As NSC dithers, Umno trio demands clarity
- UPDATED 4PM | Added comments from Umno supreme council member Noh Omar
CORONAVIRUS | Three top Umno leaders have demanded that the National Security Council (NSC) provide more clarity following the confusion on the eve of the movement control order.
Although the order, which came into force today, was meant to discourage people from gathering and potentially spreading the Covid-19 virus, it achieved the opposite effect yesterday.
Huge crowds turned up at supermarkets to stock up on food, there was an exodus of vehicles from the Klang Valley and public university students made a beeline for bus terminals after they were booted from their hostels.
Large crowds also turned up at police stations to seek permission to cross state borders. This requirement was eventually rescinded just hours after it was imposed...
- UPDATED 4PM | Added comments from Umno supreme council member Noh Omar
CORONAVIRUS | Three top Umno leaders have demanded that the National Security Council (NSC) provide more clarity following the confusion on the eve of the movement control order.
Although the order, which came into force today, was meant to discourage people from gathering and potentially spreading the Covid-19 virus, it achieved the opposite effect yesterday.
Huge crowds turned up at supermarkets to stock up on food, there was an exodus of vehicles from the Klang Valley and public university students made a beeline for bus terminals after they were booted from their hostels.
Large crowds also turned up at police stations to seek permission to cross state borders. This requirement was eventually rescinded just hours after it was imposed.
Umno vice-president Mahdzir Khalid (above) said it was clear that a lot of people, including the government agencies that were supposed to implement the order, do not fully comprehend what the order entails.
"This has caused the people to be unhappy and worried," he said in a statement today.
Mahdzir, a former education minister, said the NSC should not feel ashamed to provide clarity and correct their written instructions.
He said that firstly, the authorities must make it clear what type of travel is permissible.
Secondly, he said the authorities must inform the students that they need not leave their dormitories.
"Don't feel ashamed of constantly explaining (the matter) to the public. If there are corrections, then the NSC should make them immediately.
"The NSC media team must be aggressive in informing the rakyat. Don't feel ashamed about making a correction," he said.
Meanwhile, Umno Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki (above) said the public should not be blamed for being confused because the NSC has not been providing regular updates.
"A lot of students are complaining that the cafes in their campuses are closed. They cannot afford to leave (their hostels) either.
"It is not right to ask them to leave their hostels. I urge the universities to act. Understand the purpose of the order," he said on his Twitter account.
'Don't become a flip-flopping government'
Umno supreme council member Noh Omar also questioned the lack of clarification from ministers in their respective portfolio.
"Ministers did not respond and provide explanations based on the statement by the prime minister.
"Where are the ministers who should have given clear statements based on their respective portfolios?" he said in a Facebook post.
He said some ministers failed to provide convincing statements which led to panic among the people.
Noh (above) cited an example where the Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consumerism Ministry said that goods were sufficient but his observation found that the shelves in supermarkets were empty.
The Tanjung Karang MP also noted the poor instructions from universities to students to empty their hostels, which led to the students to storming bus terminals to return to their hometowns, as well as the restriction on the domestic travel which led to people making a beeline to police stations.
"The government's policy to prevent people from attending mass gatherings did not meet its objective as they were 'forced' to gather, and that will increase the infection rate," he said.
Noh said the students should have been allowed to stay in the hostel while universities provide medical screening and necessary steps to control their movements.
As for the control on interstate travel, Noh suggested for more kiosks to be provided and handled by third force agencies such as auxiliary policies and Rela where the public can fill in forms before travelling.
"I hope the Perikatan Nasional government will not become a 'kong kali kong' (flip-flopping) government like the previous Harapan administration as what I always said in the parliament," he said.
