KUALA LUMPUR (March 27): Property developer Mah Sing Group Bhd has described the Prihatin Rakyat Economic Stimulus Package (PRIHATIN) as a decisive and substantial set of proposals to address the quandary faced by vulnerable groups and sectors in countering COVID-19.

Mah Sing founder and group managing director Tan Sri Leong Hoy Kum said PRIHATIN would ensure that the bottom 40 percent household income group (B40) and middle 40 percent household income group (M40), as well as small and medium enterprises (SMEs) get an immediate cash injection.

It will also preserve jobs, protect businesses and enable the economy to continue to function, he said when commenting on PRIHATIN which was unveiled by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yasin today.

Muhyiddin today unveiled the RM250 billion PRIHATIN to boost the economy which was affected by the Movement Control Order (MCO) in battling COVID-19.

Leong said the group is particularly pleased to see that all projects mentioned in the 2020 Budget will continue to be implemented.

“Large infrastructure projects like the MRT2, LRT3, ECRL, SSER and others are important as they are in line with the Government's focus to ensuring sustainable economic growth.

“This will create a multiplier effect - businesses need people to spend, for them to improve their cash flow and to invest to drive the economy,” he said in a statement.

He hoped the Government would introduce more measures for businesses beyond the SME sector.

Meanwhile, Grab, in a statement, said PRIHATIN could help over 100,000 e-hailing drivers, whose income were affected by the pandemic.

Grab country head Malaysia Sean Goh said the group played their part by activating tens of thousands of Grab drivers as a delivery-partners to help sustain their income while assisting the growing need in delivery services.

“Grab Malaysia has launched a 'Partner Protection Fund' which provides financial assistance to those who are required to self-quarantine or seek treatment for COVID-19.

“We have also launched our 'Partner Relief Fund', a combination of GrabFood, GrabMart and GrabPay vouchers to help partners save up to 50 percent of their daily household expenses,” Sean said, adding that he hoped the community will able to ride out the trying period with aid from the Government and industry.