The Malaysian Insight

PUBLIC safety should come ahead of opening up the economy, said workers’ groups, as the dispute continues between Putrajaya and some states over relaxing the movement-control order (MCO).

States which still have active red zones are justified delaying the resumption of most economic activities, they said, as workers’ lives and that of their families are paramount.

Some unions, however, told The Malaysian Insight that states with green zones must also explain why they are reticent about easing business restrictions as this affects workers who depend on a daily wage.

“States with red zones, we understand why they are delaying opening up their economies because worker and public safety must come first,” said union federation leader Mohamad Shafie B.P. Mammal.

Red zones are districts where there are 41 or more active cases of Covid-19, orange (20 to 40), yellow (one to 19) and green (none).

“But if a state has many green zones, then people are asking why the delay in opening up businesses. They must explain themselves.

“If they have many green zones yet they are not confident, something is wrong somewhere. Are they being overly cautious? If they are, they should seek the Health Ministry’s advice,” said Shafie, president of Union Network International-Malaysia Labour Centre (UNI-MLC).  

As of yesterday, Sarawak, Sabah, Pahang and Penang decided to defer implementing Putrajaya’s conditional MCO (CMCO), saying they will reopen industries when they deem it safe to do so.

The CMCO lifts many of the restrictions of the earlier MCO, which was imposed to break the chain of coronavirus infections and set to end on May 12.

The CMCO allows almost all industries and businesses to reopen, save for those which require close physical contact and crowds, and lifts the ban on travelling further than a 10km radius.

However, the CMCO still prohibits large gatherings of any kind, including for social or religious purposes.

Kedah, Selangor and Negri Sembilan decided to implement the CMCO but with amended rules, such as a continued ban on dine-ins and limited opening hours for restaurants. 

International Trade and Industry Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali warned that states which delay the CMCO could face suits from businesses and individuals.

Money can come later

Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) secretary-general J. Solomon supported the decisions of individual states to defer the CMCO.

“It’s a wise move as they are concerned about their citizens’ safety and they want precautions in place so that their people stay safe.

“At this stage, we should still be focused on human life and public health. The priority should not be money. Money itself will eventually come,” Soloman said.

States which are deferring the CMCO want more time to put precautionary measures in place so that social distancing and hygiene standards can be maintained, said Solomon.

Penang, for instance, has crafted a three-stage process whereby guidelines will be prepared for industries to adopt before they resume operations.  

“We cannot afford to lose lives and we might as well put in place the measures first so that everyone truly knows the SOP and what to do in their workplaces.”

Labour Law Reform Coalition chairman N. Gopal Kishnan echoed these sentiments and questioned why Putrajaya is in such a hurry to open up industries instead of waiting for May 12, when the MCO expires.

“After all, it is only another week. Industries should implement and get ready the social-distancing SOP first this week and only resume operations in another week.

“We should wait till the number of active cases go down further before opening up, because if we open up too fast, the number of infections may shoot up again,” Gopal said.

Covid-19 has so far infected 6,428 and killed 107. – May 7, 2020.