KUALA LUMPUR: The International Trade and Industry Ministry (MITI) will take up to five days to process the Movement Control Order (MCO) business operation applications.
Following a breakdown in its system, the ministry also said its website will accept applications for 24 hours.
In a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) on MCO released today, MITI said if an application is successful, a letter of approval would be auto-generated by the Covid-19 Intelligent Management System (CIMS) 2.0 at https://application.miti.gov.my.
“Companies are encouraged to check the status of their applications in the system at https://application.miti.gov.my from time to time.
“They can only start their operations upon approval by MITI,” it stressed.
According to MITI, if a company approved to operate during the MCO period is found to have violated operating conditions, this would be seen as a criminal offence under Regulation 7 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures Within the Local Area of Infection) 2020.
“That is punishable by a fine not exceeding RM1,000 or imprisonment not exceeding six months, or both.
“The company could also face legal action, subject to the relevant laws, regulations and by-laws related to the nature of the business,” it said.
For companies which intend to increase the workforce capacity although they had obtained MITI’s approval to operate during the MCO Phase 1 and 2, the ministry said they are required to reapply for additional capacity in CIMS 2.0.
For those whose applications are rejected, MITI said appeals can be made at CIMS 2.0 and companies could also check the status of their applications at CIMS 2.0.
“Due to practical difficulties, calls on the status of applications will not be entertained,” it said.
The 17-page long FAQs can be viewed on MITI’s official website at https://www.miti.gov.my/miti/resources/FAQ_MITI_BIL_3.pdf
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on April 10 said the government had agreed to allow businesses in selected sectors to resume operations in stages during the MCO period, which has been extended until April 28, on condition of strict adherence to health and safety guidelines.
On the same day, MITI said other industries that are allowed to operate are machinery and equipment, aerospace and science, professional and technical services, including research and development (R&D) related to legal practice, oil & gas, and activities related Covid-19.
Meanwhile, Bernama reported that many companies in the additional sectors seeking to operate during the third phase of the MCO were rather disappointed as they still could not access the business operation application system even after 4pm today.
Applications were open beginning Monday from 9 am. Many businesses voiced their disappointment on Twitter on the unavailability of the online application despite the ministry’s assurance of its accessibility after 4 pm.
@charleslee825 and @TLijen described their predicament with the caption “disappointed.” @rusdiAB remarked, “Still system is down.”
@zuraizul wrote ”Block reason: Access from your Country was disabled by the administrator but why??? I guess that’s all for today.”
The companies felt that MITI was not well prepared for the expected traffic spike on its website due to the online applications.
Earlier today, MITI temporarily suspended the business operation application system from 2 pm to 4 pm to deal with the online traffic.
In a statement, it said the ministry portal’s online traffic surged to 176,000 users in the first two hours since the online application system, which allowed businesses to apply for approval to operate during the MCO, was launched at 9 am this morning.
“As such, MITI will reconfigure the online application system to ensure that only companies in the sectors which have been allowed to operate, will be able to access the system,” it said.
According to the statement, the system should be back online at 4 pm and companies might submit their application at https://application.miti.gov.my.
Meanwhile, in its latest statement, MITI said the system reconfiguration work is still ongoing.
“The technical team is assisted by industry experts from the private sector to resolve the issue as soon as possible and the system is expected to be operational at 6pm.
“The system will be operating 24 hours after the issue is resolved. MITI is committed to solving the technical issue and appreciates the patience of industry players,” it added. – April 13, 2020, Bernama
