PENANG has never rejected Putrajaya’s recovery movement control order (RMCO) as outlined by the federal government, said chief minister Chow Kon Yeow.

He said senior minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s claim that Penang is not following the RMCO is baseless.

“It is wrong. The state security council’s meeting minutes on June 2 clearly showed that the movement control order can be continued and must be done with moves to revive the economy and in line with the decision of the federal government.

“Based on this, state government agencies were told to prepare SOPs to cater for the various sectors that were going to be reopened first,” he said during a Facebook livestream.

Yesterday, Ismail Sabri threatened the DAP-led Penang government with police action if it refused to follow the RMCO that would come into force tomorrow.

Ismail Sabri said Penang had no choice but to abide the decision made by the federal government.

“I don’t understand why Penang has to hold a meeting to decide. The conditional movement control order (CMCO) is expiring on June 10 and after, the country will be bound by the RMCO.

“So, what regulation is the chief minister going to follow? There will be only one regulation that is the RMCO.

“Chow Kon Yeow has no choice but to follow and the police can take action if he refuses to follow the law.”

In a statement yesterday, Chow said he had taken note of the RMCO announced by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin but would make a decision on it next week.

Chow added for the moment, Penang would continue with the CMCO until a decision had been made by the Penang special security committee in a meeting tomorrow.

He said the gradual reopening of various sectors of the economic, social, cultural, educational and religious sectors was aimed at achieving normalisation post-Covid-19. – June 9, 2020.