PETALING JAYA: The government must conduct a post-mortem of the movement control order (MCO) after it is lifted because the current process by which it has implemented the lockdown does not instil much confidence among the people.
This was the assessment made by Abdul Jalil Rasheed, the former Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) chief executive officer, who in a series of tweets today responded to news that the government will impose the MCO in six more states beginning from Jan 22 to Feb 4.
“The as-you-go SOPs are not providing much confidence, hopefully being honest about learning will instil that (confidence),” he said, adding that the government should have enough data to conduct a post-mortem.
He also wondered if Putrajaya could lift the MCO in all the initial states and federal territories on Feb 4 to “avoid the confusion and guessing”.
“It’s going to happen anyway.”
Earlier today, Putrajaya announced that Kedah, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Terengganu and Perlis will go under the MCO.
They join six other states and three federal territories which were already under the MCO since Jan 13. They are Selangor, Johor, Penang, Kelantan, Melaka, Sabah, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan.
Jalil also suggested the government use colour codes instead of the “alphabet soup” for movement restrictions, arguing it was easier for the masses.
“There are so many things people need to remember, with ever-changing guidelines,” he said.
He also weighed-in on the current SOP which allows eateries to operate until 8pm, arguing it should be extended to 10pm as there was no dine-in option.
Jalil said not everyone had the luxury of being at home and having dinner before 8pm.
“Win-win, as it helps eateries earn more money too.”
This evening, senior minister for security Ismail Sabri said Putrajaya was still considering a proposal for food and beverage outlets to stay open until 10pm during the MCO.
Netizens and MPs have urged Putrajaya to allow restaurants to operate until 10pm during the MCO, as the shortened period makes it difficult for people to buy food after working hours.
Jalil also urged the authorities to get tough on employers who insisted on their staff coming to office, despite many being able to work remotely, as there were many Covid-19 cases being reported in the workplace. - FMT
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