Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) yesterday reiterated that all loan borrowers who have suffered a drop in income, including salary, allowances, commissions and household incomes, are eligible for a reduction of monthly instalments according to the reduced income.

In a series of tweets detailing the eligibility for reduction of monthly instalments, the central bank clarified that under the latest loan repayment assistance, the B40 recipients of Bantuan Sara Hidup/Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat can choose either a three-month moratorium or reduction of monthly instalments by 50% for six months.

“Individual borrowers who have lost their jobs can also choose either a three-month moratorium or reduction of monthly instalments by 50% for six months,” added BNM.

The central bank also pointed out that for facilities with approved amounts of up to RM150,000, microenterprises, as well as small and medium enterprises which are not allowed to operate during the lockdown, can also choose either a three-month moratorium or reduction of monthly instalments by 50% for six months.

For further information on the loan repayment assistance, visit http://bnm.gov.my/RA.

Source: Bernama

Entopia by Penang Butterfly Farm has gone into ‘hibernation’.

The management of corporation has decided that going into ‘hibernation’ was the best route to take during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

“We regret that the tourism and travel industry is being hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic since the very beginning of last year. As we were about to see some signs of recovery in domestic tourism, we were caught again in another wave of infections throughout the country.

“The enforcement of the movement control orders, coupled with the ongoing interstate travel restrictions and the recent total lockdown have made us realised that a temporary closure is the best route to take during this ongoing pandemic,” Entopia said in a media release.

“The management would like to announce that Entopia will go into ‘hibernation’ from June 1 until December 31 this year,” the statement added.

It stated that the temporary closure is part of its strategy to offset the financial impact and to ensure its business sustainability and continuity.

Entopia thanked its six million visitors who have supported it since 1986.

“Thank you for co-creating such beautiful memories together with us. We would like to also thank our past and present employees who have given their time and dedication to share this dream with us.

“We thank our tourism partners, associates and vendors for believing in us. We believe that Entopia, being the pride of Penangites, will emerge stronger once we are ready to do so,” the statement said.

Source: Buletin Mutiara

The enhanced movement control order will be enforced in 13 localities around Pekan Bayan Lepas in Penang beginning June 4 after a spike in the number of Covid-19 cases.

The affected areas are Sri Bayu, Bayu Tiara, Bayu Nyaman, Halaman Murni, Bayan Permai, Bayan Tiara, Taman Ara Indah, Kampung Bukit, Kampung Perlis, Kampung Masjid, Jalan Mahkamah, Kampung Pak Lah and Lebuh Kampung Bukit.

Health authorities have recorded 83 new cases within two weeks and to date, the total number of positive cases stood at 250.

“Screenings carried out among close contacts showed the infectivity rate at 19.6% while screenings in the community indicated an infectivity rate of 10.7%, ” said Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Wednesday (June 2).

He said the EMCO would take effect until June 17 and during this period, health officials would carry out more contact tracing among the residents.

The EMCO will also control the movement of people in the localities and this will help prevent infectivity from spreading to other areas.

Source: TheStar.com.my

Approximate location

A newly proposed affordable housing township development plan by Concrete Gold Sdn. Bhd. near Mengkuang at Bukit Mertajam. Located adjacent to Mengkuang Dam, about 3 minutes drive from BKE Penanti interchange. It is only about a few kilometers to Penang-Kedah state border.

This project will see the development of a self-sustainable township with 5,980 affordable housing units with a standard built-up size of 900 sq.ft. There will also be 212 units of shop offices.

The proposal also includes plots for:

• Commercial
• School
• Retention pond
• Mosques
• Polis Station
• TNB Substation
• Water Reservoir Tanks
• and future developments

The project is still pending approval. More details to be available upon official launch.

Project Name : (to be confirmed)
Location : Mengkuang, Bukit Mertajam
Property Type : Affordable housing
Land Tenure: (to be confirmed)
Total Units: 5,980 (affordable housing), 212 (shop office)
Built-up Size: 900 sq.ft. (affordable housing)
Indicative Price: RM200,000 – RM250,000 (affordable price guide)
Developer : Concrete Gold Sdn. Bhd.

DISCLAIMER: This article is solely based on research done using publicly available data. This is not an advertisement. Any claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a project or service should be verified with the developer, provider or party in question.

The state-level Home Ownership Campaign (HOC), which has been extended to June this year, may be extended by another year.

State Housing, Local Government, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said he would be appealing to the state government to consider extending the campaign again due to the sluggish economy caused by the worsening Covid-19 pandemic.

“I want to propose extending the campaign for the benefit of new home buyers.

“The daily new Covid-19 cases are increasing rapidly, and now that we have officially entered total lockdown nationwide, it is only right that we try to lessen the burden of the people.

“Our HOC is aimed at reducing the burden of new home buyers during this difficult period. It is also for economic generation in the real estate sector.

“It is our responsibility to understand the people’s difficulties in such an unprecedented situation. We must try and ease their burden because this pandemic is just too much to handle at the moment,” Jagdeep told a press conference in Komtar today.

The state-level HOC was introduced as an incentive to new home buyers, which include stamp duty exemption and a discount of at least 10 per cent of the sales price from housing developers in encouraging house ownership among the locals.

Separately, Jagdeep also urged the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti) to give a prompt response regarding the workforce of joint management bodies (JMB), management corporation (MC) and Commissioner of Buildings (CoB) under the local councils.

Ministry of Housing and Local Government had previously identified the property and strata management sector as an essential service.

Source: Buletin Mutiara