Don't use MCO as weapon to disrupt business operations

The Perikatan Nasional (PN) government must not lose sight of the original aim of the movement control order (MCO) - which is to solely stop the spread of the coronavirus. It must pursue this goal vigorously until the dreaded enemy is totally eliminated.

But in the course of this campaign against Covid-19, a disturbing line of action has emerged, one that can sow seeds of resentment and enmity.

Now, rather insidiously, the focus seems to have shifted to another objective - stopping the resumption of any business operation on grounds that it is not an essential service, even though it is an important contributor to the country's coffer.

It all started when the conscience-stricken PN government revoked its initial approval for beer producers Heineken Malaysia Bhd and Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Bhd to continue operations during the MCO.

So, now, the beverage manufacturers cannot resume business because it is decreed that their service is not essential and that alcohol is haram in Islam.

It appears that PAS played a key role in influencing the cabinet to change direction. Now that the party is in the government, it is all-too-eager to show its brand of politics, which is largely centred on religion.

The "beer flap" has given the public a good look at what conservative PAS would do if it captures absolute federal power. There is no doubt that the party would arbitrarily prohibit the activities of non-Muslims on the slightest pretext that it is haram in Islam.

For now, it is content to be a small-time partner in PN and to promote only "universal values" that would appeal to all Malaysians. The inflexible ideological warriors in the party are all waiting for the right moment when it would rule the country with an iron hand, courtesy largely of the Malay vote bank.

The MCO has given PAS and all the other religiously-inclined politicians in PN an opportunity to flaunt their Islamist agenda. They can choose to cripple a business simply by emphasising the point that its practice is against Islam. Not even Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who has a background in Malay studies, would dare oppose a religious-driven argument.

More dangerously, the MCO can now also be misused as a political tool to hobble companies linked in some way or other to opposition politicians. Conversely, those in the PN camp can expect favourable treatment.

Then, one can also read a racial twist into the MCO story, especially with Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob (above) seemingly in charge of overseeing the enforcement of the restrictions.

Malaysians have not forgotten Ismail's role in the infamous Plaza Low Yat incident in 2015, when a Malay man was caught stealing a mobile phone from a Chinese vendor in the mall.

To cut the story short, a simple case of theft soon turned into a racial issue when Malay NGOs swamped the plaza, accusing the vendor of discrimination.

What was Ismail Sabri's role? In an irrational move, he proposed a Malay-only digital mall to counter Plaza Low Yat. The idea took off, but a few years down the road, the all-Malay mall was doing poorly, mainly because it was a politically-motivated move.

Now, Ismail can play the same politically-expedient game with companies operated largely by non-Malays. Armed with a powerful weapon, he can use the MCO to prolong the shutdown of companies run by other races, and thereby get his revenge on them.

Perhaps, in the cabinet "war council room", there are two large maps depicting the results of the MCO. One map shows the progress against Covid-19 in green, yellow, orange and red. The other map has only two colours - green and red to indicate how many PN-friendly companies got the green light to resume business and how many on the other side are immobilised and placed in the red zone.

The new PN government must realise that if it is thinking of using the MCO as an instrument to gain popularity, it is pursuing a wrong course. Now is not the time to play havoc with the business environment, many of whose services are essential to keep the country afloat.

If sanity does not prevail, then, in the end, the MCO would not only destroy the coronavirus but would also undermine political stability, economic prosperity and racial harmony - leaving the new abnormal Malaysia in dire straits, and in need of another round of intensive care.

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PHLIP RODRIGUES is a retired journalist. - Mkini