Tan Sri T.C Goh
KOTA KINABALU: The Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS) has reiterated its support for the state government’s decision and policy of allowing dine-ins at restaurants and eateries which was announced by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor on Saturday.
Its president, Tan Sri T.C Goh, thus called on the federal government and the National Security Council (NSC) to accept the decision unconditionally.
Goh also proposed that the existing business hours for eateries and restaurants be extended from 6am to 10pm, so that the operators could better recoup the loss which they incurred during the lockdown, previously.
The existing business hours for restaurants and eateries under the Phase Two of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) is 6am to 9pm.
Goh who is also a member of the Sabah Economic Advisory Council (NEAC), reiterated that the state government’s ‘autonomous decision’ in regards to the NRP standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the people and businesses, including the one announced on June 28 and the subsequent one on Saturday, should be fully respected and accepted by the federal government.
He noted that when announcing the SOPs for Sabah’s transition into Phase Two of the NRP on Saturday, the federal government failed to mention whether dine-in is allowed, or otherwise.
He reminded that when the state government announced the extension of the Phase One of the NRP for Sabah, at the end of last month, it also announced that dine-in was allowed. Hence, now that Sabah has now moved into Phase Two of the NRP, the federal government should not have overlooked or ignored this aspect.
Goh who is also president of the Federation of Sabah and Labuan Hokkien Associations (FSLHA), expressed this in a statement on Sunday. He was commenting on the statement issued by Sabah Covid-19 spokesperson Datuk Masidi Manjun on Saturday, as well as further assertion by Hajiji who is also chairman of Sabah Security Council, that Sabah shall maintain its policy to allow dine-in in restaurants, eateries, and hotel restaurants.
The Phase 2 SOPs for Sabah state that restaurants, cafes, eateries, food trucks, and roadside or mobile stalls will be allowed to operate from 6am to 9pm by way of takeaways, drive-through or deliveries.
“Since the Sabah state government has again reiterated its decision to allow dine-ins, the federal government should not continue to impede the decision of the Sabah state government. We also hope that enforcement agencies in the state could better coordinate with each other, in order to avoid conflicts and disputes while carrying out their tasks,” urged Goh.
Nonetheless, he supported the federal government’s move of lifting the inter-district travel ban on Kota Kinabalu, Penampang and Putatan, besides allowing businesses to reopen and to operate at longer business hours, as well as allowing sports and recreational activities, and activities and programs of the non-Muslim communities to resume.
He also called on the people of Sabah to continue to fully comply with the SOPs and to get vaccinated under the National Immunisation Program, so that Sabah could transition into Phase Three or final phase of the NRP, as soon as possible.