KUCHING: Federation of Kuching, Samarahan and Serian Divisions Chinese Associations president Datuk Richard Wee hopes that the federal government will come up with an economic aid package to assist especially the small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
He pointed out that the Sarawakku Sayang Special Assistance (BKSS) 6.0 package unveiled by the Sarawak government on Friday did not really provide much assistance for SMEs and sole proprietors who are very much affected by the prolonged Covid-19 pandemic.
At the same time, he said the classification of small and medium businesses needed to be clearly defined.
“Take for instance people who are running a grocery store, a pub, a reflexology centre, and so on — are they considered a small business?
“If these can be more clearly defined, then it will assist the people in gaining a better understanding of the aid that may be applicable to them,” he said yesterday.
Nonetheless, he said overall, BKSS 6.0 was a welcome and timely package by the state government to provide financial assistance to the people.
Wee noted that the main beneficiaries of the aid package were those in dire need of assistance, such as the lower income group and severely affected sectors like the tourism industry.
He felt that the assistance provided was comprehensive within the sectors covered by the package, even covering taxi drivers and so on.
“While the aid that has been announced is very welcome, it needs to be efficiently implemented. We want to make sure that the assistance goes to the intended group as soon as possible,” he emphasised.
He hoped that the application process would also be simplified and more easily accessible for the eligible groups.
