Dissolve ‘toothless’ recovery council if suggestions ignored, says MP

 

Teo Nie Ching says inconsistent announcements by Muhyiddin Yassin and Hishammuddin Hussein will only cause confusion among the public.

PETALING JAYA: An MP wants to know who actually decides on the reopening of Malaysia’s borders – the National Recovery Council (NRC) or the Ministerial Quartet?

Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching said while NRC head Muhyiddin Yassin has suggested that the borders ought to be reopened by March 1 without mandatory quarantine, quartet chief Hishammuddin Hussein said they will only be reopened after discussions with the health, and tourism, arts and culture ministries as well as the immigration department.

She said the statement by defence minister Hishammuddin made the council appear “toothless”, when it was supposed to submit strategies and map the country’s path out of the pandemic phase.

“So, will the Cabinet and the council work together and communicate in determining the future of the country’s recovery or will they continue to fluctuate and issue media statements that contradict each other?” she said in a statement today.

Muhyiddin had suggested yesterday that Malaysia’s borders be reopened by March 1 without mandatory quarantine. He said this was the way forward as the nation had achieved high vaccination rates and lower hospital admissions.

However, he added that the reopening of the borders should be carried out in an orderly manner and based on the current evaluation of risks.

Responding to this, Hishammuddin said the borders would only be reopened after discussions with the health, and tourism, arts and culture ministries and the immigration department.

He said the outcome of the discussions would then be refined by the quartet meeting before being brought to the Cabinet or the Special Committee to Address Covid-19 chaired by the prime minister.

Teo said it was inconsistencies like this that caused confusion among the public and gave false hope to those who were affected by the unstable economy.

She said if Muhyiddin’s proposals are not taken seriously, it would be best to dissolve the council so that the government can save the money allocated to the body.

The former deputy education minister said it should also be noted that Muhyiddin’s position as the chairman of the council was a minister-level appointment.

“This means he is given access to the same privileges, salaries and benefits as other ministers. So, if he bears similar importance, why does the Cabinet ignore the proposal put forward by him?” - FMT