Reconsider interstate travel ban
LETTERS: Before the Movement Control Order 2.0 (MCO 2.0) was imposed, many motorists, mostly from Kuala Lumpur, used the Seremban-Kuala Pilah highway route to go to Pahang and Johor. The number of vehicles would increase during long holiday weekends.
Many people would complain about congestion, but not the many businesses operating along the route, especially those nearer the towns of Terachi and Tanjung Ipoh. Many stopped to patronise their stalls, helping to boost the rural economy.
Stalls selling the ever-popular smoked duck are a big hit among motorists. Recent years have witnessed a mushrooming of such stalls along the Seremban-Kuala Pilah highway route. Some people even operate restaurants that offer Negri Sembilan's masak lemak cili api.
Many of these businesses operate next to padi fields as customers are attracted to dining in an open-air environment. Some people have even converted the rear of their houses into restaurants. There are even several stalls selling cendol durian. During the petai season, many sell fresh petai harvested from nearby forests.
The same happens during the durian season. These stalls help boost the rural economy and generate employment. The success of their businesses rests almost entirely on the highway traffic, especially motorists from the cities.
When the first MCO was imposed last year, many of these businesses suffered, and some had to close. When interstate travel was allowed for a while, their business showed signs of picking up. However, MCO 2.0 brought another round of misery for them.
The MCO affected the tourism sector, too. Before MCO 2.0, many hoteliers in small towns were relieved as domestic tourism showed signs of recovery. The latest MCO, however, changed that optimistic outlook.
Recently, hoteliers in Kota Baru appealed for the reopening of domestic tourism, warning of dire consequences for their livelihood if the interstate travel restriction goes on for much longer.
The dilemma is that interstate travel has been behind several Covid-19 clusters. Most of these have cropped up as people were not adhering to the standard operating procedures (SOP). It is especially so at workplaces and crowded events, such as weddings.
There is no denying that a large driver of infections, whether in the urban or rural areas, are linked to crowding at workplaces, detention centres and prisons where SOP adherence remains a challenge.
Although there are laws in place, enforcing them is difficult. A recent announcement by the Works Ministry may lead to a solution. Its minister had announced a plan to build special living quarters for construction workers, from where they will be transported to their worksites.
The manufacturing sector, which also relies on labour-intensive operations, should make a similar move. Better still, it should look for ways to attract local workers instead.
During the previous MCO, hawkers in the Klang Valley were not as affected as those in the rural towns because there was enough business from the city locals with their better purchasing power.
This is not the case in rural towns where businesses rely heavily on the buying power of city folks when they return to their hometowns or when they go on holiday near rural towns.
The interstate travel restriction has affected businesses. Even places towns like Alor Star have reported a slump in business. The popular Pekan Rabu market has seen the closure of many of its stalls due to lack of customers.
Though allowing interstate travel may increase the risk of spreading the Covid-19 infection, these risks are manageable. With the right SOP, they can be minimised. More importantly, interstate travel boosts the livelihood of those in rural areas.
PROFESSOR DATUK DR AHMAD IBRAHIM
Fellow, Academy of Science, UCSI University
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times