After its leaked letter, European business chamber denies talk of potential stricter MCO in Feb
Published on: Sunday, January 24, 2021
By: FMT
The business chamber of European companies in Malaysia has denied that there was discussion about an impending national shutdown.
PETALING JAYA: The business chamber representing European companies in Malaysia has denied talk about an impending strict national lockdown after criticism arose over a leaked letter containing details of a meeting with the international trade and industry ministry (Miti).
The EU-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Eurocham) said that there was no mention at the meeting about an immediate lockdown to be imposed after the current movement control order ends.
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Eurocham chairman Oliver Roche said the business community must take steps to avoid another full MCO, by making efforts to ensure strict compliance with health and hygiene protocols as many Covid-19 clusters were associated with factories, construction sites and other places of work.
Eurocham’s statement this evening comes in the wake of a controversy over a letter to members containing details about the meeting with Miti.
The letter said that the Malaysian government will announce a shutdown/strict lockdown immediately after Feb 4 should the Covid-19 infection rate not be reduced by then.
However, Eurocham said today that the letter was a confidential internal circular sent out “to relay the essence of the informal discussion – and the commendable efforts of the Malaysian government – in tackling the spread of Covid-19”.
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The chamber said: “Eurocham wishes to clarify that while Miti underscored the heightened sense of urgency that currently prevails, given the rising number of cases, there was no mention of an immediate lockdown after Feb 4.”
Eurocham said the meeting with Miti on Friday was an informal discussion to raise awareness about the business community’s role in flattening the Covid-19 curve.
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There was also discussion about “the economic repercussions that could follow if we do not play a very active role, while expecting the government to exhaust its efforts independently”, Eurocham said.
Earlier today, Eurocham chief executive Sven Schneider came under criticism over the leak about a potential strict lockdown.
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