FMM In The News: NEW STRAITS TIMES, KUALA LUMPUR, Tuesday, February 16, 2021 - The Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) has commended the government for accepting its proposal on Feb 5 to include non-Malaysians in the free National Immunisation Programme (NIP).

FMM president Tan Sri Soh Thian Lai said, it is vital to inoculate non-Malaysians as well, as they play an equally important role in supporting economic activities and growth of the nation.

"We thank the Government for the comprehensive policy and programme which would enable most of the population to get vaccinated as soon as possible to ensure that herd immunity can be achieved in the community to break the chain of Covid-19 infections.  

"We look forward to the effective and expeditious roll-out of the programme so that we can speed up full economic recovery as a nation.   

"We also note that steps would be taken to tackle the undocumented foreign workers in the country since this group poses a Covid-19 risk to the nation and would impact the effectiveness of the immunisation programme if not addressed," he said in a statement today. 

Soh also assured that industry players would give their fullest support and cooperation to the NIP once the vaccines were rolled out in phases.   

"The industry will continue to play its part in this fight against Covid-19, as all of us each have the collective responsibility to support the government's continued efforts, in particular, to have 80 per cent of the population inoculated, to ensure the people's wellbeing and rejuvenate the economy," he said.   

Earlier today, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin urged both Malaysians and non-Malaysians to register for Covid-19 vaccination and get themselves inoculated after launching the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme Handbook.   

He added restrictions could be introduced against those who refused the inoculation should they plan on moving or travelling.