Sunday, 24 Jan 2021 02:34 PM MYT
BY SOO WERN JUN
File picture shows the general view of workers’ quarters within the premises of a glove manufacturer in Klang December 24, 2020. Picture by Yusot Mat Isa
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KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 24 The Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) has called on its members to help break the Covid-19 infection rate in the country.
Acknowledging that the manufacturing sector contributes 99 out of 318 active Covid-19 infection clusters, the federation’s chief executive officer Yeoh Oon Tean said it is important that FMM’s members to do their part to by taking additional proactive and preventive measures to tighten the existing standard operating procedures (SOPs) at workplaces and the living quarters of employees.
‘Softer’ lockdown this time Police conducting checks to ensure adherence to the restriction on interstate travel. – BERNAMAPIX
PETALING JAYA: Despite the higher rate of infection, most stakeholders view the second movement control order (MCO 2.0) as less restrictive than the first.
The view across the board is that the first MCO was much stricter than the current one.
Under the first MCO, which was implemented from March 18 to June 9 last year, fewer business sectors were allowed to operate compared with MCO 2.0, which came into force on Jan 13.
According to SME Association of Malaysia president Datuk Seri Michael Kang, this has come as a relief for the business community.
KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 18): The Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) has urged the government to expand the Temporary Measures for Reducing the Impact of Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19) Act 2020 to provide provision for relief for manufacturing and other manufacturing related services such as trading or distributorship and logistics, given the contraction in manufacturing activities.
FMM president Tan Sri Soh Thian Lai said the contraction in the manufacturing activities was due to the harsh impact from the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent reimposition of the Movement Control Order (MCO 2.0).
“The Act is currently limited to nine categories. It is very specific in providing temporary relief for contractual obligations faced during this pandemic period. We are proposing for a Disaster Management Act to be enacted, which will account for other disasters including devastating floods or possible future outbreaks and not specific to Covid-19 only,” he said in a statement today.
Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM) SMEs committee chairman Koong Lin Loong says “We did a survey and found that SMEs can’t survive more than four months with no cash flow. Generally, they can only do three months. Those that can survive six months and above are rare.
JUST when businesses thought 2020 was done and dusted, the resurgence in Covid-19 cases and the reimposition of stricter movement controls may have brought about a sense of deja vu.
Many had entered the year with optimism and were pinning their hopes on a great recovery in 2021 following the disruption to the economy last year.