‘Total Lockdown’ Atau ‘Semi Lockdown’… Kategori ‘Essential’ Makin Bertambah? – Ahmad Zahid

KUALA LUMPUR, 4 Jun – “Mula-mula cuma 95,142 dianggap ‘essential’. Tidak lama kemudian naik kepada 128,150 ‘essential’. Esok lusa tidak tahu pula berapa banyak lagi bisnes akan dikategorikan sebagai ‘essential’.”

Demikian luah Presiden UMNO, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi berkaitan keputusan kerajaan dalam kebenaran pengoperasian sektor perniagaan yang dianggap sebagai perkhidmatan penting.

Soal beliau, mungkinkah jumlah itu termasuk yang menipu supaya dikategorikan ‘essential’?

Beliau yang juga Pengerusi Barisan Nasional (BN) merujuk hal terbabit kepada laporan kilang pembuatan topi keledar yang mengaku kilang membuat PPE hinggakan MITI boleh terpedaya ‘essential’.

“Itu belum termasuk yang bukan ‘essential’ mungkin sedang beroperasi secara sembunyi-sembunyi. Mohon pihak berwajib pantau habis-habisan.

“Ada rungutan di media sosial tentang kilang tidak ‘essential’ masih beroperasi.

“Siasat dan bertindak segera tangani semua isu ini. Tempoh 14 hari bukan panjang. Kita perlu menang,” katanya dalam kenyataan menerusi laman facebooknya, hari ini.

Tegasnya, rakyat semakin senak, sesak dan semput untuk terus hidup dalam keadaan kes COVID-19 yang tinggi.

“Sebab itu sebelum ini rakyat mendesak pelaksanaan ‘total lockdown’ yang benar-benar ‘total lockdown’. Bukan ‘total lockdown’ bertaraf ‘semi lockdown’ yang akhirnya rakyat berisiko di ‘smackdown’.”

Namun katanya, untuk 100 peratus menyalahkan pemilik perniagaan atau kilang-kilang pun kurang wajar juga kerana mereka tidak mendapat sokongan secukupnya untuk membolehkan operasi henti sementara tanpa risiko ‘bankruptcy’.

“Jika perniagaan mereka bungkus, yang teraniaya pekerja-pekerja juga. Dari peringkat atas sehinggalah di bawah.
“Begitu juga dengan rakyat marhaen. Terutama mereka yang bekerja sendiri, berpendapatan harian atau komisyen dan peniaga kecil. Ada yang dipotong gaji oleh majikan.

“Mereka kurang bantuan yang sewajarnya supaya dapat duduk tenang di rumah sepanjang ‘semi lockdown’. Jika ada moratorium inklusif, pengurangan ansuran bukan ‘refinance’ dan i-Sinar 2.0 pasti mereka mampu ‘self lockdown’ tanpa
perlu pun ‘total lockdown’,” katanya lagi.

Sebelum itu Ahmad Zahid turut merujuk kepada titah Sultan Johor iaitu, “biar kita telan ubat yang pahit sekarang daripada menanggung sakit melarat dan berterusan.” – UMNO Online

Why too many essentials during ‘total lockdown’?

KUALA LUMPUR, June 4 – It was only 95,142 listed under the essential services initially but it rose to 128,150 in a matter of days, and this raised question about the government’s decision, said Umno President Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
He questioned as to whether the numbers included those who cheated of being under the category.
The Barisan Nasional chairman was referring to reports how a helmet manufacturing factory cheated by claiming it was producing PPE so that MITI can be deceived.
“That does not include those that are not ‘essential’ but operating secretly. Please monitor it strictly. There are complaints on social media about factories not under the essential services still operate. Investigate and act immediately.
“The 14 days period is not long. We have to win,” he said in a Facebook posting, today.
He stressed that the people are facing many predicaments to survive in the high COVID-19 case situation.
“That is why they had demanded for the implementation of ‘total lockdown’, the real lockdown. What we are having now is not a ‘total lockdown’, it’s more of ‘semi lockdown’ and the people may end up facing the risk of ‘pandemic smackdown’. “
However, he said those operators must not be blamed solely because they too were feeling the pinch of the pandemic and did not get enough support to allow operations to stop temporarily to avoid the risk of bankruptcy.
“If their business wraps up, the workers will lose jobs. Same goes for the middle and low income brackets, especially those who are self-employed, survive on daily income or commission and petty traders. Some have their salaries cut by employers.
“They need assistance during the ‘semi lockdown’. There should be an inclusive moratorium, reduction of installments and not ‘refinance’ and i-Sinar 2.0 which will definitely enable them to ‘self lockdown’ without the
need for ‘total lockdown’,” he added.
Prior to that, Zahid also referred to Sultan of Johor statement: “Let us swallow bitter medicine now instead of suffering later.”
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