A SPECIAL cabinet committee has been established to develop strategic measures to safeguard Malaysia’s economy and labour market impacted by Covid-19.

It aims to strike a balance between the nation’s economic priorities and the effective enforcement of the movement control order (MCO).

Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti) said other key focus areas of the special committee include sustaining the country’s economic engines particularly the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) during the MCO and ensure effective mitigation efforts to address displacement of labour force among Malaysians.

The setting up of the special cabinet committee also reflects the government’s quick response to address issues highlighted by the people and the Malaysian business community, the ministry said in a statement today.

The special committee will be co-chaired by the Miti Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali and Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Members of the special committee will comprise those involved in the nation’s economy and security.

In addition, MITI will also be engaging with industry players from various sectors to gather insights from people on the ground to ensure the committee address specific issues facing the business community particularly, SMEs, manufacturers and investors.

The committee is scheduled to convene its first meeting tomorrow followed by its second meeting on Sunday.

It will then report its recommendations to the Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin during the Economic Action Council meeting on Monday. – Bernama, April 2, 2020.