KUALA LUMPUR - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told the Dewan Rakyat that three banks had agreed to give a moratorium of up to six months to flood victims.
He said the three banks were Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank), CIMB Bank Bhd (CIMB) and Agrobank.
"To make it easier for them, the Johor state government had proposed to give a moratorium to borrowers so that they can postpone and delay payments due to unfortunate circumstances.
"So far, Maybank, CIMB and Agro bank have agreed to give a six-month moratorium.
"We have contacted other banks yesterday and today so they would follow suit," he said on Tuesday.
He said this in response to a question from Datuk Seri Dr Shahidan Kassim (PN - Arau) who had asked the government to explain why a flood emergency has yet to be declared, especially in Johor, when the numbers of flood victims placed in temporary relief centres (PPS) has been rising
Yesterday, Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi urged the government to grant a moratorium of three to six months to flood victims in the state.
In the meantime, Anwar said there was no need to declare a flood emergency for now since the situation was still under control and showing improvement.
"The Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) had immediately built a Bailey Bridge in the Felda area where roads were cut off.
"In Johor, preparations by the federal, state and regional machinery seem to be effective and have saved many lives in addition to providing immediate assistance," he said.