PM, ministers urged to hold joint PC to avoid 'lockdown' U-turns

 

A lawmaker has called on Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to hold a joint press conference with key cabinet ministers should there be an announcement for a more severe movement control order (MCO).

Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming said this is to avoid previous chaos in lockdown policies, which led to a number of embarrassing U-turns.

"Let’s avoid the previous situation of one-man-show press conferences which then have to be followed up by U-turns because one minister wasn’t communicating with another.

"Let’s have a joint press conference by the key ministers in cabinet to convince the rakyat that this Perikatan Nasional government is capable enough to get us out of this pandemic," he said in a statement today.

Besides Muhyiddin, he said the press conference must also include the ministers for health, defence, home, international trade and industry, and the coordinating minister for vaccination, as well as Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

Speculation is rife that the government may implement a stricter movement control order (MCO) as the Covid-19 situation worsens. Yesterday, Malaysia hit a record high in new infections and deaths over the past week have reached unprecedented levels.

Health Minister Dr Adham Baba had said a full MCO may be necessary for Selangor, due to the high number of cases in the state.

When the MCO 3.0 was enacted two weeks ago, there was considerable confusion coming from Putrajaya. This includes flip-flops on whether people could exercise outdoors.

Even more damaging was a sudden shift in policy for the Hotspot Identification Dynamic Engagement (Hide) system, where premises flagged were abruptly told to shut down for three days despite earlier being told that they need only take extra precautions.

This led to many businesses including several shopping malls shutting down.

Besides avoiding U-turns, Ong said a press conference will also give opportunities for journalists to get straight answers from the government.

He suggested several questions be asked, such as plans for mass testing, how to control outbreaks at factories and prisons, and financial assistance for those that would be affected by a lockdown. - Mkini

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