Working out a way to get home

I READ with interest the report “Ismail Sabri: All arrivals in Malaysia to pay cost of own mandatory quarantine from June 1” (The Star, May 20; online at https:// bit.ly/3e2Kuhe).

I refer particularly to this part of the report: “Ismail Sabri said the National Security Council also decided that those who want to return to Malaysia will have to sign a letter of undertaking agreeing to bear the quarantine costs.

“The signing of the letter can be done at Malaysian embassies and high commissions. After the agreement is signed, the office will also issue a letter permitting them to return to Malaysia.”

We are Australian citizens currently locked down in Hyderabad, India. There is no embassy or consulate in Hyderabad. The nearest consulate would be in Chennai, which is 650km away! All travel is banned, so how is anyone supposed to get this letter from the embassy/high commission?

If the issue is that people haven’t paid the cost of their quarantine, the prudent thing would be to give returnees the option to pay the whole amount in advance before exiting the airport. They would then carry that payment receipt to the quarantine hotel.

This procedure would take care of the government’s concern over unpaid quarantine costs and help the returnee as well.

We took up the MM2H (Malaysia My Second Home) programme at the invitation of this country. We love Malaysia and our life there.

Surely, everyone cannot be treated as guilty for the sins of a few. Once again, I hope the government will arrive at a solution that will be workable for all the parties concerned.