TUMPAT: Home-made budu producer Jali Nor had all but used up the money given by the government under the Prihatin Rakyat Economic Stimulus Package for the B40 group to aid his business which was affected by the first Movement Control Order in March.
So, when the government announced that restrictions would be extended into the Recovery Movement Control Order, the 66-year-old began to worry over the fate of his business.
When Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced the Prihatin Supplementary Initiative Package (Kita Prihatin) last month, Jali was immensely relieved.
"I was sitting in front of the television waiting for the announcement. At that time, I prayed that there would be good news for small traders like me.
"My past experience was a nightmare for me and other budu makers operating in Pengkalan Kubor here.
"Our monthly income ceased temporarily for more than two months and we could not find other sources of income at that time as all businesses were affected by Covid-19.
"I was lucky that I received the financial assistance for the B40 group but when I heard about the announcement on the latest Kita Prihatin package last month, I was pleased and applied for the small business grant," said Jali when met at his home in Kampung Geting.
The father of five said the new package showed that the prime minister was concerned about the people's plight.
"Our prime minister is a person who listens to the people's problems. He knows that petty traders like me as well as other entrepreneurs are facing financial problems following the pandemic.
"He wants to help us so that our business can improve and operate as usual. I would like to thank the prime minister for thinking about the rakyat," he said.
Jali has been selling budu or fermented anchovy sauce for more than 10 years. His customers are not only from Tumpat but also Kuala Lumpur, among other places.
His budu packed in plastic bottles is priced between RM2.50 and RM12, depending on the size of the bottle.
Last month, Muhyiddin had announced an allocation of nearly RM7 billion for Bantuan Prihatin Nasional 2.0 as part of the RM10 billion allocated under Kita Prihatin.
It was aimed at boosting the country's economy in weathering the impact of Covid-19 as well as to help micro-entrepreneurs, the country's workforce and those from the B40 and the M40 income groups.
Under the Kita Prihatin Programme, Muhyiddin also said the government had set aside RM600 million for the Special Prihatin Grant that is expected to benefit 200,000 micro-entrepreneurs.