KUALA LUMPUR – Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin has questioned the Perikatan Nasional administration over how long it plans to continue to extend the current movement control order (MCO 3.0) under what he called “half-baked” standard operating procedures (SOPs).
In a statement, today, the former Johor menteri besar said it was no surprise for the MCO to be extended given the currently high number of daily cases.
“The main cause of the contagion of cases is not due to stubborn and disobedient people.
“The truth is daily clusters from the public are minimal but they are the ones who are being forced to strictly confine themselves and are continually asked to be patient.
“While data reveals that factories and industrial sectors are the main contributors to the increasing number of cases, they continue to be the lucky ones in receiving a lot of flexibility in terms of movement and are allowed to operate as usual,” he said.
The situation, he said, is akin to “medicating an uninfected part of the body while opting to not treat the wounded area”.
“If this continues to be the situation, the country and its people will never certainly see a full recovery even if the emergency is lifted sooner or later,” he said.
Khaled called upon the government to immediately take several critical measures instead of only researching the current situation.
“Firstly, increase the cash and welfare aid to those who are affected. Many are currently under immense financial pressure and are pressed for aid, so please attend to their needs immediately.
“Secondly, please allow states and districts with much fewer cases to be classified differently. A nationwide MCO remains a lazy alternative and punishes everyone unfairly.
“And thirdly, please check and monitor the factories and sectors that are major contributors to daily cases. These are the ones that need to be firmly focused (on) instead of continuing to lock up the whole country,” he said.
In view of vaccine stocks getting depleted with no certain date for replenishment, Khaled hoped that the government will improve radically during this extended MCO period.
“Stop looking and managing the pandemic for the next 14 days. Try thinking critically and aim for the long term,” he added.
Khaled’s statement comes after Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said that the nationwide lockdown will not end tomorrow as scheduled.
He announced today that the Phase 1 of the National Recovery Plan Phase 1 will continue until the country has a daily Covid-19 caseload of less than 4,000.
The government, he added, is set to announce more comprehensive assistance to all groups of society either on Monday or Tuesday. – The Vibes, June 27, 2021
