SUDIN Mat Sidek’s food stall has stood empty since the movement control order (MCO) came into force on on March 18.

He thought he could just about weather the 14 days of shutdown but then the order was extended until April 14.

That, and the likely prospect of yet another extension as the number of Covid-19 infections continues to grow, is giving him sleepless nights as he ponders how to feed his two children without an income.

Sudin is not alone in this situation. There are thousands of others like him in the bottom 40, or B40, group who are in the same boat.

The goodies provided by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s in the second stimulus package on Friday, though a welcome relief for Sudin and others like him, are deemed insufficient.

Under the package, Sudin will receive a total cash aid of RM1,600 in April and May. Although he is happy to receive financial support, he nevertheless feels it is inadequate to feed him and his family.

“I am a bit relieved by the RM1,600 cash incentive. I have been without income since the MCO started and am worried they will extend the order.

“This RM1,600, however, will not last long as I also have other expenses and other worries,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Sudin said he earned a net profit of RM80 and RM100 daily from selling food. 

“I am looking at the future beyond the Covid-19 crisis. I fear people will stop going out, and as a result, my business will be sorely affected.

“In the long run, I fear my food business will not pick up again,” he said.

The same fears were expressed by lorry driver Azhar Ahmad, from PPR Kerinchi, Pantai Dalam, in Kuala Lumpur.

Azhar said he was forced to take unpaid leave during this period.

“I am an army pensioner, and I worked as a lorry driver on a daily wage of RM60. That was until the MCO kicked in.

“For now, the RM1,600 payment from the government is adequate, but not in the long run. I still have to feed my family, including a sick wife, and take care of my schooling grandchild,” he said.

Azhar also enjoys another incentive under the stimulus package for which he is grateful to the government – the rent for his PPR flat is waived for six months.

“This is a huge relief. Although the rent is only RM100 per month, to me it is a big amount. We are not in the high-income bracket but the urban poor.”

Azhar was also worried that the MCO would be extended beyond April 14.

“What will happen to my job? How will I sustain the family? I get so worried thinking about this.”

Muhyiddin announced a RM250 billion economic stimulus package to mitigate the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, promising that no one would be left behind.

Of the RM250 billion, RM128 billion will be spent on welfare while RM100 billion has been earmarked for businesses, including small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

The aid include one-off cash payments totalling RM10 billion that would be disbursed to the M40 and B40 groups.

Households earning RM4,000 a month and below will be eligible to receive RM1,600 each. This will benefit four million households. The first payment of RM1,000 will be paid in April and RM600 in May.

The urban poor living in public housing and people’s housing projects (PPR) will be exempted from paying rent for six months. The waiver of rent for 3,636 low-cost units managed by the Housing and Local Government Ministry will cost the government RM3 million.

For Noraini Mohd Noor, 42, a resident of PPR Ampang Jajar in Permatang Pauh, Penang, the waiver provides much welcome relief.

The cleaner said her household income was RM1,600 per month and her expenses were high.

“Both my husband and I are cleaners, and we have seven children to feed.

“To supplement our income, I also sell snacks nearby but that isnt possible now with the MCO in effect,” she told The Malaysian Insight.

“The prime minister’s announcement is very timely. Even the moratorium on loans from banks is good news for us all.”

Noraini hoped the government will not extend the MCO so that she could resume her part–time business.

“We can make the RM1,600 cash handout last for two months, but we would need to be careful with every sen.”

Malaysia has 2,320 Covid-19 cases, with 27 deaths, as of yesterday. – March 29, 2020.