PETALING JAYA: The government has asked small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to put forward a proposal on the type of help they need.

SME Association president Datuk Michael Kang said they were asked to provide a sectoral-based proposal during a meeting with government ministers, led by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Economy) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed yesterday.

“Mustapa said a decision on how the government can help SMEs will be made during the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday,” Kang told theSun.

“I am confident that at least 70% to 80% of the proposals that we will hand over to the government tomorrow will be adopted.”

Among some of the proposals are the setting up of a government fund to help pay salaries of SME employees.

Kang said the association is also seeking a moratorium on paying income tax for six months as this would give its members some breathing space for them to get back on their feet.

The association is also proposing that the government suspend employers’ contribution to the Employees Provident Fund for the time being. He said every sen his members could save would help them.

A survey involving over 15,000 SMEs found that one third or 33.3% of them have only enough cashflow for March while 37.8% could only sustain up to April, he pointed out.

The survey found that many were worried about the challenges in business operations, and have doubts about the sustainability of their businesses, Kang said.

“The biggest challenge facing SMEs is cashflow. Most SMEs are very tight in cashflow. It is expected there will be no cash inflow for at least three months due to the movement control order (MCO). Yet, we will still need to continue paying full salaries, rental and some statutory payments.”

READ MORE: https://aseanews.net/2020/03/31/finance-malaysia-smes-told-to-list-aid-requests/

Kang said the 10 million people SMEs employ curretly make up about 66% of the Malaysian workforce, and that SMEs form the backbone of the nation’s economy. He said that if they collapse, so will the economy./  RAJVINDER SINGH /

YANGON, Myanmar- Construction contraction due to virus outbreak

A file photo of construction workers in Yangon. Photo – EPA

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Industry insiders say that the country’s construction sector has slowed by around 30 percent due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There are construction projects that have been suspended due to a shortage of imported building materials and some have been stopped temporarily due to cash flow problems. About 70pc of projects are still running as usual. The situation is not so bad yet,” Myanmar Construction Entrepreneurs Federation (MCEF) Chair U Shein Win told The Myanmar Times.

However, if the situation worsens or drags on longer than expected, more construction projects may stop, he warned.

“Health is the most important thing. Construction projects have to stop if the government calls a halt on projects as a precaution to stop the spread of the virus,” said U Shein Win.

READ MORE:  https://www.mmtimes.com/news/construction-contraction-due-virus-outbreak.html

“I have already made arrangements for the next two months for the sake of employees and the company to survive. If the situation becomes worse or drags on until May, businesses may have to go through a tougher time,” said U Ye Lin. – Translated

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Año favors end to lockdown

Says bad for economy; Duque ambivalent, Lacson sees trouble

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Extending the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) or lockdown due to the threat of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)­—which has killed 78 and infected 1,546 nationwide, with 128 new cases reported as of 4 pm – was not advisable, as this measure would adversely affect the domestic economy, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said Monday.

READ MORE: https://manilastandard.net/news/top-stories/320745/a-o-favors-end-to-lockdown.html

Sen. Francis Pangilinan said it’s been five days since the emergency powers, and as required by law, IATF needs to submit to Congress and effectively to the people a progress report every week.

He report should answer these questions:

1. On resources:

2. On the health strategy:

3. On the economic strategy:

by Macon Ramos-Araneta

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MANILA-  Dar says fosod enough, but flags checkpoint

LOCAL GOVERNMENTS’ RULES Food trucks are not banned under the Luzon quarantine, but local governments keep turning them around at checkpoints. —KARLSTON LAPNITEN

MANILA, Philippines — The insistence of local governments to enforce their own quarantine directives is slowly resulting in an artificial food crisis as the movement of truckers and suppliers remains restricted.

In the Cordillera region, vegetable farmers have been forced to use their undelivered crops for use as fertilizers. In the Calabarzon region, poultry raisers have halted production as prices of chicken plummet due to oversupply.

Disrupted movement

People in some areas have taken their own course to stave off hunger. In the City of Ilagan in Isabela province, for instance, some have started eating corn fungus, while others have grown their own vegetables on vacant lots.

READ MORE: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1251373/dar-says-food-enough-but-flags-checkpoints

Review local gov’t code

The United Broilers Raisers Association has called on the national government to review the Local Government Code during times of crisis such as these, so that national agencies may be authorized to assume control—and not just supervise—local government operations, according to its president, Bong Inciong.

For now, the Department of Agriculture has employed its own food trucks to buy farm produce from various cooperatives all over the country and deliver these to designated trading centers./ By: Karl R. Ocampo / Philippine Daily Inquirer

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