The small man and the stimulus package

For about 10 years, Mamat (not his real name) has been farming on a small plot of land rented from the Selangor government in Bukit Bangkong, Sungai Pelek. Although it did not make him rich, it was enough to meet the basic needs of his family.

He was contented in the knowledge that he would always be able to farm and sell his produce.

Not anymore. The Covid-19 pandemic and, especially, the resultant movement control order (MCO) is playing havoc with his life and the lives of about 150 farmers and fishermen in the area.

They fear for their future, especially now that the MCO has been further extended, for they cannot sell their produce and there is no income.

Food is not a problem for Mamat and the others. They have enough, as they can eat the crops they grow. Their main fear is what will happen if the authorities keep extending the MCO and how they’ll cope once the MCO ends.

Mamat says: “Our problem is that we are unable to sell our produce. We used to sell the produce to wholesalers who would come here to collect them, and also at pasar malam and the Fama (Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority) markets. Now, the wholesalers are not coming and the markets have been ordered closed.”

He says the farmers, some kerepek makers and fishermen in the coastal area are anxious about their future.

According to Mamat, about 80% of the crops and fish are being donated or going to waste due to their inability to market them. He said the villagers were giving away produce that was fresh, so that at least some others in the area would have food on the table.

The lot of the farmers, who pay RM500 in rent a year to the Selangor government for use of the land, may not be as bad as that of the fishermen as they are not allowed to go out to sea.

On March 27, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin unveiled an economic stimulus package, with the lovely soundbite of “pakej prihatin” (caring package) to help the poor and disadvantaged in this time of crisis. On April 6, he announced an additional RM10 billion specifically aimed at helping to soften the impact of the MCO on small and medium-sized enterprises.

Cash aid is given through the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) and one has to be registered with it to be eligible.

I am told by someone who feels for the plight of these villagers that most, if not all, of them are not registered with the LHDN. It’s likely they had never seen a need to, as they were able to carry on with their lives on whatever they grew on the land or caught in the sea, and which they sold.

I am also told that many of them do not have internet connectivity and don’t know how to go about registering for the cash aid.

Sungai Pelek, we need to note, is just about 25 minutes from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and about 50km from the seat of the government in Putrajaya where Muhyiddin and his Cabinet sit to decide on policies that affect the ordinary people, such as the farmers and fishermen here.

I wonder how farmers, fishermen and small traders in places further away, especially in the deep rural areas of Sabah and Sarawak, are expected to benefit from the stimulus package.

Bukit Bangkong villagers, Mamat says, are hoping the government will give aid of about RM5,000 per household, as it did during a major flood which destroyed their crops previously, and for the pasar malam and Fama markets to reopen as soon as possible.

They also hope that aid such as fertilisers and pesticides will be given to help them get back on their feet when the MCO ends as they have lost their income.

Yesterday, when my wife was lining up to buy vegetables at a shop, she noticed a man selling local fruits from a van parked nearby. He is not allowed to do so, which is why he swiftly closed his van when he spotted a police car cruising by and reopened it when the police had left.

He is self-employed and is not registered with the LHDN, which means he cannot get the cash aid to tide him and his family during this troubling time.

There are many more like this man who, before the MCO, used to sell market produce or food or other stuff off their vans or under umbrella canopies in morning and weekly markets. These people, who earned an honest living while serving the small farmer and the consumer, have lost their income and may not be registered to receive the partial income replacement promised by the government.

How many more such vulnerable people – small farmers, fishermen and traders – are there who are suffering because their income has been cut off and who are unable, or don’t know how, to avail themselves of the funds rolled out under the stimulus package? - FMT