Hishammuddin reiterates March 1 border reopening proposal for Malaysia still at discussion stage

SEBERANG PERAI, Feb 10 — The Cabinet or the Special Committee to Address Covid-19 will discuss the proposed reopening of Malaysia’s borders before a decision is reached, said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

He said the issue of the full reopening of the country’s borders will require input from numerous ministries before a final decision can be made.

“We need to discuss this in Cabinet as it involves other ministries, such as Health and Finance, not only my ministry,” he told reporters today after attending a Leonardo AW139 helicopter introduction programme at the Butterworth Air Base here.

He explained that the announcement by National Recovery Council (NRC) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Tuesday that the country’s borders can be reopened as early as March 1 was merely a proposal.

He added that the proposal is welcomed and would be discussed at the Covid-19 Quartet Ministerial Meeting soon.

“This decision cannot be made at the Covid-19 Quartet Ministerial Meeting or even the NRC level as it has to be brought to Cabinet or the Special Committee to Address Covid-19 that is chaired by the prime minister,” he said.

It was reported on Tuesday that the NRC proposed for the full reopening of the country’s borders as early as March 1 without mandatory quarantine.

Muhyiddin reportedly said travellers will only need to undergo a Covid-19 test before their departure and upon arrival in Malaysia, as recommended by the Health Ministry.

His announcement has given rise to claims by several lawmakers that there was no agreement and communication between the NRC and the Covid-19 Quartet Ministerial Meeting on the full reopening of the country’s borders.

When asked about this, Hishammuddin brushed off these claims as false, while stressing that it is normal for certain lawmakers to pit one group against another.

“It is not true to say there was no communication between the NRC and the Covid-19 Quartet Ministerial Meeting as members of both are the same people,” he said.

He stressed that both the NRC and Covid-19 Quartet Ministerial Meeting do not have any mandate to make a final decision on the matter.