SBF’s Chai clarifies he never mentioned S’wak govt should follow Putrajaya’s footsteps in implementing CMCO

0

Jonathan Chai

KUCHING: Sarawak Business Federation (SBF) secretary general Jonathan Chai clarified today that he had never mentioned that Sarawak government should follow in the footsteps of the federal government to implement the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) from May 4.

“I even expressed my understanding of the Sarawak’s government’s decision not to follow suit because of its due consideration of the Covid-19 situation in the state and prioritising the safety of Sarawakians.

“Objectively, I think the headline of the news coverage has sensationalised the topic of discussion without due consideration of my opinions in the interview,” he said in a statement to The Borneo Post.

He issued the statement in light of the adversarial views and harsh criticism over his interview with The Borneo Post on May 2 in respect of the resumption of the business operation for most sectors under the CMCO, effective May 4.

Chai said the CMCO was not a complete lifting of MCO but the federal government had turned the MCO into a conditional one to allow businesses except entertainment and those that cannot practise social distancing to resume operations.

Most importantly, he said business operators would be required to observe the standard operating procedures (SOP) prescribed by he Ministry of Health (MoH) and the guidelines of Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti).

“I have even expressed my view that May 4 might be too rush for the business operators to resume operation as some employees might have to make the necessary arrangements, especially those with children to look after.

“However, I have hoped that the SDMC (Sarawak Disaster Management Committee) would make some indication on any possibility of allowing the resumption of businesses for Sarawak in the immediate future,” he added.

Chai stressed: “Don’t get me wrong, I treasure life as much as anyone else. But there is a myriad of complex factors and possible backlashes to consider when our government tried to strike a balance between overcoming Covid-19 and restoring the economy before irreparable damage is caused.”

He opined that people ought not to let their emotions overwhelm their rational thinking.

Noting that it was a difficult decision, one that required wisdom and courage whether to open up the economy, he said he believed that the federal government should have made its decision based on the inputs and advices of the health experts including well-respected Director General of Health Datuk Seri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

“Any such decision which has no absolute answer would not be able to please everyone. Likewise the decision made by the Sarawak government.

“But I could understand the rationale of its decision especially the constraint of the testing capacity available and that’s why I lauded the Sarawak government for the active case detection exercise done in the residential estates in Kota Samarahan recently and I hope it could be expanded to all the red zone areas as we stepped up and intensified our efforts to contain the outbreak,” he said.

While the SDMC is studying the implications of opening up those economic activities under the CMCO as well as the minute details of the SOP and guidelines, Chai said the SDMC should make it known to the public sooner as to which parts of the guidelines were applicable to Sarawak.

He said some business operators were not even aware that the application for approval for resumption of business operation needed to go through SDMC instead of directly to Miti.

“Even if the MCO is lifted or relaxed eventually, there will be new social norms for heightened hygiene practices and awareness to be observed, these include washing hands regularly, wearing protective face masks and social distancing.

“The employers could not contain the virus alone with the compliance of the guidelines prescribed by the relevant authorities, we need everyone to play their part by observing the new norms in these extraordinary circumstances,” he pointed out.

Believing that every employer would do their utmost to keep their business running, he said: “Let’s fight the virus to save life and let’s save the businesses to save the livelihood of all.”

“We welcomed the statement of CM (Chief Minister) yesterday (May 2) that Sarawak government will announce a long-term programme to improve the state’s economy post the Covid-19 pandemic for the benefit of the people.

“Any additional package for the businesses especially the SMEs (small and medium enterprises) will certainly help to soften the impact of the businesses in this challenging economy,” Chai added.