By Poovenraj Kanagaraj
Senior Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali has insisted all states in the country to cooperate by carrying out the standard operating procedures for the reopening of businesses across the nation.
This comes after several states, the likes of Sarawak, Kedah and Selangor had decided to not follow the federal government’s decision to allow businesses to reopen.
“The decision to reopen the economy is supported by data and research by the Finance Ministry, MITI, Bank Negara Malaysia and Khazanah Nasional Berhad,” he said in a statement.
The senior minister further highlighted that cumulative cost of the nation’s income is estimated to be at RM 146 billion, possibly costing the economic development achieved in the last four years.
The senior minister has also stated the Government has conducted various engagement sessions with the stakeholders of the economic sector particularly, industry associations, local and international Chambers of Commerce as well as SMEs to gauge the impact of business sustainability and employment.
He stressed that state governments which refuse to co-operate in implementing the decision in accordance to Act 342 will open themselves up to a possibility of legal actions from industry players.
“The implementation of the MCO involves the entire country, including the states in Peninsular Malaysia as well as the Federal Territories, Sarawak and Sabah,” he said.
The senior minister also pointed out that state governments cannot obstruct companies from re-operating in accordance to press statements from the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) and Malay Chamber of Commerce Malaysia (MCCM).
“State governments are urged to cooperate in executing the Federal Government’s decision in order to invigorate the economy,” Azmin said.
