Zahid Is Right Aim Is Worse Than Ah Long

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I'M taking the cue from UMNO president Zahid Hamidi. If he was a bit 'soft' towards Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia or AIM, I am more critical of the fund, established in 1987 to provide small financial assistance to petty traders in the lower income bracket.

Since the government imposed the Movement Control Order (MCO) on March 18 in order to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, AIM board of directors had defied the moratorium given to bank borrowers, housing rental for PPR tenants and rentals for small and medium industries.

Even loan sharks or Ah Long and licenced money-lenders have given moratorium to their debtors.

However, AIM is acting worse than the loan sharks and chettiars, turning into thugs to squeeze their borrowers who failed to service their small loans. Without any income when the MCO was enforced, borrowers were made to pay 'by hook or by crook' by AIM. Any delayed payment will see bill collectors visiting their homes.

What's wrong with the management? Knowing bloody well that they are poor people and doing small business to sustain living, they were made victim by inhuman people running AIM. I don't wanna mention which political ideology they worship but at the rate of predicament they caused the borrowers, I think AIM better dissolve!

In his article in UMNO official website umno.org.my few days ago, Zahid said that after more than two months of the MCO which now enters its conditional stage, the people are fighting tooth and nail to avoid the adverse economy impact on them, notably the petty traders who were not allowed to open shop during the period.
"The government pro-active measures in introducing the ‘loan moratorium’ for all sectors were implemented by banks, cooperatives and other agencies such as TEKUN, PUNB, MARA, PTPTN, PTPK and credit companies. Although there are some complaints over the loan servicing moratorium recently, it was resolved quickly between the banks and the government."Reading comments by netizen on the social media, the moratorium was commended by all sectors of the community, above all the BPN was issued."However, we still receive complaints how some of then moan loans issued by Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) in Facebook postings https://www.facebook.com/AmanahIkhtiarMalaysia which did not follow the moratorium as obliged by other government agencies," he said.Zahid urged AIM to give attention to the loan moratorium as soon as possible because it affects hundreds of thousand small and petty traders who were really down during the Covid-19 pandemic."AIM official website indicates that it still retain almost all members in the Board of Directors although PN government has took over. http://www.aim.gov.my/ahli-lembaga/"Amanah Ikhtiar should be more sensitive of the matter and work in line with the present government policies which is more people-centric," he added.In February, Amanah Ikhtiar allocated RM2.7 billion for microfinancing this year to help entrepreneurs in the low-income group (B40) expand their business. The allocation would benefit 380,000 Sahabat (borrowers of AIM).This year it is targeting to help more than 56,000 Sahabat registered with the agency to move out of the clutches of poverty.TO HELP? You are indeed killing them softly with your inhumanity. You failed to distinguish their problem during the MCO and failed to take their predicaments into consideration.It's best for your people at the top to resign!

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