THE Government must come up with an alternative to the MySejahtera app that would allow those who do not have a smartphone to adapt to the new normal, said Sandakan MP Vivian Wong.
“The Government’s insistence on using the MySejahtera app as the go-to app for all COVID-19-related matters had clearly left out many members of the society, especially senior citizens and B40 families who are either not tech-savvy or do not own a smartphone,” she said during a press conference in Parliament on Thursday (Sept 23).
Latest COVID-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) require individuals who wish to enter public spaces such as shopping malls and convenience stores to check in via their MySejahtera app and present their COVID-19 risk and vaccination status.
“However many senior citizens despite completing their two doses of vaccination are barred from entering the premises as they do not have a smartphone that is compatible with the MySejahtera app,” Wong said.
“Many of them registered for their vaccination through the dependent function on their children or grandchildren’s MySejahtera app.
“Therefore I urge the Government to device and come up with an alternative to allow this segment of the society to live in the new normal even without owning a smartphone.”
“This can come in the form of a keychain or a digital token that can be carried in the pocket which will allow them to check in and out of public spaces with ease,” she added.
Wong went on to remark that due to the Government’s insistence on relying solely on MySejahtera for all COVID-19-related matters, many senior citizens and B40 families who cannot afford a smartphone are unable to go to the supermarket to buy groceries or go to the neighbourhood convenience store to grab food for their children.
“It is not easy for a 70-year-old to switch their basic Nokia handphone to a brand-new smartphone, and similarly, it is also unfair to force the lower income group to have smartphones for each and every one in the family just so that they can use the MySejahtera app,” she said.
“While we have no issue with using MySejahtera as the main means of contact tracing or displaying COVID-19 risk status in the country’s battle against the endemic, we must also show empathy and compassion towards those who do not possess a smartphone to perform the required check in and check out.
“Every Malaysian matter, and in this national policy we must not make those vulnerable groups in our community feel unwanted,” she concluded. – Sept 23, 2021
