♦️Malaysia Needs a Covid-19 Act Now To Protect Businesses and Jobs♦️
A coalition of Malaysia’s business communities from various associations and trade bodies urgently
appeal to the Malaysia Government to hasten the implementation of Covid-19 Bill/Act (Temporary
Measures) through the press conference today on 29th April 2020 between 4.00pm to 5.00pm through
Zoom e-Conferencing.
This is the first time in Malaysia history that various associations band together and conduct a press e-
conference using Zoom and broadcast it live in Facebook to appeal to the Malaysia Government to save
businesses, which ultimately save jobs.
They urgently appeal to the Government to implement this Bill/Act soonest to protect businesses from
collapsing for at least a temporary period to 31 December 2020 (with necessary extension when the
needs arise), with the hope that when the Bill/Act is quickly passed, all the contractual obligations will
continue unabated.
Many businesses especially in the retailing, manufacturing and servicing industries have business
contractual commitments that once the Movement Control Order (MCO) is over such commitments will
be enforced on these businesses and thereon numerous disputes will take place which will badly impact businesses.
Post MCO
Many businesses especially in the retailing, manufacturing and servicing industries have business
contractual commitments where their financial commitments will be enforced and legal disputes will take place in abundance which will impact their business survival.
It is of paramount importance for a COViD-19 Bill/Act (Similar to the Singapore Covid-19 (Temporary
Measures) Act) to be put in place to protect business owners from legal suits when they are unable to
fulfill their contractual obligations in order to sustain their businesses Post-MCO.
Furthermore, the Bill/Act should provide for the sharing of financial burden from owners of shopping
malls, shop lots, offices and factory for a reduction in rental.
Therefore a Covid-19 Bill has to be introduced to enable businesses to receive temporary relief as many
business owners will find themselves unable to fulfill their contractual obligations.
1. Prohibition to take legal action
Appropriate measures need to be spelt out in the proposed Covid-19 Bill/Act to certain contracts that
prohibit certain legal actions to be taken between counter parties and/or their guarantors, if the
inability of the counter parties to perform such contracts is to a material extent caused by COVID-19.
This includes not only leases (rent) but it also applies to the supply of constructions materials, performance of private corporate bonds, performance of provision of goods and services for events, performance of goods and services related to tourism, performance of private hire purchase related to factoring service provider and repossession of goods used for the purpose of a trade and business.
2. Sharing of financial burden
On the sharing of financial burden, business owners would implore that the rentals be based on Gross
Turnover (GTO) sharing for mall and shop rentals during these challenging times until normalcy is in place.
If this is not favourable, Government should consider 80% tax rebate for rental reductions to landlords.
The rental reductions would help ensuring the business sustainability for all involved.
3. Standard of Operating Procedures (SOPs)
Allow departmental stores and restaurants to operate under strict SOPs mirroring Hong Kong
methodology of no more than 4 persons on a table and not more than certain number of guests in the
restaurant.
4. Wage subsidy
The current terms and conditions that limit to 200 employees per company to claim wage subsidy
should be removed by SOCSO because all employees regardless of sector pay EIS.
Furthermore, to qualify for the wage subsidy, we appeal to the Government to remove the conditions
attached to the mutual reduction (i.e. pay-cut) of wages between employers and employees to sustain
business survival in the private sector.
5. Private sector
Employers must be given the rights to manage its workforce and reign in wage reduction, as the
employers see fit. Ultimately, it is the employers who are in in charge of the employee wage welfare.
The next 6 to 12-month business will certainly drop due to adverse market conditions hence no
businesses can guarantee employment and full wage. Adjustments due to unforeseen circumstances will need to be made based on market conditions.
Urgent action for approval on 18 May 2020
The government should implement this Bill/Act without any delay to protect businesses when
Parliament convenes on 18 May 2020.
To sum up the pertinent points:
1. The relief imposed by law will save jobs, businesses, companies and investments which will then
continue to multiply the Economy.
2. Contracting parties will not waste Time and Resources fighting in court over application of doctrine of frustration or meaning of Force majeure Clauses. Hence there will be legal certainty resulting in
commercial certainty.
3. Preserve legal rights such as right of legal action by stopping limitation.
This Bill/Act is only a temporary measure till end of the year (or extended as and when the needs arise).
When the Bill/Act is passed, the contractual obligations will continue unabated.
Organised by, listed in alphabetical order:
1. ASEAN Retail-Chains & Franchise Federation (ARFF)
2. Branding Association of Malaysia (BAM)
3. Bumiputra Retailers Organisation (BRO)
4. Federation of Malaysian Fashion, Textile and Apparel (FMFTA)
5. Malaysia Budget Hotel Association (Mybha)
6. Malaysia Digital Chamber of Commerce (MDCC)
7. Malaysian Hairdressing Association (MHA)
8. Malaysia Retail Association (MRA)
9. Malaysia Retail Chain Association (MRCA)
10. McMillan Woods Association/Network of Accountants
11. Persatuan Usahawan Maju Malaysia (PUMM)
12. SME Association of Malaysia (SME Malaysia)
♦️Besides that, please find the youtube link for the Zoom e-Conferencing today as https://youtu.be/XmVf7ieadAU. ♦️
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