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KUALA LUMPUR: The decision to implement the Movement Control Order (MCO) a second time providing some flexibility, especially for the economic sector, has not been easy, but it had to be made to strike a balance between people’s health and the economy.
To Chief Minister (Security Group) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob (pix), the MCO this time is looking at economic importance through both large companies and small merchants, while at the same time focusing on people’s health.
“We don’t want people to die from Covid-19 (infections), and we don’t want them to die from not eating either,” he said in an exclusive interview with Bernama recently.
He said that there were parties that were disputing the implementation of the MCO a second time, which was said to be more flexible, but in a broader context, the country could go bankrupt if the MCO continues for many years.
“During the first MCO, the country lost RM2.4 billion a day. The government must also focus on people who depend on their daily income to make ends meet. That is why during MCO 2.0 we allow most economic sectors to operate. The well-being of the people and their safety are equally important, ”he said.
Ismail Sabri explained that although various aid has been channeled to the population, the government cannot continue to do so taking into account the long-term effects.
He said the manufacturing sector was opened up not to take care of the ‘big bosses’ but because priority should be given to the economic chain that involves the company’s operations and the fate of the workers.
“A one-time 3000 RM aid is provided for small and medium-sized businesses. By allowing some sectors to operate, small merchants, for example, who operate roadside stalls can also do business to meet their daily needs, ”he said.
Netizens say we take care of the big Towkays, but it is related to their employees. If the big boss loses because the factory is not in operation, in the end the victim is an employee who depends on the income, “he said.
Today marks one year since the country was hit by Covid-19. It was when the first case, involving three Chinese nationals who entered Malaysia via Johor from Singapore, was reported on January 25, 2020.
The first wave involved the majority of imported cases and not Malaysians, while the second wave of infections involved local transmissions, with the first Covid-19 case reported on February 4, 2020.
After the second wave, the government implemented the MCO, starting on March 18 last year, with strict standard operating procedures (SOPs), and after several months in which infections decreased, the government began to slightly relax the SOP with the introduction of the Conditional MCO (CMCO) from May 4, followed by further relaxation (of the rules) through the Recovery MCO (RMCO) from June 10 of last year.
When the third wave came, the government had to implement the CMCO in most states starting last October, and as the number of cases increased this year, the government had to reinstall the MCO starting with six states and then throughout. the country, except Sarawak.
When asked if Malaysia would manage to flatten the Covid-19 curve after the MCO, Ismail Sabri, who is also the Minister of Defense, said that the number of cases would decrease but that it would take some time.
“The best way to break the Covid-19 chain is without direct movement, but for now, (the public movement) is still happening. Major sectors are allowed to operate on the basis of economic interests.
“Although this MCO is not a complete lockdown, Health Director General Tan Sri Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah believes it will decrease, but it will take some time,” Ismail Sabri said.
It was previously reported that Dr. Noor Hisham had said that the country needed at least four weeks to reduce daily Covid-19 infections to between 500 and 1,000 cases per day.
He also said that efforts to flatten the curve of the Covid-19 infection graph in the country are expected to be successful in May or June, and at the same time, the MCO should not be around for long as it has a negative impact on the country’s economy.
Meanwhile, Ismail Sabri also refuted the allegation of double standards between politicians and ordinary people in the MCO’s SOP enforcement actions, for example on the issue of free movement, such as travel between state.
“For politicians or parliamentarians, we have our own electoral districts. When people are affected by disasters, elected representatives must take responsibility for them.
“The job of a politician is to get to know people. If an elected representative is not in the field when people are in trouble, then the politician has not fulfilled his duties, ”he explained. -Called
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