KUALA LUMPUR JULY 13: The people wanted their problems to be solved immediately during the imposition of Control Movement Order (MCO) effective from March 18 without waiting for the Parliament session to resume, said Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today.
Muhyiddin said, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the whole nation to encounter several difficulties and as such immediate actions must be taken by the government to help the people and the economic sectors to move forward.
“The government has to help and defend the people in this urgent COVID-19 pandemic,” said Muhyiddin in Dewan Rakyat (Parliament) answering a question posed by Member of Parliament (MP) for Port Dickson, Datuk Seri
Anwar Ibrahim.
Prior to that, Muhyiddin said: “I have expected such question will be raised by the Opposition today.”
Anwar questioned the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government headed by Muhyiddin of why the budget for the COVID-19 and the other economic stimulus packages that involved a big sum of money were not tabled and debated in Parliament.
At the opening of the third term of the 14
th Parliamentary session this morning,
the Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Mohamad Arif Md. Yusof had announced that Anwar was appointed as the Head of Opposition.
Meanwhile, Sabah’s Chief Minister and MP for Semporna, Datuk Seri Mohd.
Shafie Apdal posed a question of whether the microcredit worth RM3 billion that was allocated to help the people has reached its targeted group.
Shafie also wanted to know the rate of unemployment as a result of COVID-19
and what is the government doing to help the workers from the hotel industry
that was mostly affected.
Muhyiddin said, the current unemployment rate is 5% involving 720,000 people
but it will rise to 860,000 towards the end of the year 2020.
“The government has channelled several assistance including the moratorium
and restructuring of loans worth RM100 billion by the local banks. This initiative will help reduce the rate of unemployment in the country,” Muhyiddin said.
Answering the question from Kota Samarahan MP, Rubiah Wang on the government’s aids for the under-privileged group B40, Muhyiddin said, the Laksana has been formed with the cooperation of 53 government agencies to
monitor the implementation and the delivery of the aids to the targeted group.
He said, RM11 billion has been allocated for the B40 and M40 categories to help them ease their problems during COVID-19 pandemic and the imposition of the MCO and now Recovery MCO.
The Prime Minister added, the budget for 2021 will be presented on November 6, 2020 to strengthen the economic strategies while the 12
the Malaysia Plan for 2021-2025 will be presented in early 2021.
He added in October a more comprehensive economic plan will also be presented where unemployment problems and other reformations will be introduced and implemented.
Before the session started today the Speaker had explained the standard operating procedure (SOP) to be adhered to by the MPs and only 174 could sit in the Dewan Rakyat while the others will have to sit outside and could speak using the codeless microphones.- Malaysia World News
