FCAS: Putrajaya needs to accept dine-in decision unconditionally

KOTA KINABALU: The Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS) has reiterated its support for the state government’s decision and policy of allowing dineins at restaurants and eateries, which was announced by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor last Saturday.

Its president Tan Sri TC Goh thus called upon the federal government and the National Security Council (NSC) to accept the decision unconditionally.

Goh also proposed that the existing business hours for eateries and restaurants be extended from 6am to 10pm, so that the operators could better recoup the loss that they had incurred during the lockdown.

The existing business hours for restaurants and eateries under Phase 2 of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) are from 6am to 9pm.

Goh, who is also a member of Sabah Economic Advisory Council (NEAC), said the state government’s ‘autonomous decision’ in regard to the NRP standard operating procedures (SOP) for the people and businesses, including the one announced on June 28 and the subsequent one on Saturday, should be fully respected and accepted by the federal government.

He noted that when announcing the SOP for Sabah’s transition into Phase 2 of the NRP on Saturday, the federal government had failed to mention whether dine-in was allowed or otherwise.

He reminded that when the state government announced the extension of the Phase 1 of the NRP for Sabah at the end of last month, it also announced that dine-in was allowed.

“Hence, now that Sabah has now moved into Phase 2 of the NRP, the federal government should not have overlooked or ignored this aspect,” he said.

Goh, who is also president of Federation of Sabah and Labuan Hokkien Associations (FSLHA), expressed this in a statement yesterday in commenting on a statement issued by Sabah Covid-19 spokesperson Datuk Masidi Manjun on Saturday, as well as the further assertion by Hajiji who is also chairman of Sabah Security Council, that Sabah would maintain its policy to allow dine-in in eateries and restaurants, including those in hotels.

Under Sabah’s Phase 2, restaurants, cafes, eateries, food trucks and roadside or mobile stalls would be allowed to operate from 6am to 9pm by way of takeaway, drive-through or delivery.

“Since the Sabah state government has reiterated its decision to allow dine-ins, the federal government should not continue to impede the decision of the Sabah state government.

“We also hope that enforcement agencies in the state could better coordinate with each other, in order to avoid conflicts and disputes while carrying out their tasks,” said Goh.

Nonetheless, he supported the federal government’s move of lifting the inter-district travel ban on Kota Kinabalu, Penampang and Putatan, besides allowing businesses to reopen and to operate at longer business hours, as well as allowing sports and recreational activities, and allowing activities and programmes of the non-Muslim communities to resume.

He also called upon the people of Sabah to continue to fully comply with the standard operating procedures and to get vaccinated under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, so that Sabah could transition into Phase 3 – or the final phase of the NRP – as soon as possible.