Help for SMEs should not cause loss to workers, MTUC tells Govt

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysians Trades Union Congress (MTUC) has called upon the government to take into account the needs of workers as it seeks to provide assistance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

On Saturday, Finance Minister Tengku Zahrul Tengku Abdul Aziz had confirmed that more financial assistance was on the way for SMEs next week, something the companies and employers have been demanding in recent days.

MTUC secretary-general J.Solomon said additional financial assistance sought by the SMEs must come with enough checks and conditions to ensure that they do not retrench workers and their salaries and leave were kept intact.

He said that protection of workers interest must be a top priority of the government in aiding the SMEs.

“Over the past few weeks, employers and SMEs have kept reminding Malaysians and the government that SMEs must be saved as they are the backbone to the economy, contributing 38.3 per cent to the country’s GDP.

“ What has been forgotten in this clamour for more government assistance is that these very same companies employ 64 per cent of the total work force in the private sector.

“As such, the thrust of the government assistance should be on the SMEs and the workers as well. The government and the employers have a moral and public duty in protecting the livelihood of these workers and their families,” Solomon said in a statement here today.

The additional financial aid from the government for the SMEs would likely to be in the billions, on top of the RM100 billion already allocated to the sector earlier.

Solomon urged the government to ensure that workers' interests were protected and it was made a pivotal condition for SMEs to obtain government financial assistance.

“It has been reported that some employers have already forced workers under duress to apply for voluntary retrenchment, wage cuts and leave disregarding government's directives.

“Therefore, the government must through the Human Resources Minister make Emergency Employment Regulations to prevent retrenchment, wage cuts and forced annual leave availment during the next one year,” he said.

The Finance Minister had also sounded the possibility of an economic recovery in 2021 and revealed that there was a RM121 billion as extra capital buffer in the financial system.

Solomon said having this ‘cushion’ makes it all the more imperative for the government and employers not to neglect workers by ensuring they keep their jobs and their income intact.

“In due course, these workers will once again become the frontliners for Malaysia’s economic recovery.

“Therefore, SMEs and the government must ensure these frontliners do not become victims of short-sighted policies nor unscrupulous employers in their current hour of need,” he said.

He said it must be stressed that whatever cash assistance given to SMEs it must be used to retain their staff and provide long-term job security.

“There should be no compromise on protecting the B40 workers. Most of them depend on daily or low monthly wages. Many are on minimum wages and ignoring them will result in serious social implications,” Solomon said, adding that Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s declaration that no one should be left behind must be taken seriously by the employers too. They should take this as their National Service to help employees keep their jobs.

Meanwhile, he said the MTUC also wants the government to remove the RM4,000 monthly wage ceiling for workers to apply for the RM600 per month subsidy.

“Even M40 workers earning between RM4,000 and RM8,000 struggle in cities like KL (Kuala Lumpur), JB (Johor Baru) and Penang.

“These urban poor do not fall into this category and thus should qualify for the aid,” he said.

These doctors are not infectious disease specialists. Further they do not consider the bigger picture many things the Agong appointed Prime Minister has done must go through Parliament otherwise there is anarchy. Absence of open consultation between representatives of the people in times of emergency is an absolute essential in a democracy.

‘Public’s health precious’ – former minister wants MCO to continue
Former education minister Mahdzir Khalid believes the government should extend the movement control order (MCO), stressing that the public’s health is precious.

His assessment was based on the daily briefings by Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah on the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Umno leader proposed several initiatives which could be implemented if Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who is scheduled to address the nation at 4pm, announces an extension for the MCO.

As for education with regard to the primary and secondary levels, Mahdzir said the Education Ministry must encourage more online learning.

“Using an interactive platform can motivate teachers and students to continue the syllabus. This would also prevent students from becoming dull after sitting at home for a long period of time.
“The education slot on RTM can also be extended and this can also include private networks,” he added in a Facebook posting this morning.

Whereas, Mahdzir said the Higher Education Ministry should urge universities to conduct online lectures in order for courses to be completed according to schedule.

“The advantage of students owning smartphones coupled with the initiative by telecommunication companies offering free internet data can help realise this proposal,” he added.

Who knows, we may find the vaccine?

Research universities, the former minister said, can use this opportunity to strengthen the research and development (R&D) sector.

