PUTRAJAYA April 21, 2026 – Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim held a key engagement session yesterday with micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) from the Chinese and Indian business communities to directly address the severe economic pressures caused by the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
In a detailed statement posted on X, the Prime Minister said the session — which follows last week’s meeting with Bumiputera entrepreneurs — was essential to understand on-the-ground challenges facing businesses amid soaring global energy prices, rising operational costs, and disrupted supply chains.
“Kerajaan MADANI hari ini mengumumkan beberapa langkah segera bagi meringankan tekanan kos dan memastikan kelangsungan perniagaan,” he wrote.
The government has rolled out immediate assistance measures, including:
- RM5 billion boost to the Syarikat Jaminan Pembiayaan Perniagaan (SJPP) guarantee allocation, with financing coverage expanded from 70% to 80%.
- Collaboration with banks to ease loan restructuring, rescheduling, and targeted repayment assistance.
- 12-month extension of the e-Invoice Phase 4 transition period until 31 December 2027 for businesses with annual turnover between RM1 million and RM5 million, including the ability to issue consolidated e-invoices without penalties.
- Interim duty and sales tax exemptions (until 31 December 2026) on the re-importation of Malaysian-made goods affected by export disruptions due to the West Asia conflict.
Anwar stressed national unity in the face of the crisis:
“Kita tidak boleh menafikan, krisis tenaga global ini akan dirasai secara berpanjangan. Ini bukan masanya untuk berpolitik atau adu domba. Ini masanya Kerajaan dan sektor swasta berganding bahu, agar kesan kejutan luaran ini dapat kita tangani demi maslahat rakyat.”
The Prime Minister reiterated the MADANI Government’s commitment to supporting all business communities regardless of background.
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