Sabah bosses rally behind state govt over CMCO

Sabah has decided not to implement the conditional movement control order which would allow most businesses to reopen under relaxed restraints.

KOTA KINABALU: Employers in Sabah have rallied behind the state government in its decision to continue with the initial movement control order (MCO) instead of relaxing constraints for businesses under the conditional MCO.

The Sabah Employers Association (SEA) said the state government had a better understanding of its economic climate than the federal government, which issued the CMCO directive last Friday.

Sabah, along with Kedah, Penang, Selangor, Pahang, Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan and Sarawak however expressed reservations about the CMCO, prompting International Trade and Industry Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali to issue a warning that the states were acting without authority in refusing to reopen their economies.

Azmin also said they risked being sued by businesses.

SEA president Yap Cheen Boon said no business owners in their right mind would want to sue the state government, adding that the use of local laws to keep businesses closed in Sabah did not necessarily mean a refusal to follow federal directives.

He told FMT it would be better for businesses in Sabah to wait until phase four of the MCO ends on May 12 before adopting a fresh MCO.

“There’s already been much confusion over announcements and procedures, and to suddenly enforce a market-wide opening at such short notice warrants caution,” he added.

He also noted what he called U-turns on issues such as bank moratoriums, hospitalisation expenses for employees, workers’ health checks for Covid-19 and applications for approval to operate.

He said it would be better for each state to formulate plans to open up their economies according to their own circumstances.

“These in turn must be communicated clearly to businesses so that such preparations can be underway without the mayhem that we see in Kuala Lumpur,” he added. - FMT