Warisan Urges Eateries To Open For Dining In Promises Legal Assistance

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Former state minister Junz Wong said Sabah has its rights to make its own rules on dining-in and these must be respected by Putrajaya. (Bernama pic)KOTA KINABALU: Warisan will provide free legal services to eatery operators who allow dining-in at their premises in the event they are fined amid uncertainty over the rule in Sabah now.
Its vice-president Junz Wong said the party had prepared a team of experienced lawyers to handle dine-in compound notices, following the recent controversy over application of SOPs in the state.
“One, do not be afraid. Two, open your eateries. Three, allow dine-ins,” he said in a statement today.
“We will take legal action by counter-suing those abusing their power or bullying you.”
Junz Wong.Wong said Sabahans who are summoned for allowing dining-in at their eateries are free to contact him.
The former state minister said that Sabah has its rights and these must be respected by Putrajaya.
“See you at the coffee shops and eateries,” he said.
The Sandakan Municipal Council was the first local authority to heed chief minister Hajiji Noor’s announcement on allowing dining-in despite no new SOPs being released.
Its president, Wong Foo Tin, said that all restaurants and food stalls in the district will be allowed to accept dine-in customers starting today.
Hajiji had announced on Monday that several social and economic activities would be allowed in the state, including dining-in at restaurants, hotels and other eateries.
Hair salons and roadside stalls selling vegetables, fish and fruits were also allowed the next day.
Subsequently, eateries started to accept dine-in customers but the absence of a revised set of SOPs and rumours of operators being fined, which turned out to be untrue, forced many to ban dining-in again and return to serving only takeaways.
This uncertainty was heightened later the same day after senior minister for security Ismail Sabri Yaakob reminded all states to abide by the regulations fixed by the National Security Council while the country is under the current lockdown.
Sabah local government and housing minister Masidi Manjun then said the state had submitted a new set of SOPs for Phase 1 of the national recovery plan to the federal government. - FMT

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