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ALMOST one week after the start of the full movement control order (FMCO), there are even more questions and confusion now than compared with during MCO 1.0 in March 2020.
One would have thought that more than a year since the first MCO was announced in March 2020, this Perikatan Nasional (PN) government would know how to implement a full lockdown with clear and transparent standard operating procedures. Sadly, this has not been the case.
Since the FMCO started on June 1, there has been more confusion and questions with regard to this FMCO compared with the first MCO. Below is a list of issues I have compiled based on media reports and social media postings over the past one week.
Twenty issues we are still unsure about one week into the FMCO:
1. We still don’t have a comprehensive list of which sectors or industries are under the jurisdiction of which ministry
When the FMCO was first announced, I issued a statement asking the PN government to make public a comprehensive list of the different sectors of the economy and which ministries are responsible for overseeing them. This list has not been published. We need to know this information even though the issuing of approval letters has gone back to the International Trade and Industry Ministry’s (Miti) CIMS 3.0 system. This is because the approvals still have to come from the respective ministries and there is still confusion among the ministries themselves as to which sectors they are responsible for.
2. We still don’t know if restaurants are allowed to operate if they have not gotten an approval letter from Miti
One example is restaurants. Although food and beverages are considered essential items and F&B is considered an essential industry, it is unclear which ministry is responsible for approving the continued operations of the many thousands of restaurants in the entire country. The Housing and Local Government Ministry (KPKT) has said that hawkers need only produce their licences to operate from local authorities and not have to wait for the Miti letter.
But, this has not stopped some irresponsible enforcement officers from pressuring hawkers into showing their Miti letters. Some restaurants continue to remain close even for takeaways because they have not gotten their Miti approval letter yet. I have received some reports that the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPDNHEP) thinks that only franchise restaurants come under its purview, but not the non-franchise restaurants. The National Security Council (NSC) has not clarified this issue at the time of writing.
3. We don’t know if those operating roadside stalls selling food and drinks can continue to operate without an approval letter from Miti
This is similar to the point above except that some of these stalls don’t operate with a valid licence from the local authority. But what about those who have been given a temporary licence to operate by the local authorities in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, for example, during the Covid-19 pandemic? Can they continue to operate? Are the enforcement officers clear on this policy?
4. We don’t know what criteria is being used to ban the sale of alcohol but allow the sale of cigarettes
Deputy Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Rosol Wahid was reported to have said that the sale of alcohol was banned because it is considered a non-essential item, but the sale of cigarettes will continue to cater to “cigarette addicts”. Later on, Senior Minister (Security) Ismail Sabri Yaakob expressed his confusion over this statement since shops that sell beer such as 7-Eleven are still being allowed to operate. Some supermarkets then closed down the section of their operations selling beer and other alcoholic beverages to comply with the “instruction” from Rosol. His minister has not issued any public statement on this issue, as far as I know.
I am not advocating for a ban on cigarettes. What I am asking, like many other Malaysians, is consistency and clarity in government policies on the part of government. If the production and sale of alcohol is banned during the FMCO, has the government considered that opportunists will take the opportunity to make and sell illegally alcohol which will be much more dangerous to consumers? Or have we forgotten the deaths of those through methanol poisoning by consuming cheap and illegal alcohol back in 2019?
5. We still don’t know if automotive/car workshops are allowed to operate if they have not gotten an approval letter from Miti
Even though car workshops are listed as essential under the distributive trade category, it is still unclear which ministry is supposed to give approval for these workshops to continue to operate. The Transport Ministry does not list auto workshops in the sectors under its jurisdiction for approval in its Logistics Industry Information System (SMILE). KPDNHEP is maintaining an elegant silence on this issue. So many car workshops continue to remain closed, which means that those in the logistics sector needing servicing may face some challenges.
And, those who need to drive to work because they are working in the essential services sector must hope and pray that their vehicles don’t break down or require major servicing.
6. We don’t know if those in the distributive trade sector and supplying to essential services are allowed to operate, and from which ministry they should seek approval to do so
I know of someone who imports various types of personal protective equipment to supply to hospitals and Covid-19 quarantine centres in Malaysia. Without getting the approval to operate, his company would not have been able to continue the supply of these essential items to the Health Ministry. He tried applying for approval with KPDNHEP, but the website, and later, the Google Forms, crashed. After trying various options, I was made to understand that his approval was finally granted. I am still unsure as to which ministry was the approving one for his particular sector of the economy.
7. We don’t know if air conditioner maintenance and repair services are allowed to operate, and from which ministry they should seek approval to do so
Critical maintenance and repair is listed as one of the 17 essential services during the FMCO, but I think it only applies to the construction sector. What about other maintenance and service operations that are critical to the continued operations of other essential sectors?
For example, if the air conditioning system at a hospital breaks down, we need those in the air conditioning service sector to do their repair work. For factories producing food and beverages, they also need their air circulation system to be maintained.
In fact, one can say that given the airborne nature of Covid-19, the air conditioning sector should be considered as essential, especially for the servicing of commercial (including factories) and government buildings.
We are also unsure which ministry this sector comes under.
8. We don’t know if plumbers are allowed to operate, and from which ministry they should seek approval to do so
Plumbers are also important to ensure that the toilets in hospitals, factories, offices and government buildings are “flowing” smoothly. But, which ministry is in charge of approving plumbers to continue to operate during the FMCO?
