KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 11 — Over 50 lives lost, families left homeless, houses destroyed, businesses upended. Last month’s floods disrupted many lives and businesses, the majority of whom were still struggling with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The government immediately pushed forward several initiatives and monetary assistance schemes aimed at lessening the burden of those who were affected.
Here’s a look at some of these benefits under Malaysian Family Flood Aid:
E-rebate for electrical goods
In the immediate aftermath, people needed food, clothes and other basic amenities like toothbrushes etc.
And once the floodwaters receded, the real work began: clean-up, save what can be saved and rebuild lives, homes and businesses.
Among some of the Malaysian Family Flood Relief assistance provided by the government is a RM500 rebate to households to buy electrical appliances damaged by the floods.
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan said that the initiative would use the The Sustainability Achieved via Energy Efficiency (SAVE) 3.0 programme platform and mechanism, aligned with the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA Malaysia).
“This special assistance is dedicated to Malaysian citizens who are registered as consumers or owners of domestic electrical accounts with electrical utility companies, residential homes affected by floods and those listed as disaster victims who are registered with the Disaster Operations Control Centres (PKOB).
“With this assistance, each eligible household or owner of a registered domestic electricity account can apply and obtain an e-rebate worth RM500 when making purchases either physically at registered shops and supermarkets, or on e-commerce sites recognised under the SAVE programme,” he said.
Takiyuddin said 1,100 electrical shops had registered for the programme and the list of aid recipients was coordinated by the state-level Disaster Operations Control Centres and the National Disaster Management Agency.
He said the application process for the flood relief programme would be simplified not only for consumers who received rebates but also for shop owners by speeding up their claims.
Assistance for micro, small and medium enterprises
A large number of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) were also devastated by the floods.
Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz announced a Disaster Relief Facility for those affected by the floods.
“In addition, several other initiatives have also been added, among them are an increase in the maximum amount of funding – from RM500,000 to RM700,000 for small and medium enterprises, and from RM75,000 to RM150,000 for micro enterprises.
“The maximum financing period has also been extended from five to seven years,” he explained.
Vehicle repair voucher
Apart from the Disaster Relief Facility, Tengku Zafrul also announced an initiative for those whose vehicles were lost or damaged by the floods.
He said that RM1,000 vouchers would be given for repairs or replacement of private vehicles, including motorcycles, trucks, and vans – and not just limited to cars.
He said that on top of the vouchers, a joint venture between the government and automotive companies will also see car manufacturers offer a discount of at least 25 per cent on repair work and free towing costs.
“The government welcomes the move by Perodua and Proton, who are offering a 50 per cent discount on the cost for spare parts. Perodua has also offered free repair work.
“The government is encouraging other auto manufacturers to also offer better incentives for their customers,” he said.
Tengku Zafrul said that owners of vehicles damaged by the floods need not make any applications, but can just redeem the vouchers at authorised service centres or deals for participating automotive companies.
“To date, nearly 20 automotive companies with a network of more than 1,000 registered service centres nationwide have agreed to participate in the Keluarga Malaysia Automotive Discount Voucher initiative.
He said that the deadline for claims for the voucher ends on March 31, encouraging people to immediately make a claim from a registered authorised service centre or distributor to avoid any inconvenience.
“With this voucher, the government remains committed to ensuring holistic assistance to Keluarga Malaysia, especially those affected by the flood so that they can go back to their normal lives as soon as possible,” he said.
