Defaulters of Bazaar Ramadan Scheme loan will be blacklisted — Hajiji
KOTA KINABALU: Small business and stall operators who fail to repay their Bazaar Ramadan Scheme (SBR) loan will be blacklisted, said Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Hajiji Noor.
He said such action would be enforced by the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consumerism (MODTCC), after which, these blacklisted business operators would no longer be qualified for future assistance from such scheme.
“Business operators should practise business ethics that are honest and committed in running their businesses. If such ethics were observed, problems such as failure to repay loans will not exist,” he said.
Hajiji, who is also chairman of the Sabah Hawkers and Small Business Operators Consultant Council, said this at a press conference after launching the State-level SBR presentation ceremony here yesterday.
Earlier in his speech, he said that this year’s SBR repayment period had been fixed at four months starting from this year’s month of Syawal until three months after.
Based on the previous year’s record, he disclosed only 41 per cent of the RM1.6 million loan provided were settled. Therefore, he urged all borrowers to settle their loans so that the funds collected from the repayment can be used to assist other small business and stall operators.
“At the same time, it can also be a living proof that will encourage the government to continue offering schemes that are beneficial to small hawkers and small business operators,” he said.
According to Hajiji, SBR, introduced by the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism last year, had approved a total of 705 applications in Sabah, involving a loan amount of RM1.9 million. He advised operators whose applications were approved to utilise the loan they received wisely.
SBR, he added, also opens the operators’ chances of expanding their businesses and income throughout the month of Ramadan.
Also present at the event yesterday were MODTCC Sabah director Severinus Tukah and president of the Sabah Coalition of Hawkers and Small Business Operators Associations, Noortaip Suhaili.