At the end of September, Malaysia will end its moratorium on bank loans. At that point, whether a business is struggling or not, its owners need to resume making loan repayments. Now, this is all fine and dandy if businesses are making money by then, but during the movement control order (MCO) period, a huge number of businesses had zero or negligible revenue, making it tremendously difficult to pay for things like rent on commercial spaces without the threat of bankruptcy.
You can imagine the situation. During the earlier stages of the MCO period, shopping malls and businesses in shop lots were not allowed to operate. But there is no law or regulation stopping landlords from demanding rents from tenants even during such difficult times. In shopping malls, not only do businesses need to pay rent, but they also need to pay a service charge and promotional fee, chargeable per square feet. Why do these businesses have to pay the promotional fee when there is nothing to promote? What services are the shopping mall offering the businesses when the malls are closed and there is not even central air-conditioning to pay for? Why are tenants bearing the full brunt while landlords, who still enjoy tax breaks, have the right to demand full payment of rent?
