KOTA KINABALU: The Federal government should respect the Sabah state government’s ‘autonomous decision’ to reopen its economic sector and to relax the standard operating procedures (SOP), in stages, based on the actual situation on the ground, said Tan Sri T.C Goh, President of the Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS).
He opined that, following the Covid-19 situation in most parts of Sabah coming under control, as reflected in the decline in number of daily confirmed cases, as compared to many states in Peninsular Malaysia, the Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor’s decision and announcement to gradually reopen a certain parts of the economic sector, starting yesterday, should be accepted by the Federal government, instead of outright against it.
He further opined that, if the Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announcement yesterday that, the National Security Council (NSC) will soon come up with detailed SOP for areas with low number of Covid-19 cases to end the full lockdown early, is to be taken into consideration, then many parts of Sabah may well meet the conditions for partial or full re opening of the economic sector.
He underscored that the federal government should respect the decision of the Sabah state government, especially since it was made after consultations with relevant government departments and agencies, and most importantly it was based on facts and data gathered from the ground.
He noted that, Ismail Sabri had also mentioned that the details to be issued by the NSC among others will decide on whether to end or to continue with the full lockdown in an area/district, by basing on the number of cases per 10,000 population, instead of basing on the number of cases in the entire state. To better illustrate this, the senior minister cited the case of Perlis for example, where despite having a low number of cases and being declared a ‘green zone’, it was nonetheless placed under full lockdown concurrently with Selangor which has the highest number of cases.
“Hence, if such a basis is to be based upon, some states in the country, Sabah included, are obviously qualified to partially or fully end the full lockdown, and the Sabah state government’s decision to re open its economic sector and to relax the SOP, in stages, is reasonable and acceptable,” said Goh.
In a statement issued today, Goh who is also President of the Federation of Sabah and Labuan Hokkien Associations (FSLHA) and a member of the Sabah Economic Advisory Council (SEAC) pointed out that, all these while, while it respected and adhered to the SOP issued by the federal government, Sabah also has been making necessary adjustments in accordance with the actual situation on the ground, since last year.
He cited for example, Sabah was the first state in the country to impose a lockdown and to suspend incoming flights at the onset of the Covid-19 outbreak, besides imposing stricter SOP when the state was hard hit by the outbreak after the state election, last year.
He thus said both FCAS and FSLHA fully supported the ‘autonomous decision’ made by the state government led by Hajiji. Likewise, he hoped such a decision, which was made in the best interest of the people and businesses, could be fully supported by all quarters, including politicians and policymakers from both sides of the divide.
“We believe the people of Sabah can better understand the situation in Sabah, especially after having experienced the devastating impact of the series of movement control orders (MCOs) over the past one year and more, and the excruciating period after the state election. Hence, both the federal and state governments should better empathise with the people’s plights, and to forge a good cooperation with each other to assist the people to get through this difficult time,” he said.
He thus said, with the pandemic now coming under control in Sabah, the state government’s decision to allow dine in eateries and restaurants by complying with the SOP, and business hours extended to avoid overcrowding, is acceptable.
He opined that, the federal government, the NSC especially, should respect the state government of each state, and this included the recent decision and announcement over loosening up the SOP and reopening of some business sectors in stages.
He also reiterated that the federal government and the NSC should always consult with the state governments to gather their views and input, prior to formulating the SOP in various phases of the National Recovery Plan (NRP). This is necessary in order to ensure the SOP better suits the actual or unique conditions of each state.
“Since the Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had mentioned that, the NSC will decide if a state or a region will lift the lockdown early, by basing on the number of cases in the respective state/region, which means states/regions with low number of cases may qualify to go for the second or third phase of the NRP. Hence, how is it feasible then for the entire country to implement a unified SOP throughout the four phases of the NRP?” he asked.
Goh also finds the Senior Minister’s statement that state governments are allowed to tighten the SOP based on the conditions on the ground, but cannot relax the SOP that is in force nationwide, puzzling.
“Since the state governments are allowed to tighten the SOP based on the conditions on the ground, why can’t they relax the SOP based on the same basis?” he inquired.
He thus hoped the federal government could better respect and accept the views and autonomy of Sabah state government, and to announce the details on the SOP under the NRP, as soon as possible.-pr/BNN
