IT has been more than a week since the total lockdown was announced, yet, confusion, frustration and delusion still seems to be the order of the day.
And who are the victims? Inter alia, it’s the poor policeman risking his life at the countless roadblocks armed with nothing but a confusing set of ever-changing “now you see me, now you don’t” standard operating procedures (SOPs) from the authorities.
The other group of confused victims is, of course, the already overburdened, disillusioned man on the street – the rakyat.
While we can understand the government’s predicament, there should be some degree of uniformity and sensibility in the SOPs.
Perhaps, they should apply the three “S” formula – simple, straightforward and sensible – when issuing guidelines to clear up much of the confusion. So it doesn’t add to the tremendous mental stress it’s already causing people and businesses.
Perhaps, for a start, the authorities can adopt the following:
1. To allow ALL those involved in healthcare and those with medical appointments for check-ups, treatments/medications etc a blanket “right of way”. Why make sick people (maybe some could even be asymptomatic Covid patients!) clog up police stations to apply for inter-district/interstate travel permits? Isn’t an employment pass/official letters for all healthcare workers and original letters/appointment cards from doctors for patients sufficient?
With that, too, congestion at roadblocks can be lessened and the poor policeman’s burden at the police station can also be lightened. And we may also save the lives of a few stressed patients.
2. The current SOPs also correctly allow for exercising (specifically, it mentions jogging and non-contact sports). Yet, inexplicably, it excludes cycling.
Shouldn’t the authorities be more sensible and clear up this confusion immediately? Is cycling a contact sport or not? The answer is simple and straightforward, period.
3. To make the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) open its offices immediately so that it can continue to serve the rakyat, albeit with a reduced workforce and with prior appointments (perhaps for urgent cash withdrawals only). Or at the very least, allow for a one-off ad hoc request for withdrawal via online. Honestly, is that too difficult?
With the sudden lockdown, many people, especially those in the informal economy segment, retirees etc, will need urgent cash to survive. And, with the roll out of government financial aid packages often haphazard, slow and cumbersome, withdrawal from the EPF is the fastest and most obvious “life line” for many people.
But by heartlessly shutting off this last-resort avenue, isn’t the government “suffocating” the very people whose lives it’s trying to save? By the way, if this isn’t a simple and straightforward essential service, what is?
These are just three areas the authorities can look into immediately, and resolve the confusion and help ease the sufferings of the people during this crucial lockdown period.
In the final analysis, the goal of the SOPs should be to mitigate health risks and save/sustain lives, not to add to more stressed and “sickly” people in this country. – The Vibes, June 7, 2021
Jeyakumar Joseph reads The Vibes
