KUALA LUMPUR – Find a balancing act between livelihood and lives.
This is the call made by the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) to ensure businesses do not suffer the consequences of measures to control Covid-19, as the government mulls a strict movement control order (MCO) beyond February 4.
MEF executive director Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan said the latest development following the recent meeting between the International Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti) and the EU-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Eurocham) could lead to more businesses closing down.
“Pending the government’s final decision, the probability of a stricter MCO makes it harder for employers whose businesses are still recovering from last year’s shutdown.
“A stricter MCO could result in further unemployment and economic loss,” he told The Vibes today.
While the government has the final say, he said, employers, especially in the manufacturing and construction sectors, need to impose stringent measures to keep their operations going.
“All workplaces need to be more disciplined in implementing procedures for their employees and I believe that the government should look into implementing these measures on a more serious note,” said Shamsuddin.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) deputy president Mohd Effendy Abdul Ghani expressed concern over the possibility of a stricter MCO by next month.
“As it is, the people are still trying to recover from loss of their jobs and businesses shuttering following last year’s MCO that began in March.
“The government then used various acronyms such as EMCO, CMCO and RMCO as infection rates went down only for it to go up again.
“How long can any business last if SOPs are going to be implemented at the whims and fancies of the government?"
While Effendy respects the views of the Health Ministry (MOH) on the imposition of a stricter MCO to reduce new infections, he expressed hope that the government will engage businesses to prescribe more preventive actions without adversely affecting business operations.
“Looking at other countries, it seems that their governments have made it compulsory for employers and businesses to sanitise their buildings or premises during opening hours.
“It is unlike us. We only start to sanitise premises when a positive case is discovered. This is not a preventive measure, so the government could make this compulsory for all businesses, especially manufacturing and construction sectors.”
He expressed hope that any action taken by the government to implement a strict MCO would not paralyse the country’s economy.
Today, it was reported that the meeting summary on February 22 between Miti and Eurocham discussed the possibility of “a shutdown/strict lockdown” post-February 4.
Miti secretary-general Datuk Lokman Hakim Ali who chaired the meeting and informed Eurocham that MOH has made a clear stand on the matter of a complete shutdown of the economy.
“With 99 Covid-19 clusters related to manufacturing out of more than 300 in the country, MOH believes that the manufacturing sector is the main source of infections.
“Construction was also mentioned, but since not under the purview of Miti, we did not discuss the sector in detail. Should the infection rate not decrease, the Malaysian government will announce a shutdown/strict lockdown immediately after February 4, 2021.
“This is the current situation we are facing and Miti is appealing to all companies, foreign and local, to join the effort in reducing infections, breaking the chain (of infection), to keep the economy open for business,” the document read. – The Vibes, January 24, 2021
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