KUALA LUMPUR – “There’s no need to give us free money, we just need our businesses to run,” pleaded Mohamed Rafi Mohamed.
The 49-year-old business owner said the government should allow all businesses to operate instead of constantly giving them financial assistance.
“I think this must stop. There is not much financial aid can do.
“I have three companies, but I have not once received financial aid from the government since the first MCO (movement control order) was implemented until now.”
He expressed his frustration with the prolonged nationwide lockdown, which was slated to end June 28, but has since been extended.
“At this point, where are the funds coming from? We are the taxpayers, and if the government was to simply take our money, our future generations will be burdened.
“I feel very frustrated because my businesses are in a dangerous position,” he told The Vibes.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had on Monday unveiled a new economic stimulus package worth RM150 billion in an attempt to mitigate the impacts of a continued total lockdown.
Muhyiddin said the Pemulih package aims to help people cope with financial difficulties arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, Rafi questioned the government over its double standards in allowing factories and industrial sectors – among the main contributors to the increasing number of virus cases – to operate, while small businesses suffer, with many having to shutter for good.
“The government should close the factories and allow shops selling daily basic necessities to open first.
“(The government) knows where the virus is spreading. It must close factories, not small businesses.
“I don’t understand why the government allows big factories to operate, but closes small businesses,” he lamented.
On June 14, Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah had revealed that a total of 1,328 workplace clusters have been detected, involving 147,040 Covid-19 cases.
He said more than 95,000 cases were linked to factories.
The public has since demanded that factories then be shut down during the total lockdown period.
However, International Trade and Industry (Miti) Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali responded by saying it is unfair to single out workplaces as the main contributor of fresh infections.
From June 1 to 23, Miti said 502 Covid-19 clusters with 138,649 Covid-19 cases were recorded in Malaysia, with 328 of these being workplace clusters.
Of the 328 workplace clusters detected during this period, Miti said 174 were manufacturing clusters comprising 12,872 Covid-19 cases, with 64.1% involving non-citizens.
“These 174 manufacturing clusters are only 0.15% of 117,236 companies registered in CIMS 3.0 (Covid-19 Intelligent Management System).
“If further broken down, this would be 120 clusters involving workplace premises with 7,739 cases and 54 clusters involving workers’ hostels with 5,133 cases,” it said.
“The total overall positive cases are 138,649 cases and manufacturing clusters account for 12,872 cases, which is only 9.3% of the overall cases in the above period,” the ministry added. – The Vibes, June 30, 2021
