KOTA KINABALU: The Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS) has commended the State government for its ‘bold-and-forward-looking’ stance and measures in tackling the Covid-19 crisis affecting Sabah and its people.
Its president Tan Sri T.C Goh cited for example, Sabah was the first state in the country to suspend all incoming flights and tourists from China, on 30 January, to prevent the spread of Covid-19 at its onset. Although the said move inevitably drew criticism from a certain quarters initially, it was later proven to be a necessary and appropriate one.
“Sabah was also the first state to roll out its own economic stimulus package to complement the stimulus package of the Federal government, which obviously has been helpful to the people of Sabah,” he said in a statement issued on Saturday.
Goh who is also the president of The Federation of Chinese Association Malaysia (Huazong) also commended the State government for tightening the land and sea borders control through the security agencies, to prevent some unscrupulous quarters from smuggling in illegal immigrants through the ‘rat lanes’, which had in one way or another prevented the transmission of Covid-19 from neighbouring countries.
“Besides this, the State government also commissioned the Universiti Malaysia Sabah to use its labs and personnel to conduct tests on swab samples received from state health authorities, to detect Covid-19, designating the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) and certain hotels as quarantine centers, besides allocating RM2 million to convert the Likas Sports Complex into a makeshift hospital cum temporary Covid-19 testing facility which can accommodate 180 patients at one time,” he noted.
Besides announcing the State’s own stimulus package worth RM670 million on 25 March, the Chief Minister cum Sabah Finance Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Shafie Apdal also during the recent State Legislative Assembly sitting allocated an additional fund of RM533 million, for the state’s Covid-19 aid package, while tabling the First Supplementary Supply 2020 Bill.
The State government also came out with a 15-measures plan to take care of the frontliners, the low-and-medium income groups, and to prepare for economic recovery after the MOC is lifted.
Besides this, the State government also set up a special Covid-19 fund to provide essential items, food and cash aid to the frontliners, apart from promising not to lay off employees of all its 221 government-linked companies (GLCs).
“All these reflected well on the State government’s sheer commitment and ongoing efforts to help the people to navigate out of the devastating health and economic crisis, which is highly commendable and deserves to be supported by the people,” he acknowledged.
He thus called on the people of Sabah, the Chinese community in particular, to continue to give their full support and cooperation to the State government in its continuous fight against Covid-19, by complying with the MCO and to continue to stay at home, and to practice proper social-distancing when they go out in the public.
He also appealed to non-governmental and civil society organisations in the state to always be cautious and adhere to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) recommended by the relevant authorities, when giving out aids to those who are in need. This is necessary in order to minimise the risk of Covid-19 infection.-pr/BNN
