DAP’s Luyang representative Phoong Jin Zhe said he had received many calls from people since this morning, telling him they had been instructed to show Miti approval letters.
This is despite the recent announcement by the state government that approval letters by Miti were not needed for inter-district travel for those in the essential services and goods sector.
“It’s obvious there has been a miscommunication. The police are unclear of the state government’s decision, and this has triggered public turmoil,” said the Sabah DAP Youth chief in a statement today.
“This is a great inconvenience to the public and the police. The police warned the people they would be compounded if they cannot show their approval letters, but the state government said the letters are unnecessary.
“So who should they listen to?” he asked.
Phoong appealed to the state government to coordinate its operations with the police to ensure those who had not committed any offences would not face fines.
“The public is innocent, and if the state government is firm in its decision, it must communicate more effectively with the police. The public should not bear responsibility for the government’s decision,” he said.
Yesterday, Sabah local government and housing minister Masidi Manjun in his daily Covid-19 statement said permission for the essential services and goods sector to operate comes under the purview of the state government and local authorities.
Masidi said the state Covid-19 disaster management committee had also decided that workers in those sectors need not obtain permission from Miti to cross districts in Sabah.
He explained that these workers, however, needed letters from their employers and inter-district permission letters from the police before making their trips.
Phoong today complimented Masidi for emulating the efforts of the previous government.
“Deciding which industries can operate is under the state government – this has been exercised since the first lockdown by the previous chief minister Shafie Apdal.
“Therefore, the state government must be firm and ensure the police are well informed of the latest decisions. This is to prevent any misunderstandings,” he said, adding that he had conveyed his concerns to Masidi.
Phoong also questioned whether the government would compensate affected essential services and goods workers if they were hit with compounds due to the miscommunication.
“The federal government must decentralise autonomy to the state government especially in designing SOPs and policies to contain the pandemic. The police should try their best to cooperate with the state government.”
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