The rich under fire

Branson, who is the major shareholder of his flagship Virgin Atlantic, has come under fire for seeking loans on a commercial basis from the British government. Critics have sniped away at Branson for seeking money when he was worth US$4bil and had told his staff to take unpaid salaries.

THE government handing out financial assistance to companies is a path strewn with minefields that can explode on its face if not handled well.

The overseas examples of how governments have come under fire for not ensuring that wage subsidies, loans, grants and government guarantees are only given to the deserving and smaller businesses should serve as a lesson for the Malaysian government in allocating funds.