KUCHING: The tightening of the conditional movement control order (CMCO) in Sarawak effective May 25 to June 7 is a good decision as the balance of lives and livelihood is taken into consideration, said Datuk Sim Kiang Chiok today.
The Sarawak Housing and Real Estate Developers’ Association (Sheda) Kuching branch chairman said that businesses could still operate while human interactions would be reduced by limiting employee attendance in the public and private sectors.
Also noting that inter-district travel had been restricted between the districts of Kuching, Serian, Bau, and Lundu, he said these standard operating procedures (SOPs) were timely with the approaching holidays and festivals, namely Wesak Day, Gawai, and the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s birthday.
“This lockdown will reduce infections and hopefully no new clusters will be created if we follow the SOPs obediently,” he said.
However, he felt that Sarawak’s restrictions should be called the movement control order (MCO) 3.0 instead of the CMCO, pointing out that most of the SOPs here were almost the same as those in Malaya.
“I hope that our state government will reclassify our present lockdown as MCO 3.0 too, and not lose out on any assistance from our federal government that our businesses and employees badly need,” he said.
For instance, he pointed out that Sarawak had missed out on wage subsidies under the Permai and Pemerkasa packages, as these subsidies were only applicable to MCO-affected states.
“If there is any new assistance from the federal government, we do not want to be disqualified or left out,” said Sim.
He expressed his concern for all of Sarawak’s business sectors which are being affected due to shorter working hours and reduced workforces, affecting productivity and thus income and sales. He said there may also be increased unemployment due to lower business volume.
“Businesses and industries need to be extra resilient to go through this tough time, and all the banks and our government must assist to ensure minimum business closure due to failure by the various lockdowns to stop the spread of the virus,” he said.
He urged the federal government to extend the wage subsidy to Sarawak, as well as implement automatic bank loan moratoriums; provide cash handouts especially for the small traders, hawkers, and daily-paid sectors; and relax the collection of income tax and other duties and taxes.
“The state government could also delay collection and extend discounts on utilities charges, assessment and land rates, licensing fees, and other state statutory taxes, as well as provide cash assistance for small traders and hawkers just like the assistance under Sarawakku Sayang Special Assistance (BKSS) package extended during the first MCO,” suggested Sim.
