KOTA KINABALU: Sabah leaders support the state government’s move to relax some socio-economic standard operating procedures (SOPs), including allowing dine-in and hair cut.
Sabah Umno chief Datuk Bung Moktar Radin said the state’s move to implement its own recovery plan should be seen positively.
“The decision made by the state was based on current data and facts which show that Sabah was recording far fewer cases than some states in Semenanjung Malaysia.
“As a leader in Sabah, the state decision was made together after discussions and I stand firm behind the chief minister on this,” he said in a statement here on Wednesday.
Bung said that he also understood the National Security Council’s intentions in wanting to curb the pandemic but that the state’s decision was to help the various economies and industries start their recovery.
“If there are SOPs which can cause the virus to spread, I’m sure the state government will not be calling for the move.
“What is important now is that the government needs to expedite vaccination to all Malaysians, including those in Sabah,” he said.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor announced on Monday that socio-economic activities such as dining-in, barber shops, as well as non-contact sports and recreational activities such as golfing, fishing and cycling were among the activities allowed to open on Tuesday, in contrast to the rest of the country, which is still under a “total lockdown”.
However, his premature announcement was criticized. Some coffee shops that opened for dine-in removed their tables and chairs after patrolling health officials told them they were not allowed to do so despite the announcement.
Federal Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob later said that all states have been asked to follow the national SOP and not make their own rules.
Another deputy chief minister, Datuk Jeffrey Kitingan, said the state should stand firm on its decision and manage its own SOPs which have proven effective so far based on its case trend.
“The state government should insist on the SOP it has decided, especially on dining in. This is because this has been discussed in the Cabinet and fully endorsed by all of us. It has some basis which is that dine-in is easier to control because you can arrange how many people can sit at a table, as opposed to kenduri in kampungs which are very difficult to control.
“The state knows what it is doing and should stick with the decision,” he said.
Kitingan said that the state has been managing the Covid 19 crisis here better than other places and should be allowed to handle things the way it sees fit.
“The way we handle it is best managed at the moment; they should follow us,” said the Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku president.
Among other SOPs, he said normal activities should be allowed to take place within green zones, but not allow outsiders in.
Parti Bersatu Sabah secretary general Datuk Joniston Bangkuai also said that the Sabah government had studied the situation and understood the need to balance the safety of the people and reviving the economy.
“We are confident that the federal government understands what is good and necessary for Sabah because, especially since the matter was discussed in the Sabah Covid-19 Disaster Management Committee which also includes federal government agencies such as the police, Health Department and National Security Council.
“The federal government leaders, including Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, have always reiterated their understanding of the needs and wants of the Sabah people,” he said.
State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin said Hajiji’s decision to loosen up the Covid-19 restrictions was the first step in reviving the economy in Sabah, in line with the first phase of the National Recovery Plan (PPN).
He pointed out that although several of the social and economic activities in Sabah have been allowed to operate, a majority of the standard operating procedures (SOP) under the third Movement Control Order (MC0 3.0) would still be in place.
He said that any changes in Sabah’s SOP should be made in accordance with the state’s current Covid-19 situation.
“Based on records, the number of cases in Sabah has been decreasing as of today. However, we have not reached the green stage just yet,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
Jafry had also labelled Ismail Sabri’s call for the state government to refrain from issuing its own SOPs as “unfair”.
He said that it is unfair for Sabah to follow the same set of SOPs as other states when only a handful of states are contributing high number of cases.
Former federal minister Datuk Salleh Said Keruak also backed Hajiji over his decision to relax SOPs for Sabah.
“We should be focusing on Sabah’s recovery, with SOPs fitted according to the current situation,” he said on Facebook on Wednesday.
“I fully support the move by the chief minister and state government to implement relaxed SOPs for Sabah. I believe the state government has considered all factors in this matter. Therefore, the federal government must respect the decision and give its support to Sabah.”
The Sabah Bersatu leadership also threw its support behind Hajiji.
Its state liaison secretary, Mohamed Razali Razi, said more freedom to operate will ease the burden for those in the economic sector.
“The SOPs must be more flexible, particularly for states that have fewer infections,” he said in a statement.
“The intention and effort by the chief minister is fair and proper because he has seen that the rakyat in the state have done their best to abide by the SOPs.
“The decision also clearly shows that the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah has its own direction after taking into consideration the grouses of the people, particularly over their welfare and livelihood, after being faced with a prolonged MCO.”
Covid-19 spokesperson Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun on Tuesday said details of SOPs for Sabah will be announced by the State Secretary when they have been approved by the Health director-general and gazetted.