Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming, a former deputy international trade and industry minister,
said that with the implementation of the third MCO (MCO 3.0), the sectors that suffered the most in the first quarter of the year would continue to be affected.
“What is needed now is a targeted approach by the government involving all ministries, not just the finance ministry and the human resources ministry, to help the sectors and the individuals most affected by the lockdown in a strategic and targeted manner,” he said in a statement today.
Citing the growth of various sectors and industries, Ong said it was important for the policymakers to understand the impact of the lockdown on the sectors and sub-sectors.
“For example, the agriculture sector as a whole grew by 0.4% but within this sector, there is great variance. The rubber sector experienced a 12% contraction, the fisheries sector and aquaculture sector contracted by 9.6% and 5.2%, respectively, and even the oil palm sector contracted by 3.5%, probably because of the drop in production due to foreign workers’ work permit issues that overwhelmed the increase in crude palm oil (CPO) prices,” he said.
He said a similar situation happened to other sectors such as manufacturing, construction, services and their respective sub-sectors.
Understanding the impact of MCO on the different sectors, he said, should lead the government to adopt a differentiated, strategic and targeted approach towards helping the most negatively impacted industries and people in these industries.
“For example, fishermen with smaller boats may not have been able to go out to catch fish, especially if their foreign workers had gone back to Indonesia before MCO 1.0 or 2.0 and could not return to Malaysia after the end of the lockdown.
“Their incomes would have been badly affected by the MCO. On the other hand, those fishermen with bigger boats and with better networking with fish wholesalers, some of whom were doing good business selling directly to the consumers during the lockdown, would not require much assistance.”
With that in mind, he said, the prime minister should direct each ministry to come up with its own strategy and plan to assist, restructure and revive every sector and sub-sector under its purview.
Ong also lauded finance minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz’s approach to restart the economy ravaged by the pandemic, known as the “6R Strategy” (resolve, resilience, restart, recovery, revitalise and reform).
“The question that remains is this: What is the strategy of the other ministries to take care of the sectors under their purview, perhaps using the 6R strategy employed by the finance ministry?”
He said he was more than willing to offer services to any ministry, without any charge, to discuss possible strategies on how to assist, revive and recover their respective sectors and sub-sectors.