Double welfare payments for B40, M40, DAP tells govt

 

Lim Guan Eng presenting the memo to Tengku Zafrul Aziz. Tony Pua (right) and V Sivakumar (left) were also present at the meeting with finance ministry officials in Putrajaya on Thursday.

PETALING JAYA: DAP has asked Putrajaya to double welfare payments under the stimulus package for poor (B40) and middle income (M40) families affected by Covid-19 pandemic, stating these families are in need of aid.

In a memorandum sent to finance minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz, DAP said RM5 billion should be kept aside under the latest Pemulih package.

In a statement, DAP’s secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, Damansara MP Tony Pua and Batu Gajah MP V Sivakumar said the memorandum acknowledged the difficulties faced by the M40 families.

The party wants welfare payments for the hardcore poor to be increased from RM1,300 to RM2,500, and for the B40 group who are currently receiving RM800, to be increased to RM1,900.

As for the M40 group, the party said the present payment of RM250 monthly should be increased to RM1,100 monthly.

“Additionally, we propose that the Covid-19 Fund be extended well after 2022 to reduce the severe negative shock to a recovering economy.

“The extended expiry date should be aligned with the 10-year period of looser debt to GDP and debt service ratios,” DAP said.

The party added that the concerns of international rating agencies can be mitigated with clear fiscal plans.

According to DAP, since the start of the pandemic, several countries have raised their spending limits without serious threat to their credit ratings, including Brazil and Japan.

The party also repeated its call for the six-month loan moratorium to be interest-free as well as for an increase in the health ministry’s testing and tracing capacity.

The party also wants the government to allocate RM6 billion in Work Hiring Incentives for the next two years, with wage incentives of RM500 a month to local employees and hiring incentives of RM300 per month to employers.

“This will create employment for 250,000 to 300,000 Malaysian workers. Malaysia has reported youth unemployment of 13.4% in March 2021.

“We also propose RM30 billion financial grants and subsidies for the economic sector with RM15 billion investment in terms of grants and soft loans, matched with appropriate tax incentives to immediately ‘pandemic-proof’ work places, factories and workers’ quarters,” DAP said adding this will be in line with the recent ventilation guide introduced by the human resources ministry. - FMT