Manufacturers against 'hostile' Act 342 amendments

 

The Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) today described the government's proposed amendments to Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342) as "repressive" and "hostile".

In a statement today, the FMM said amendments which have not gone through proper regulatory risk impact assessments will be very damaging for the economy which is currently in recovery mode.

"As it is, the use of existing laws is not consistent most of the time. More seriously, it is not enforced fairly and many a times open to overzealous actions by enforcement agencies.

"Policy and law makers must be mindful of the risk of new laws which may discourage any new investments or result in the flight of existing and potential investors to more business-friendly destinations," said the FMM.

While the FMM did not raise any specific parts of the legislation that was contentious, critics have claimed that the proposed amendments were unfair because they allowed corporate bodies to be fined up to RM500,000 and up to RM10,000 for individuals.

The law, as it currently stands, only allowed for a maximum fine of RM1,000 for violating health protocols designed to prevent infectious diseases.

The FMM said various industries have already taken extreme measures to limit workplace exposure to Covid-19 and thus the authorities should not have undue expectations from industries to further spend time and resources on non-core business activities.

"We call on the government to move away from extreme and threatening measures of high fines and imprisonment.

"What is required is more rehabilitative and advisory approaches on how to overcome this disease and infections.

"Any arbitrary and high-handed enforcement provisions will lead to negative and somewhat irreversible results as well as (lead to) a breeding ground for corruption and bribery," said the FMM.

The government has suspended the passage of the amendments pending further refinement after protests from MPs. The bill is scheduled for passage when the Dewan Rakyat reconvenes in March. - Mkini