Mahdzir urged these universities to conduct research into the Covid-19 virus to understand its characteristics and the findings can be shared with the public for their well-being.

“The R&D group can also look for a vaccine. Who knows, the vaccine for Covid-19 could come from our laboratories?

“To realise this, the government must provide the appropriate research grants to these universities to produce impactful studies,” he added.

Mahdzir also urged the government to launch a specific initiative for SME entrepreneurs, which would allow for their businesses, including those in rural areas, to operate during the MCO.

“How long can the government afford to dish out aid in the form of cash?

“The online business platform must be expanded for their use. Or in other words, the implementation of the 5G network must be expedited,” he added.

As for life in the post-MCO period, the former minister suggested that social science experts conduct a specific study to identify the new norms to be observed.

“The public can use the findings of this study to adapt to the situation after the government lifts the MCO. It would also be crucial for the public to help rehabilitate the national economy,” he added.

The MCO was implemented on March 18 to flatten the Covid-19 infection curve. It was scheduled to end on March 31 but was extended until April 14.

As of yesterday, Malaysia recorded 4,228 Covid-19 cases and 67 deaths. A total of 24 districts nationwide have been classified as red zones for having more than 40 positive cases.

In making this call, the physicians acknowledge that the coronavirus is not going to disappear anytime soon but asked if this means that all Malaysians have to cower at home until the “all clear” is declared.

“There are many strategies that can support community resilience and mental health, protect access to essential goods and services, and limit the economic impact of stay-at-home measures where these are deemed necessary.

“For example, organising work-sites to ensure physical distance between persons, such as staggering shifts over time, or converting on-site service to home delivery may help to keep more businesses open.

“Tele-working and tele-schooling strategies in different contexts demonstrate innovation and the role of technology in supporting business continuity and sustaining social connection within families and communities.

“In general, implementation of distancing measures should also aim to sustain personal and professional community connections by virtual means and technology, including widely accessible means such as radio and mobile phones.”

“Therefore, disruption of social activities, gainful employment, job losses and bankruptcies will have to be tempered with strong tangible ground level people to people, as well as small enterprise/small business support.

“No jobs means no income – many would be hard-pressed to survive a prolonged MCO or long-term lockdowns. Thus, it is extremely critical to plan the long-term easing of these movement control and social distancing efforts,” added the physicians.

Safeguard healthcare professionals

The physicians say that while relaxing movement control, we cannot afford to let up on diagnosis, isolation and treatment of Covid-19 patients.

“We will need to get a point of care rapid tests such as we have for dengue and influenza, which we hope will be evaluated and available within a few weeks.

“We will need to look into those who have been cured or who have protective antibodies so that perhaps these convalescent people might get ‘certificates of infection and cure’, and therefore, be allowed to return quickly to society – to work, to pursue business, to study et cetera.”

They also warned against any sort of monopoly on the manufacture, import, distribution and sale of such tests or economic incentives.

“These should benefit all our rakyat equitably and fairly without losses from leakages and unnecessary bureaucracy. The government must exercise financial prudence, power restraint as well as great transparency so that the rakyat can have confidence in the government’s management and control of this Covid-19 pandemic.”

The physicians also called on authorities to take measures to safeguard the health of rest accorded to healthcare professionals.

“Globally, hundreds of doctors and nurses have already died looking after Covid-19 patients. This should not be allowed to happen here. If doctors and nurses get sick, that places even greater strains on the healthcare system. Worse, this will seriously undermine the morale and confidence of frontline healthcare workers here,” they said.

Top physicians pen letter to PM calling for gradual relaxation of MCO

The president of the Malaysian Medical Association and 12 predecessors have penned an open letter to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin calling for a gradual relaxation of the movement control order (MCO) measures currently being implemented to combat the spread of Covid-19.

“To Malaysia’s credit, the measures taken by the government, guided by professionals and the best available knowledge, have so far managed to prevent the sort of runaway increase in cases and deaths that we have seen in some other countries,” read the letter.

However, they say it is likely that a stepwise relaxation of movement control will be the way forward.

“For instance, businesses may be allowed to operate with strict guidelines on how many people can be on the premises. Public transport may have to operate with limited loads and with frequent disinfection. Solitary public exercise will have to be permitted, to allow for mental and physical health issues.

