YAN: The government, especially the enforcement agencies under the Home Ministry, should not be made fully responsible for ensuring compliance with the standard operating procedures (SOP) of the people, especially in lieu of the increasing relaxations expected soon, says Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin.

       He added that everyone should together play a role by making SOP compliance a normal practice, especially with the impending announcement of Covid-19 in the country as endemic.

       “I represent the Home Ministry which is responsible for ensuring SOP compliance, but our work should not be only this, but to see a real balance between people’s lives and their livelihoods. Work at restricting others and acting against the offence of not adhering to the SOP is just a small part.

       “We have other tasks like safeguarding our borders and entry points against illegal entry and those carrying drugs and so on.

       “Let us focus on these,” he said at a press conference yesterday.

       Earlier, he was briefed on the flood situation and water surge phenomenon in Gunung Jerai by Yan district officer Tunku Iskandar Shah Tunku Muzaffar Shah, and viewed the affected areas in Titi Hayun, here.

       Hamzah said the government should also not be blamed for those who do not comply with the SOP.

       He stressed that employers should also bear responsibility for their workers.

       “If the factories are allowed to operate, who should be ensuring SOP compliance? It should be the management. Why should we blame the government?

       “It should start with their employers. If they see to it (SOP compliance) but are unhappy with the implementation to a certain extent, they can report this to us and we will send teams to the factories concerned,” he added.

       Hamzah also said that so far, there had been no issue of officers and staff of the Home Ministry and its agencies refusing to receive the Covid-19 vaccine as most of them are frontliners involved in the fight against Covid-19.

       “As frontliners, more than 91% of the police force have received the vaccine, while almost 100% of the Malaysia Prisons Department staff have been vaccinated so far,” he added.

       Meanwhile, he said the National Registration Department would be providing mobile services for the replacement and issuance of new personal identification documents to flood victims whose documents had been lost or damaged in the massive flood here on Aug 18. — Bernama