DAP Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh has slammed Putrajaya for issuing a half-baked work-from-home directive that has caused much confusion among the people since it was announced on Oct 20.
In a statement today, she attributed the confusing standard operating procedures (SOPs) on the work-from-home directive to the lack of coordination among the federal ministries.
“I urge the National Security Council to finalise and coordinate all SOPs before making an announcement and not make the people wait for another ministry to announce further details.
“The recent ‘work-from-home’ directive that was too general and confusing is a case in point,” she said, report Malaysiakini.
Yeoh added in her statement: “Confusing and half-baked statements have resulted in great uncertainty, especially among business communities and those with families because every day matters to them.
“The uncertainties from the confusing SOPs have caused economic hardship to businesses and may cost potential business opportunities. It would be challenging for enforcement officers to enforce rules, leading to inconsistency on the ground.
“I urge the government to clarify the confusion swiftly and ensure that a penalty is not imposed on those who are confused by the standard operating procedures (SOPs) announced by both senior ministers, Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Mohamed Azmin Ali.”
She urged the government to subsidise all the Covid-19 tests that were rushed to be done yesterday because of the confusion over the swab test.
On Oct 20, Ismail Sabri (above) said that public and private sector workers in management and supervisory positions in areas under conditional movement control order (CMCO) would have to work from home, starting on Oct 22.
Yesterday, he clarified the order does not affect all industries and civil servants, but only industries under the purview of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry and civil servants under the public service director-general’s purview.
The order affects some 800,000 workers in industrial sectors and 200,000 workers in public sectors who are in management or supervisory roles.
The affected areas are Sabah, Labuan, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, until the end of their respective conditional MCOs.
Ismail also reversed his previous announcement that all those who want to continue to work from offices in red zones are required to undergo Covid-19 testing.
Instead, testing is mandatory only for foreign workers working in the construction sector and as security guards in red zones. For other workers, testing is merely “highly recommended”.
Yesterday, Azmin said a maximum of 10 percent management and supervisory employees will be allowed to work in the office.
This is for those whose duties include accounting, finance, administration, legal, planning and information technology.
“I want to remind the ministers that their honeymoon period is over. They should start to coordinate with one another before a decision is announced because MCO is no longer a new thing,” Yeoh said.
“The senior defence minister should stop holding daily press conferences if there is nothing substantive and helpful to announce. A press conference is not a place to promote his outfits or display collectables.
“The people are left more confused by more unnecessary announcements. Stop confusion, stop Covid-19. If Covid-19 doesn’t kill the economy, their incompetency will,” she added.- Malaysiapost