“Large group congregations for places of worship, celebrations (e.g. weddings) unfortunately will have to be restricted until the likelihood of community viral spread comes down consistently. This might take upwards of months to years.

“All such measures will need enforcement, and enforcers must be given very clear guidelines so they do not exceed the limits of the regulations or their powers. The public likewise must be well informed about the practical effects of such regulations – what is and is not permissible,” reads the letter.

The letter is signed by the current president of the MMA Dr N Ganabaskaran and 12 past presidents including Dr Ashok Philip, Dr David Quek Kwang Leng, Dr H Krishna Kumar, Dr A Krishnamoorthy, Dr N Arumugam, Dr Milton Lum Siew Wah, Dr RP Lingam, Dr John Chew Chee Ming, Dr Ravindran Naidu, Dr Subramaniam Nadarajan, Dr Abdul Hamid and Dr Mohamed Namazie Ibrahim.

"Massive 'balik kampung' crowd can worsen the spread of Covid-19. It has been suggested that the MCO should be extended until the end of Hari Raya Aidilfitri.


-- THIS should be the determiner. I shudder to think of anything else short of an extended MCO or any similar enforcement.

YoungTycoonWILL

Well then the gomen should be harsher on people keeping quiet about infection and going after them rather than locking the entire country down.

This poll looks like conducted on those makan gaji buta yes. If the poll was done on those surviving on day to day basis, the outcome would be different.

No surprise here. We know that a large part of the population with an iron rice bowl are happy to be paid for going nothing but lepak. They do nothing at work and now they just do nothing at home.

They are looking at the wrong model, all governments started this using compartmental modeling, under agent modeling this can be cleared from the country.

How many more parts are we going have to endure lah. Allow me to give you a brief summary of what actually happened on that week.

1. Sunday. Sheraton move initiated by Azmin and company. It failed because Tun refused to be part of it.
2. Monday. Bersatu withdrew from PH. PH collapsed. Tun resigned and was appointed interim PM. Amanah and Dap declared 100% support for Tun. PKR didn't.
3. Tuesday. Tun proposed unity government (UG) consist of individuals not parties. Umno pas rejected, called for snap polls. Tun’s UG failed.
4. Tuesday night. PH meeting at PKR HQ. Rejected Tun’s UG. Had 3 choices.
#1 Snap polls,
#2 Form new coalition with Tun as PM.
#3 Get rid of Tun and form new coalition with Anwar as PM.
5. Had PH chosen #2, they would have returned to power quite easily. Tun + GPS + Warisan + PH = 6 + 18 + 10 + 92 =126. But PH decide to choose #3. PH decided to get rid of Tun and nominated Anwar as PM instead. Anwar managed to convince Amanah dan DAP that he has the numbers.
6. Wednesday. PH went to see Agong, all smiles, confident Anwar can get majority.
7. At this junction the situation was quite balanced. PN = Umno/BN + Pas + Bersatu/Azmin = 42 + 18 + 30 = 90. PH = 92. The rest are the real kingmakers, GPS 18, Warisan 10, Tun’s Bersatu 6, Independent/Others 6.
8. Thursday. Anwar running around like cockroach. He couldn't get the numbers. Warisan decided to still support PH. But GPS refused to support PH if Tun is not PM. They decided to switch support to PN.
9. Friday. Anwar and PH came crawling back to Tun. Begged him to return as PM.
10. Saturday. Agong appointed Muhyiddin as PM.

So Tun was never part of Sheraton move. Anwar was given the best chance to become PM but he messed it all up, yet again.

GodOfWar
How to manage if Harapan too busy playing politics and game of throne! I am sure if Mahathir still PM, he will be too busy with Apec Summit and Visit Malaysia 2020! I am sure our borders will stil be wide open and make insult of any attempt to lockdown the whole nation! And to please his Zakar Naik buddy, friday prayers will continue as usually!

Compare to egoistic Mahathir, Mohiden at least show some competency! Good riddance to Harapan disastrous 2 years, if Harapan was in charge of Covid19, we be all already die standing!

