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KUALA LUMPUR: The United States Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (Amcham) today urged the government to reconsider the blanket entry ban on foreign nationals from 12 countries, including the United States, from Monday onwards.
The chamber’s executive director, Siobhan Das, said the ban would affect expatriates who have valid work permits, such as employment passes and professional visitor passes.
“Within its membership, these categories will severely affect the immediate operations of some of the largest investors in the country,” he said.
He said power and electronics companies would be denied access to senior executives and critical technical talent “necessary to ensure that Malaysian-based entities can meet the demands of the global supply chain.”
She said the ban would result in the immediate loss of millions of dollars in business and commerce.
Without details on how long it would be in effect, Siobhan fears the ban will have a long-term impact on Malaysia as a reliable place to do business.
“While Malaysia has seen recent investment hit its shores, this new ban undermines the ability of companies to use the necessary specialists to configure, install and certify the new equipment needed to start or expand operations,” he said.
Others who would be affected are “global decision-making staff working in centers” in Malaysia.
He said Amcham understood the need to impose travel restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19, but believes there must be a carefully planned approach, with prior and clear notice to the public and the business community.
The application of the citizenship ban against the traveler’s current location had also caused great confusion within the business community, as it had no direct correlation with the actual threat of further spread of the virus, he said.
