E-HAILING drivers and driving instructors will receive assistance from the Sarawak government as it extends aid to six sectors to tide over the Covid-19 pandemic a further three months.

In announcing the aid, Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg said 2,396 e-hailing drivers and 791 driving instructors will receive the one-off RM500 financial assistance that will cost the state RM1.59 million.

He said the state’s Sayang Sarawak Special Assistance 4.0, better known by its Malay acronym BKSS, did not include e-hailing drivers and driving instructors in its earlier iterations.

Abang Johari said the extension of aid package – which ended last month – will cost the state another RM104.84 million.

“In view of the recent surge in Covid-19 cases throughout the country that has affected businesses and the livelihoods of the rakyat, the state government has decided to extend (the) seven measures that will lessen the impact of the pandemic until the end of this year,” he told a press conference at the state secretariat, Wisma Bapa Malaysia, in Petra Jaya today.

Extended are discounts on:

· electricity and water bills;

· the 50% discount on the rental of Housing Development Corporation (HDC) residential property;

· the 50% discount for rental of market and stalls;

· waiver of permits and licences fees; and,

· waiver for rentals to SMEs in the retail sector operating on premises owned by state government-linked companies or statutory bodies.

The continuation of between 5% and 25% discount on the monthly electricity bill of 686,847 domestic, commercial and industrial consumers a further three months will cost the government RM83.4 million, Abang Johari said.

A 10% to 25% discount on water bills will also cost the government RM12.6 million.

“Over the past six months, the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government has received positive feedback from the rakyat and frontliners who have benefited greatly from the BKSS assistance.

“I sincerely hope this further extension of the BKSS until year-end will provide the much-needed relief by our people who are badly affected by the pandemic,” Abang Johari said.

In the past six months, the Sarawak government has rolled out three assistance packages – BKSS 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 – worth RM2.55 billion. – October 23, 2020.