MELAKA, May 11 — About  4,000 members from nine cooperatives under Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia Berhad (Angkasa), Melaka, have been granted a moratorium for six months, effective from April 1.

Liaison chairman of Angkasa Melaka, Muslim Md Shah said the moratorium would help lighten the financial burden of these members following the Covid-19 outbreak which had affected the cooperatives’ activities.

"The Covid-19 outbreak in the country has adversely affected the cooperatives, especially those which provide loans to the members, as well as cooperatives which conduct retail trade.

"So we hope that this moratorium which is for six months will not only lighten their burden but also reduce the impact on the cooperatives’ activities during the movement control order,” he told reporters here today.

Earlier, he officiated a programme to present contributions to Covid-19 frontliners organised by Melaka Angkasa here today.

During the programme, 400 packs of dried and fresh food items worth RM5,000 were distributed to frontliners of the Melaka Tengah District Police Headquarters, the Melaka Hospital, and the Melaka Civil Defence Force.

Muslim said Melaka Angkasa had postponed all programmes and community activities such as cooking "bubur lambuk”, the break-of-fast session, and Hari Raya celebrations to help curb the spread of the disease.

He added that development and extension programmes involving workshops, seminars and forums to help the members affected by the MCO will be held as soon as the MCO is lifted. — Bernama