PETALING JAYA: Restaurants and small coffeeshops hope the government can provide them with six months’ rental subsidies or interest-free loans to keep them afloat.
Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association (Presma) and Malaysia Singapore Coffeeshop Proprietors’ General Association (MSCPGA) said since their members have contributed to the government’s coffers in various forms of taxes, they hoped the government could reciprocate.
Presma president Datuk Jawahar Ali Taib Khan said “mamak restaurant” owners were now in dire straits as some rents have reached up to RM35,000 a month in the cities.
He said unless the government steps in immediately to provide rental subsidies, he foresees many more resorting to ah long (illegal loan sharks) to stay afloat.