The Malaysian Insight

RESIDENTS of Kg Muhibbah Raya in Tawau, Sabah, who protested the government’s extension of the enhanced movement control order (EMCO) in their area, had not wished to cause trouble but had simply wanted their concerns to be heard.

The villagers told The Malaysian Insight they only wanted to express their disappointment with the decision.

The decision to prolong the EMCO was made without taking into account and understanding the situation and difficulties the residents faced, they said.

On Friday, the government announced KG Muhibbah Raya would remain under the EMCO for 14 more days, from April 25 to May 8.

The Health Ministry made the call as new cases continued to turn up in the locked down area.

Health authorities had tested 622 of the villagers for Covid-19, 70 of whom were found to be infected while 310 others are awaiting their results.

Resident Muhamad Asyraf Yusof, 29, said many of the villagers had lost their source of income since the area was placed under the EMCO on April 10.

“Most of the residents here, including I, are self-employed, earning daily wages.

“When the EMCO was first implemented for two weeks, we could still survive, but when it was extended for a month, we could not work, there was no income, so what could we do,” said Asyraf who works as a gardener.

He said the situation worsened when they were given food aid only once during the first week of EMCO.

He added the residents also had difficulty getting food supplies because only one grocery store was allowed to operate in the area.

“Food aid was only given once which was in the first week of EMCO. The second week there was none. Meanwhile, in the EMCO area, only one grocery store is allowed to operate.

“We can only go out alone according to the SOP which we follow.

“But we residents cannot survive without working, especially for those whose daily wage is affected. There may be no problem for those who get a monthly salary, but for those who earn a day’s wage, what about them?” Asyraf said.

He added that the authorities should appoint a special Covid-19 village committee to provide information and explanation to the residents.

He said this was because the residents were not clear with the rules and the information was also not in line with what the residents received.

“For example, on Sunday, there were four people infected, but information from the Ministry of Health said there were eight cases. Where did the other four cases come from?

“We need to know in order to reduce the residents’ worries about Covid-19. When we have data released in line with the village Covid-19 committee, the residents no longer need to wonder why they need four weeks of EMCO,” Asyraf said.

He also explained that last Saturday’s incident, which led to the arrest of several activists and villagers, was because the protesters wanted to be heard.

“The peaceful demonstration was made not for the residents of this village but for the whole community. We wanted our voices to be heard.

“There was no element of riot or disturbance… we just wanted to be heard,” he said.

Not a violent protest

Last Saturday, Sabah police arrested seven men when they tried to demonstrate near a roadblock in Kampung Muhibbah Raya.

A group of youths on motorcycles stopped near the roadblock at the Sekolah Kebangsaan Gabungan roundabout and stood holding placards.

Tawau police chief Peter Umbuas said the seven arrested were being investigated under three offenses, namely Section 188 of the Penal Code, Section 9 (5) of the Peaceful Assembly Act, and Section 25 of the Emergency Ordinance 2021.

Among those detained were social activists Mukmin Nantang and Mohd Azwan Irwan, and villagers living in the EMCO enforcement area.

The detention was criticised by various quarters, including Bersih, who said it showed that the government did not respect Article 10 of the Federal Constitution which protects the people’s freedom of expression.

Meanwhile, a fellow activist who declined to be named, slammed the detention saying that the action was not appropriate and fair because the detainees only wanted to voice their rights.

Hazia Linggam, 26, a wife of an activist who was arrested, also expressed disappointment. She said her husband, Abdul Razak Junid, who owns a restaurant, did not intend to cause chaos but only wanted to convey the plight of the residents who are now increasingly desperate to work.

Hazia said the implementation of EMCO caused the residents to be burdened so much that some had to make food rations because they were running out of food.

“Because many people here work for a daily wage, so if they don’t work for a day, there is no money.

“So from where does the money come from to buy food? My husband just wanted to say this and it was done in peace, I didn’t expect the police to arrest them,” she said.

All seven who were arrested were released yesterday evening. – April 27, 2021.