KUALA LUMPUR – The reason some essential businesses did not initially obtain approval to operate during the lockdown is because they may have been overlooked due to the high volume of applications.
Speaking to The Vibes, Kuala Lumpur Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPDNHEP) director Ariffin Samsudin said in the past week alone, the ministry received more than 50,000 applications from companies in the city centre.
This was coupled with the fact that some businesses own multiple licences that are not all categorised as an essential service, leading to confusion and several businesses not given approval to operate.
However, Ariffin assured that, even if rejected, all qualified premises can file an appeal and get the government’s nod upon reverification and clarification.
He said this after paying a visit to Sid’s, a British restaurant in Plaza Damansara that had its application initially rejected before being overturned today.
“Take Sid’s for example. Under the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM), they have both a restaurant licence and a pub licence,” he said here yesterday.
“So, when their application came in, our operations staff rejected it upon seeing the word ‘pub’. They went strictly by the book. But the fact of the matter is, the operator also has a restaurant licence, which means it is allowed to operate.
“I have also just been given the all-clear by Kuala Lumpur City Hall to allow Sid’s to operate because the nature of its business is a pub and restaurant without entertainment, which is allowed under the lockdown.
“We apologise to all affected businesses for the trouble and misunderstanding. We have 50,000 applications to go through,” he added.
Ariffin also urged those in the retail sector facing issues with their applications to appeal directly to KPDNHEP and not to take the matter to the media.
Under the latest standard operating procedures, essential businesses in the retail sector must apply for approval under the International Trade and Industry Ministry’s (Miti) Covid-19 Intelligent Management System (CIMS) 3.0, before they are processed by KPDNHEP.
Sid’s owner Geoff Siddle said he is happy to finally get Miti’s approval upon the go-ahead from KPDNHEP today.
“I fully appreciate and sympathise with the government departments for the huge number of applications they receive. I know it is a thankless task to go through them, and it’s also confusing for them, with the rules changing regularly.
“But the officers who visited me were very polite and professional, and I thank them for taking the time to come to my restaurant and understand the full situation,” he said.
Sid’s case was first highlighted in a report by FMT yesterday, which quoted Siddle as saying that his application was rejected by Miti due to his pub’s licence.
Siddle said the reason he approached the press was because multiple attempts to appeal the decision had failed.
“I applied through CIMS 3.0 on June 1, and my application was rejected two days later. I immediately appealed, but there had been no response until I received a call by Miti yesterday saying it would come today for an inspection.” – The Vibes, June 9, 2021
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