Some 750,000 civil servants in Malaysia will work from home, starting tomorrow, in a bid to curb movement following the spike in Covid-19 cases.
Some voiced concerns that work will be further delayed; that civil servants would have to share data and gadgets with their children, who are also learning from home. Schools were ordered shut by the government in the latest round of Movement Control Order (MCO).
Fadli Noor, secretary of the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) Federal Territories, however, insisted that it will be business as usual.
“Let’s not lose track of the real objective. It is to limit the movement of people, and as such, the bulk of the civil service will be working from home,” said Fadli, chief clerk with the Royal Malaysia Police in Bukit Aman.
“As for gadgets and the internet, civil servants have phones and data, and they can still communicate with their colleagues via online tele-conferences. So, work can still be done.”
Fadli said it was just for 14 days as the MCO was to end on June 7. However, previous MCOs were extended.
“If the numbers go down, then it shows that the plan worked. The ultimate goal is to curb the spread of the coronavirus.”
He dismissed the notion that work would be backlogged, with most of the civil service working from home.
“That’s an incorrect assumption. They will still need to complete their work. If there is an urgency to get things done in the office, they will go to the office.
“The most important thing right now is to break the chain of (Covid-19) transmission. It’s our collective responsibility,” he added.
