Malaysian Workers In Singapore Rue Lack Of Time To Prepare For Control Order

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Some Malaysian workers who make the daily commute to Singapore have rued the lack of time given to make the necessary preparations after the movement control order (MCO) was announced by the government
Ismail, 43, and his wife who have been working in Singapore for the past seven years said they were caught off guard by the announcement
“The announcement initially didn’t specify about Malaysians working in Singapore. So when we were told that we would be barred from leaving Malaysia, we only had 12 hours left at the time,” Ismail told Malaysiakini
Both Ismail and his wife were already in Singapore at the time. Luckily for them, they were given assurance by their employers that accommodation would be provided
“But we had to quickly leave Singapore to go back to pack our belongings and then back to the Johor Causeway which was already highly congested.”Ismail said both he and his wife did not even have time to say goodbye to their six-year-old child
“My child would cry every time we make a video call,” he lamented
Ismail urged the government to reopen the borders between the two countries and to allow Malaysian workers to, at least return, home every three days
“Health personnel can take our temperature, and we can be quarantined should we have symptoms,” he saysHe adds that this is because many have been forced to leave elderly parents, pregnant wives and young children in Malaysia
Meanwhile, Thevi, another Malaysian working in Singapore, also said that many could not make it in time to return to Singapore before the start of the MCO on March 18 due to the lack of time
“The traffic congestion was three times higher than usual. Many did not make it in time, and they might get their wages cut or even lose their jobs,” she said
“I hope the government can reopen the borders to give these workers a chance to continue working in Singapore.”Thevi was lucky as her employer had allowed her to work from home
Her husband, however, was told to stay in Singapore until the end of the MCO
“We were given accommodation, and those in the management sector were given options, but some employers did not leave much choice for their employees
“Employees were given the choice of taking annual leave, unpaid leave or the option to stay in Singapore, but they had to look for their own accommodation.”Johor Menteri Besar Hasni Mohammad yesterday said that he had requested for a special dispensation on the MCO for certain groups of Malaysians who commute to Singapore
Hasni said the request for dispensation was made for groups, including holders of work passes issued by Malaysia and Singapore, students, specialists, technicians and logistics workers
He also announced that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had agreed to the setting up of a committee to discuss a mitigation plan for the movement of people and goods between the two countries
The committee - jointly chaired by Hasni, Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaacob and a representative from the Singapore Cabinet - will reportedly meet today and a decision will be announced afterwards
Johor Bahru MP Akmal Nasir, however, urged Hasni to reconsider his request for special dispensation
Akmal in a statement said he had received various feedback from locals in the area, mostly raising concerns over Hasni's reported request
"Can the state government guarantee that if the border is reopened, there will be no congestion at the causeway or Second Link, and ensure commuters practise social distancing?" he asked. - Mkini

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