deaths, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre reported.

Even as hospital patient numbers steadily climbed, shortages of key medical supplies abounded.

One emergency room doctor in Michigan, an emerging epicentre of the pandemic, said he was using one paper face mask for an entire shift due to a shortage and that hospitals in the Detroit area would soon run out of ventilators.

“We have hospital systems here in the Detroit area in Michigan who are getting to the end of their supply of ventilators and have to start telling families that they can’t save their loved ones because they don’t have enough equipment,” the physician, Dr Rob Davidson, said in a video posted on Twitter.

Emergency powers

US President Donald Trump yesterday invoked emergency powers to require General Motors Co to start building ventilators after he accused the largest US automaker of “wasting time” during negotiations.

He had previously resisted mounting calls for him to invoke the Defence Production Act, a Korean War-era statute that gives the president broad procurement powers in national emergencies, seeking to exert pressure on manufacturers to act voluntarily.

Sophia Thomas, a nurse practitioner at DePaul Community Health Centre in New Orleans, where Mardi Gras celebrations late last month fuelled a local outbreak in Louisiana’s largest city, said the numbers of coronavirus patients “have been staggering.”

“We are truly a hotbed of Covid-19 here in New Orleans,” she said, adding that her hospital was trying to cope in part by shifting some patients to “telehealth” services that allow them to be evaluated from home.

New York-area doctors say they have had to recycle some protective gear, or resort to the black market.

Dr Alexander Salerno of Salerno Medical Associates, a general medical practice with offices in northern New Jersey, described going through a “broker” to pay US$17,000 (RM73,572.60) for masks and other protective equipment that should have cost about US$2,500, and picking them up at an abandoned warehouse.

“You don’t get any names. You get just phone numbers to text,” Salerno said. “And so you agree to a term. You wire the money to a bank account. They give you a time and an address to come to.”

Nurses at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York said they were locking away or hiding N-95 respirator masks, surgical masks and other supplies that are prone to pilfering if left unattended.

“Masks disappear,” nurse Diana Torres said. “We hide it all in drawers in front of the nurses’ station.”

lol, simple, no test, no case.... cover up mission

pentamaster & dufu already up so much.waiting for this counter to pecah bumbung ! GO UP UP UP ARBB!

Yes Wellington Sky, ARBB will go up again but slowly & steadily. Look at 0.10 first then 0.16. It's a good counter. Almost 50%earnings

Forget about our durian export to China pigs! Can't even sell locally now! Die die standing alone! Let those hungry wild animals eat them!

traderstrades , Just look at daily new infected! Still above 100! And Daily death! Mostly will extend!

Raya? And forget balik kampong!

traderstrades, not proud to mention it but true! high chances likely we see extension!

Even now, so many small business especially those hawkers or small business earning their wage daily, are suffering! Really suffering! Many already ran out of money now!
In short, even today, so many small business can't afford to start their business once lockdown is lifted!
If lockdown extended further, i doubt they can even dream of starting their business!
This is the reality for the men and women on the street! You favorite chicken rice seller may not see the light of day! Same with many others out there! It's a gloom reality many are suffering in silence!
I hope MCA would be generous to extend interest free loans to this poor local chinese businesses! As i doubt government of the day would!
As for the malays, they are sure to be taken care of, let's not deny this fact!
As for indians, i am sorry but MIC just not relevant at all! It's has lost it's place long time ago!
The same with bumis as their local parties may not be rich or their politicians couldn't care less!