Join Statement By Chong Chieng Jen And Kelvin Yii:
Since the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO) in March 2020, Malaysians from all walks of life have been affected one way or another. Due to the various of MCO and the differing SOPs, many small businesses have been affected.
Amongst the vulnerable group would be the food and beverages operators. Whenever a new cluster is announced, it generally leads to a sudden drop in the number of people visiting any businesses within the vicinity. Last year, we had the Sentosa Cluster, Seladah Cluster and Green Hill Cluster which affected all businesses in 7thMile, Gala City and also Jalan Green Hill area.
Recently, there was a similar incident with the ICOM Cluster. The business operators within the ICOM Square area have complained how they have been affected tremendously. We, DAP, have steadfastly pushed for the State Government to take the lead in offering financial assistance to those affected. With over RM24billion in reserves, it is time for the State Government to dig into them at times like this.
To walk the talk, DAP shall be embarking on a financial assistance package of its own. Pusat KhidmatBandar Kuching and Pusat KhidmatStampin shall be putting RM10,000 each into a consolidated fund that will be managed transparently specifically for this purpose. The money from this fund shall be fully utilised to assist those food and drinks hawker stalls operates within the vicinity that have been declared as an official “cluster”.
So as a first step, on this coming Sunday (1-5-2021) at 8:00 am., we will be taking the initiative to help register those eligible at the recently declared “ICOM Cluster”. We will be on the ground to help those eligible to register and the funds will be distributed to the hawkers as soon as possible.
We understand that the token that we give may be a small amount to most people and that we only have very limited fund available for the program.However, we hope that this act will raise the necessary awareness towards the importance of compliance to the SOPs and the profound effects for any non-compliance.
At the same time, we also call for a similar initiative to be adopted by the State Government on a larger and more comprehensive scale to help the different businesses that have been affected by the pandemic. This includes different legitimate businesses that are not allowed to open during this period including gyms, entertainment, reflexology & spa among others.
Good governance is measured when the riches are resources are properly distributed to the people especially during a time of need. There is no point claiming that they are a caring government if they do not help the people when they are struggling the most even with billions sitting in their accounts. That is why we reiterate our stand that the State Government should reconvene DUN immediate, and table a bill to utilise the reserve fund to help our people.
30-4-2021
Chong Chieng Jen Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen
MP for Stampin MP for Bandar Kuching