9. We don’t know if those servicing photocopiers and printers are allowed to operate, and from which ministry they should seek approval to do so
I also received a request from a company whose sales and marketing arm services the photocopiers and provides printing paper to many government ministries and agencies, including the Health and Finance Ministries. If such companies are not allowed to operate, the ministries and even hospitals may not have the required material to print their documents, as well as have no access to photocopiers and printers that have broken down and left unrepaired during the FMCO.
10. We don’t know what criteria is being used to approve those in the essential services supply chain
There should have been clear mapping and understanding of the sectors and companies that are critical to the continued operations of essential services sectors. This can be used as the basis of approving, not approving, or approving at a much-reduced capacity, companies that are part of this supply chain. As of today, we have not seen such mapping or heard any explanation from any minister with regard to the bigger picture surrounding the supply chain for essential services.
11. We don’t know how children are going to learn online when computer and telco shops are closed and stationery sections in supermarkets are shut
Education Minister Datuk Mohd Radzi Md Jidin recently announced that classes will continue to be held online when school reopens on June 13/14. But, many parents who want to repair laptops and handphones used by their children for online learning at home cannot do so because all of these services are shut down during the FMCO. Furthermore, even stationery sections of some supermarkets have been closed, thereby preventing parents from even buying stationery for their children to use at home.
12. We don’t know how people are supposed to work from home if their laptops break down and their phones are damaged while IT and phone repair shops are shuttered
Similarly, for those who have to work from home using their laptops and handphones, they better hope that their devices don’t break down during the FMCO since none of the places that repair these devices are open. I had a problem with my laptop that could only be fixed at the manufacturer’s headquarters and was informed that this can only be done after the FMCO. Thankfully, I have the resources to buy a new laptop, but what about those who don’t have the funds to buy a new device during such an emergency?
13. We don’t know how people who seek traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatments can continue to do so
I was also told that those seeking treatments from TCM businesses cannot do so during the FMCO. The operators of TCM shops cannot even go to their premises to pack herbs to send to their customers as they are not considered an essential service, even though they provide health services and related relief to their customers.
14. We don’t know why hair colouring products are not allowed to be sold at pharmacies
Apparently, some pharmacies have sealed up the section of their stores selling hair colouring products as they are deemed non-essential items. I cannot understand why the selling of hair colouring products at a pharmacy that is already open can be detrimental in our overall fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
15. We don’t know why the home improvement section in some shops such as Mr.DIY are shuttered
Apparently, some sections of hardware shops that sell home improvement products have been cordoned off. I received a report via Twitter that a person couldn’t buy “hooks” for his bathroom from Mr.DIY because this section had been cordoned off.
16. We don’t know how people are going to cook at home if some of their home appliances break down since electrical appliance stores are not open and the sections selling some of these items in supermarkets are closed
Household appliances such as rice cookers and kettles have shelf lives. Some may short circuit during the FMCO because of overuse. But, we may not be able to buy replacements because shops selling electrical appliances are not open and the sections selling some of these items in some supermarkets have been cordoned off. Of course, there is the option of buying these items online, but delivery may take a few days and for some semi-urban areas, the preferred option would still be to go to the physical store to procure these items.
17. We don’t know how companies in non-essential sectors can continue to maintain their data centres in case of emergencies
I know of a company in the non-essential sector that has an important data centre, which stores and processes critical information to the financial services sector. These companies need to have one or two people on standby to access the data centre in case there is an emergency or if the server breaks down for whatever reason. Is the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation, the agency under the Communications and Multimedia Ministry, that is in charge of data centre operations, aware of such issues?
18. We cannot understand why although some companies have approval letters from Miti to operate, when the QR codes on the letters are scanned by police, the details reveal that the business is considered non-essential
This is a bit of a technical issue but is important in terms of preventing companies and their staff from being unfairly fined. Some companies that are listed as essential services suddenly find that they are not classified as an essential service when the QR codes on their Miti letters are scanned by authorities including the police. This means that the employees of companies with this sort of letter can potentially be fined thousands of ringgit for violating the FMCO. Appendix 1 shows the information from an optometrist that is not classified as essential according to the QR code scan, even though a letter from Miti has been issued to allow this optometrist to continue to operate under the FMCO.
19. We still don’t understand why jogging is allowed but cycling is banned
I appreciate the fact that jogging and exercising alone in our residential areas is still permitted. But I fail to understand why cycling alone is not permitted, especially if this person is cycling within a 10km radius of their home. Furthermore, some people actually cycle to work (including some factory workers in my constituency) and some people cycle to the morning market to do their grocery shopping. Will they be fined by the enforcement authorities for cycling?
20. We still haven’t heard the following ministries hold press briefings on the sectors under their jurisdiction – Miti, Home Ministry, KPDNHEP, Communications and Multimedia Ministry, and KPKT (just to name a few)
I am not sure if a gag order has been issued by the prime minister to ban ministers other than Ismail Sabri to hold press briefings for the FMCO. But given the current confusion over the SOPs, shouldn’t the ministers from key ministries (as suggested above) organise a joint press conference to clear the air? We wait with bated breath for this to happen. – The Vibes, June 7, 2021
Dr Ong Kian Ming is Bangi MP and DAP assistant political education director
