Govt to talk to banks, PM says on moratorium for flood victims

The government will hold talks with banks on allowing a moratorium for debtors affected by the recent floods, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said this followed the appeal from the government in Johor, which was badly hit by the floods.

He said so far, only Maybank and CIMB had agreed to give a moratorium of six months.

"We have also contacted other banks to emulate the move taken by Maybank and CIMB," he said during Minister’s Question Time today.

Johor Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi yesterday appealed to the prime minister to consider a moratorium of three to six months for flood victims in the state.

Onn Hafiz said the initiative would help ease the burden of the people who might have suffered huge losses due to the floods.
 
Meanwhile, Anwar said there was no need to declare a state of emergency in Johor as the flood situation was under control, with power outages and impassable road issues in most areas resolved by the relevant authorities.

"So, what’s the reason to declare a state of emergency? There is no need for it," he said in reply to Shahidan Kassim (PN-Arau), who asked why the government did not declare a flood emergency, especially in Johor.