KOTA KINABALU – The National Security Council (NSC) should stop confusing people with “last-minute” and “turnabout” decisions, said Sabah DAP Youth chief Phoong Jin Zhe.
He said the sudden order to shut three malls here that are on the Hotspot Identification for Dynamic Engagement (HIDE) list is unreasonable, as the announcement was made only at 11.20pm yesterday.
“How can it be like this? The shopping malls and business owners involved must be confused and won’t have time to prepare.
“While I support the effort to break the Covid-19 chain of infection, please don’t announce last-minute instructions. This is too much.”
The potential Covid-19 hotspots listed in HIDE included three malls in Kota Kinabalu – Suria Sabah, Karamunsing Complex and Centre Point.
Phoong is also unhappy over NSC’s turnabout decisions on whether to close the premises.
“At first, it (NSC) said the premises on the HIDE list are only under inspection.
“Then, it said (the premises) need to close today. Then, it said they will close on May 10, and now, they must close the next day (today).
“If it is not confused, the people are confused! Doesn’t NSC have a WhatsApp group?”
Sabah PKR Youth information chief Razeef Rakimin said the decisions to close HIDE-listed business premises are “rushed”, and “killing” businesses.
“What more when the businesses are trying to recover their earnings before Hari Raya Aidilfitri. They have been affected since the movement control order in March last year, with shops closing and workers losing their jobs.
“Hari Raya Aidilfitri is their best chance to recoup some income. The rushed decisions to close these business premises will ‘kill’ their businesses.”
Razeef also questioned the criteria of premises or locations listed as potential hotspots in HIDE, as there has not been any Covid-19 cluster in certain areas on the list.
The government’s flip-flop decisions are causing efforts to curb the spread of the virus to fail, he added.
“There is an imbalance in the closure of sectors. There are serious clusters involving factories (but they are allowed to operate), but low-risk infection sectors are closed.
“As a result, our economy has not recovered, but the daily Covid-19 cases still climb to more than 4,000 a day.
“The government should let Parliament sit, so that any decision-making will go through discussion with opposition parties for public interest.” – The Vibes, May 9, 2021
