THE government finally announced a total lockdown after confirmed Covid-19 cases reached almost 9,000 a day, the national health system was at the verge of collapsing and the public went panicky.

We were told it was going to be a total lockdown, and no social and economic activities were allowed except for essential services.

Yet, at the same time, 17 sectors – which practically cover most of Malaysia’s economic activities – were allowed.

Hence, factories continue to operate, markets open as usual, people go to work every morning and they may jog outside their house, pray in the mosques or even get married.

What kind of a total lockdown is it?

From the heavy traffic on the road, we should know that the so call total lockdown 3.0 will have little effect in bringing down Covid-19 cases.

However, this neither here nor there, lockdown is surely going to ruin many SMEs and small businesses; students are going to lose yet another year of learning; and there will be many more confirmed cases and deaths in the next few months.

Many Covid clusters are found in workplaces. According to director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah the manufacturing sector especially factories with large number of workers was the main contributor to the workplace clusters.

For instance, a total of 115 workplace clusters with 5,392 cases were reported between May 12 and May 26, where more than half of the total involved the manufacturing sector (62 clusters, 53.4%).

Under such circumstances, why did the government still allow so many factories to continue to operate with 60% of their workforce?

The Minister of International Trade and Industry must justify his decision.

The finance minister told us that these sectors must be allowed to operate because of their important role in the world supply chain.

Citing the electronic industry as an example, he said if Malaysia stops production, it will impact on the world supply of medical equipment, transport and telecommunications system, even the water and energy industries.

Other manufacturing industries too are part of the world supply chain and therefore cannot stop production.

The fact is, Malaysia’s export of electronic products contributed only 7% of the world trade. The electronic world will not collapse just because Malaysia stops production for two weeks.

Similarly, other industries. Admittedly the producers may suffer some losses but they will not go bust.

Total exports in April increased by 63% to RM106 billion, mainly due to the robust growth of demand for electronic products in the car and intelligence devices industries, growth in the palm oil and agro-based products, mineral, oil and gas, and the chemical industries.

We should be proud of their performance, but we must not forget that it was during the same period from January to April that the country faced a drastic increase of Covid-19 cases.

When other countries closed down factories and reduced production to contain the spread of the virus, our government allows factories to operate with increased production.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yasin asks us to be understanding because the government cannot allow our economy to collapse, but when it comes to the matter of life and death, our priority should be very clear. Life must always come first.

Today it is the SMEs, the small businesses, and the ordinary folks and workers who must bear the brunt of all those SOP and the lockdown.

I am tired of watching the prime minister begging us to stay at home and stay safe. To the 2 million factory and office workers in the 17 sectors who must continue to work at their workplace and be exposed to possible infection, the appeal ‘to stay at home’ is a cruel joke.

The urgent task now is to execute the lockdown seriously and to conduct mass vaccination without further delay or excuses.

Only when the infection chain is cut off and mass vaccination reaches at least 50% the economic recovery programme will be meaningful and life will be back to normal.

If the government fails to act decisively thus causing MCO and lockdown to prolong indefinitely, Malaysia is finished. – June 3, 2021.

* Tan Yee Kew is MP for Wangsa Maju.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.