KUALA LUMPUR (March 30): Following its meeting today, the Economic Action Council (EAC) has called for landlords to consider reducing or waiving rent for businesses that could not continue to operate during the imposition of the movement control order.

The meeting focused on the concerns of small and medium enterprises that are facing challenges as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement. 

“To alleviate renters’ burden, all owners of public and private businesses premises are urged to consider discounts, deferrals or exemptions for rent payments for business owners who cannot carry out their businesses,” the PMO said.

The PMO also announced the appointment of two economic experts from Sabah and Sarawak respectively — Datuk Bridget Lai @ Bridget Anne Chin Hung Yee and Datuk Abang Halmi Ikhwan — into the EAC. 

Lai is a well-known banker, and Halmi is the chairman of the Dewan Usahawan Bumiputera Sarawak. The appointments raise the number of EAC members to 13.

On March 16, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced the members of the EAC following the council's inaugural meeting, comprising government officials and prominent private sector figures.

The government officers in the council comprise the prime minister as chairman, Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Economy) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, and International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, who is one of the four senior ministers as well as the deputy chair of the EAC.

Bank Negara Malaysia governor Datuk Nor Shamsiah Mohd Yunus is also a member of the council, as well as Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia economics professor Tan Sri Dr Noor Azlan Ghazali.

From the private sector, members of the council consist of The Edge Media Group chairman Datuk Tong Kooi Ong, Mercy Malaysia founder Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood, Celcom Axiata Bhd group chairman Tan Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim, Westports Holdings Bhd chairman Tan Sri G Gnanalingam and Sunway Group chairman Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah.

The EAC is tasked with ensuring economic sustainability, finding ways to stimulate the economy, and coming up with short- and medium-term plans to ensure economic growth for the country.

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