PUTRAJAYA, April 6 — After Mak Cik Kiah, today is the turn of Madam Lee, Haji Salleh and Surjit Kaur to "smile a bit”, thanks to the unveiling of an additional stimulus package of RM10 billion for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to mitigate the financial impact of the Covid-19 crisis.

Like Mak Cik Kiah earlier, these characters were used by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for a simple illustration of how the RM10 billion special stimulus package will benefit the people.

For example, he said, Madam Lee, the owner of Lee Beauty Saloon, an SME micro business with two local workers each earning less than RM4,000 a month, can get a wage subsidy for three months totalling RM7,200 and a micro grant of RM3,000.

"The total benefits due to Madam Lee amount to RM10,200,” he said in his address on the Prihatin Package for SMEs (Additional Measures), which was carried live on national television.

Under the package, companies employing up to 75 local workers with a salary of RM4,000 and below are eligible for a monthly wage subsidy of RM1,200 per worker for three months. — Bernama