Even if current quarantine measures to contain/'break the chain' of covid 19 spread fails....and countries are forced to allow to work again...and cases rise again...

the second lock-down after a period of relaxation of the rules will be much more effective to eliminate the virus...since everyone will be much more knowledgeable and disciplined...

the public habits can only improve....this will enable elimination of the virus eventually..

Hi everybody! say, the fight against covid-19 is a complete failure globally....where people are eventually forced to work ..so that they can have food at their table..inevitably accepting that there will be thousands dying...

what should the market pricing be then?

say 3% of the entire world population dies in a year...the 5% growth of real GDP globally will become 2% then...

and this is just for 1 year

should that make the DJIA drop to 18000?

no doubt the world is currently facing extraordinary circumstances...and as always there will be extraordinary solutions when things escalate

If i think i will survive the next 1 year...the market will too

If im not gonna make it...it does not matter what happens to the market anyway.

JessicaTan, Its called power power power

easily below 15k

noted noted noted

Larrie Chew! Yeah, totally agree with you! More handouts to malay institution like civil service!

And Basically Cuepacs is telling the government to give upmost priority to 2 million civil servants than the rest of 30 million malaysians! I mean, doesn't Cuepacs know that on top of RM500 special Covid19 bonus, they also enjoy full salary! What about our B40 who will die standing by end of this month! Mind you M40 group too will find themselves jobless if many SME prefer to close shop! Can civil servants make their sacrifice too!

this is robbing when others are dying...........

crisis come mali, only those who are capable snatch every thing for themselves__.a.k.a gov servant

Good Afternoon o'brian, public servants got suffer meh? actually richer because less spending

TH = Money drop from sky. With majority of its investment in dire condition, wondering where the dividend coming from...

Hmmm.....it is likely the powerful support of the Malaysian government and religious connotations of the fund have protected THP so far, in that suppliers in the region have sought to overlook glaring sustainability violations. However, they say the destruction of the Yong forest reserve is a matter key suppliers cannot ignore.

Never mind, say the new PAS Ministers of the Environment and their Sarawak helper, as there are other less fussy regions of the world who will apparently pay top dollar instead for Tabung Haji’s dirty product.

That remains to be proven, however Malaysia’s coup coalition clearly doesn’t care about climate change or God’s creations, let alone what people voted for – not if there is money to be made by powerful players now they have joined them.

Hi Larry Chew, Regardless what happen to TH, our gov will save it .....

will not let it like Bank Bumi Putra, don't worry!

Pakatan urges extra help for SME workers, firms facing Covid-19 including bigger wage subsidies

While the recently announced economic stimulus package includes welfare aid for the next two months, it does not explain a viable fiscal plan, Pakatan Harapan (PH) secretariat council today said.

In a joint statement undersigned by PKR vice-president Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, Parti Amanah Negara communications director Khalid Abdul Samad and DAP’s Ong Kian Ming, they said if implemented well, the stimulus package can help Malaysians meet their basic needs while they comply with the movement control order (MCO).

“However, the package does not explain the viable fiscal plan which prevents job losses as a result of the economic downturn faced by companies especially those categorised as small-medium enterprises (SMEs),” the statement said.

According to the statement, SMEs in Malaysia provide seven out of 10 jobs and play an important role in driving growth as well as income for the government through the payment of corporate tax.

“Therefore, extra help is needed not only to protect the well-being of the people, but also the fate of the SMEs,” it added.

Because the government will spend RM5.9 billion under the wage subsidy programme where it pays RM600 per month for three months for 3.3 million workers, PH secretariat council saw the number as insufficient.

“It is recommended that this payment be increased to RM1,200 that is in line with the national minimum wage rate.

“This will not only help employees, but also SMEs by reducing the payroll burden and helping to prevent workers being let go.

“This larger number is in line with efforts made in several other countries including Singapore, the United Kingdom and Australia,” the statement read.

The PH secretariat council also looks at the economic situation especially in the next six months deeming that it requires rigorous planning and bipartisan support.

“This is due to the Covid-19 outbreak on the economy is long-term and can change the global economy.

“Therefore, the secretariat council is calling for an emergency parliamentary session to discuss Malaysia’s economic problems today, including bipartisan cooperation to curb the outbreak and save the country,” the statement read.

