Too Troublesome To Apply For Permits Says Business Group

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Members of the Bumiputera barbers’ association providing free haircuts to homeless people given shelter at Sentul Community Centre today.PETALING JAYA: The government has been urged to impose stringent health measures on businesses who will be allowed to reopen, and to do away with a requirment for a permit to resume operations
The suggestion came from the Malaysian Employers’ Federation, which criticised a requirement that companies apply for approval before resuming operations
The international trade ministry said today that businesses allowed to operate during the third phase of the national shutdown must apply for approval from Monday
However, MEF executive director Shamsuddin Bardan urged the government to do away with the requirement, which he said would cause a problem to small business owners
“Imagine, a small-time barber shop having to apply online with MITI. The shop operator may not even know how to apply online,” Shamsuddin told FMT. “This will cause a lot of frustration to such operators who have suspended operations for the last 28 days.”Barbers, hair salons, laundries and hardware shops are among those allowed to resume business from April 15, when the third phase of the national shutdown begins
He said companies who wished to resume operations would be delayed by having to wait for ministry approval
The government has said that those allowed to operate in the third phase must submit their applications online from 9am on Monday
Shamsuddin said that Putrajaya could set up more stringent conditions instead of requiring employers to apply for approval. The conditions could include procedures to protect the health and safety of employees and the surrounding community
“Any employer able to meet the stringent requirements should be allowed to operate,” he added, provided that employers informed Putrajaya when it was starting
“By removing bureaucratic requirements, we hope employers will be able to resume businesses and protect the livelihood of the employers and employees.”He said employees should undergo regular screenings and swab tests for the coronavirus, with costs covered by Socso, the government’s compulsory workplace insurance scheme
Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers president Soh Thian Lai did not expect problems to arise

He said the ministry would have learned its lessons from dealing with applications in the first phase of the shutdown. “I was told MITI now has a way to get approvals fast, so let’s see when these new sectors submit their application on Monday,” he said. - FMT

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