The one-off payments and loan repayment delays are part of the RM250 billion second stimulus package announced by Muhyiddin to address economic concerns caused by the Covid-19 outbreak.

Harapan wasted 2 years of over politicking! If not Malaysia could have been star in exports! But now, there's a chance to rectify that!

Should the public wear a face mask during the Covid-19 pandemic?

APRIL 1 — This is the key question during this Covid-19 pandemic. After months the pandemic began, the public is confused if a mask is essential to keep them safe despite the World Health Organisation and the Ministry of Health Malaysia keep reiterate that people who are not sick need not wear masks.

They advise that only people who are unwell or caring for the sick need to wear a mask, so that the masks can be reserved for the frontliners. Besides that, the infectious disease experts worry that masks could give people a false sense of security and make them less discipline about social distancing and handwashing.

However, the public is not convinced with this advice. It is common to see Malaysians wearing masks in the public and some supermarkets / hypermarkets are imposing the rule that ‘no mask no entry’.

Recently, there are more health experts supporting the idea that face mask may be beneficial in preventing the spread of Covid-19.

Covid-19 is spread by droplet, not airborne transmission. Face masks work by stopping infected droplets spewing from the wearer’s nose or mouth, rather than stopping acquisition of the virus from others. Since a Covid-19 patient may not show any symptoms and be contagious, if everyone wears a mask, the asymptomatic patient may be less likely to spread the disease to others.

If everyone wears a mask, individuals protect one another, reducing overall community transmission. Places like Hong Kong and Taiwan, applied social distancing and universal mask wearing early may have gotten their cases under better control. South Korea and Japan distribute masks to the public.

Recently Czech Republic and Slovakia even made mask wearing mandatory. The Czech Republic has a slogan that promotes mask wearing: “my mask protects you, your mask protects me”.

George Gao, the director of the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shares the thinking of the Czech government. He believes not wearing a mask is a big mistake. If people who are infected but asymptomatic wear a mask, it can prevent droplets that carry the virus from escaping and infecting others. Some researchers quoted that wearing mask is a perfectly good public health intervention that is not used.

Although systematic review and meta-analysis may not provide evidence on the effectiveness of face mask on flu like diseases among the public, which the included studies were mostly cluster randomized controlled trials on non-Covid-19; we should observe the progress made with countries like China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan), South Korea and Japan. These countries have very proactive measures in dealing with Covid-19, and they managed to flatten the epidemic curve. These countries recommended face mask wearing among the public in areas of high population density places such as supermarket, shopping mall (China), when taking public transport or staying in crowded places (Hong Kong), or in confined and badly ventilated spaces (Japan).

Lack of solid evidence supporting the effectiveness of masks against Covid-19 is no reason to dismiss its use, because there may never be definitive scientific proof. However, community use of masks alone is not the only method to stop the spread. Social distancing, staying home, rigorous system of contact tracing, testing and quarantine of people who are potentially infected are important steps in flattening the curve.

It is time for the government to make rational recommendations on appropriate face mask use to complement on other public health measures. Older adults and those with co-morbidities, should wear masks if available. Universal use of face masks should be considered with adequate supplies. In addition, research on effectiveness of cloth face masks which is reusable after washing should be encouraged.

The infighting within CCP is getting intense due to personal interests keeping them in the western countries. They can’t stand with Xi leadership of being the King of China.

Yeah, also for Asians as well! The whites will hate asian people because of Covid19! This Covid19 will wipe out large number of whites! Say thank you to china 2stooges of ageson! yeah you dua ekor!

Like that, our country economy recovery will be slow n the rich people got more time to sapu undervalue shares like Ageson n become RICHER !

Very good for the RICH people !

Covid19 will cause more shop close..............coming soon, say thank you to china you 2 goons! lmao

The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything ― Albert Einstein
worse still are those who use their intelligence to spread the fear
do not believe their little encouraging words can do a miracle

I asked tua-peh-gong
what will happen to our world
he told me
pang-xim
the the whole is standing together to fight the virus
you may not believe the little boy
you can't denied chin , Japan and Korea success is true

O'Brian. same same...accumulate every then and now...uptrend in progress...high prospect for Ageson...

Operator has been collecting
Once enough price will fly to the sky

BAD GONE < GOOD WILL LANDED .