by; Francis T Rozario
27May 202
DON'T JUST TALK.
The numbers have increased, the 10,000 infectivity rate per day is within sight and can be surpassed soon at the rate the present increases are taking place.
It is time for employers to act, they have a moral duty to safeguard their employees and their families.
PUT "CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR)", INTO ACTION NOW!!
WHAT IS CSR?
"Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) refers to the efforts made by a company to improve society and contribute towards sustainable development.
Also known as corporate conscience or corporate citizenship, CSR describes initiatives run by a business to evaluate and take responsibility for their impact on a number of issues ranging from human rights to the environment.
Corporate social responsibility is a type of self-regulatory business plan, with initiatives focusing on achieving economic, social and environmental benefits for all stakeholders involved (employees, consumers, investors and other groups)."
DISREGARD GOVERNMENT DIRECTIVES ABOUT WORKING.
JUST STOP WORK.
UNLESS YOU ARE IN ESSENTIAL SERVICES, ONLY THE ESSENTIAL PEOPLE SHOULD BE BROUGHT TO WORK - FOLLOWING STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES MORE STRINGENT THEN THE GOVERNMENTS.
TIME FOR EMPLOYERS TO TAKE "CSR" FROM LIP SERVICE TO THE REAL THING.
It is time employers displayed a sense of being one with the communities they operate in and that is Corporate Social Responsibility.
Most employers have been talking about CSR, this forms a huge part of their management jargon especially when taking VIP's around their respective organisations, when talking to big customer groups, when met by Government officials and as a Public Relations tool.
In terms of their earnings a very very tiny proportion of their net profits goes to corporate social responsibility (CSR) if any.
Employer Organisations such as the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF), the Federation of Malaysia Manufactures Association (FFM), the Association fo Banks in Malaysia (ABM), the Chambers of Commerce, The Malaysian Agricultural Producers Association all other Industry Organisations and all such related organisations should convene an Emergency session to see how they can martial the resources of all their related organisations to schedule a Real and Practical Corporate Social Responsibility Programme immediately to address the problem of a full MCO as we call it to check this spread of Covid 19 and get the government to work with them to implement A new and National Vaccination programme as soon as possible to stem out the inefficiencies of the current system.
If the Employers embark on such a programme they will have acquired and earned the right to demand of that of the government of the day. It is as important to them as it is to the people of Malaysia.
These associations must come out with one voice and demand the government vaccinate employees especially those currently working at their work places as soon as possible. That can be done with relative ease and more efficiently by employers if they were given the support of the government with the necessary medical staff and the vaccines.
But before doing all that do the most sensible thing for now
SHUT DOWN LIKE YOU DID AT MCO1
THE EMPLOYERS MUST BE PROVIDED VACCINES FOR FREE, NOT SOLD TO THEM.
The employer vaccination programme must be seen as an extension of the present snail paced National Vaccination Programme under the Khairy Jamaluddin.
If there are a kind souls willing to donate vaccines for free to states there should not be unnecessary terms and conditions placed on them, as long as they can prove that the vaccines come from the sources of approved vaccines and are legitimate there should be no barriers, on the contrary the government should support it and not involve government appointed third parties to intervene for no rhyme or reason.
It is an act of open corrupt practice for governments in the country to charge employers for vaccines when huge and disproportionate amounts of Public Funds have been used to finance this specific purchase.
These vaccines that they purchase are to vaccinate Malaysian workers and employees here in Malaysia the money allocated is supposed to be sufficient for eighty percent of the entire population although that is so much more then what Vietnam is paying for 100 million people.
Instead of offering it on sale for employers they should have demanded that supply from the Federal Government for free. What is going on especially when hugely disproportionate funds have been allocated for the purpose from Public funds without real accountability is only privy to the government and the people are in the dark at such times as this. This is a National calamity and what is happening?
The Government seems to be playing with lives without a care, maybe through ignorance of their ministers and officials or, on purpose by individuals or groups looking to profit from the scheme, at least that is how it looks like on the surface with all the secrecy and unnecessary moves being made like getting Pharmaniaga to bottle the Sinovac vaccine, h all this taking place who is to blame the public for suspecting that the officials in this case the ministers are suspected by the public at large for pocketing money out of these purchases. Hiding under the veil of secrecy of prices by vendors we are not subject to any knowledge of what we pay for the vaccines when it is plain knowledge in countries the world over.
Any responsible Manufacturer will tell you, that any more handling then what is absolutely necessary to get the product finished is not "Good Manufacturing Practice" (GMP) which is the standard for all Pharmaceutical and major established and responsible Manufacturing Organisations. The management of Pharmaniaga should know this better than anyone else.
Pharmaniaga had a responsibility of refusing that part of the operation and so today if there is suspicion about he product, real or otherwise it can't be blamed on the people.
The government of the day is not worth the trust of the people and the Corporations that pay taxes to them to administer this country fairly, impartially, and with the trust accorded them by society.
We should not be groping in the dark as we are now, if Malaysian Employers can address CSR not only for employees but also towards the support groups that allow our employees to function the hawkers, the grocers the street vendors etc. we can wipe this problem out faster then any other country in the world it only takes our will and determination. We are a small nation of only 32 million people and this is possible.
Self interests must be put aside, only the best should be chosen to undertake the project regardless of race or creed, this virus knows no religion nor does it race and we must treat this as such and all actions must be transparent and responsible.
Initial reactions of many Malaysians to the short doses given to people at various vaccination centers were actually brushed off as rubbish but when this government came out to say they'll investigate there were two reactions;
the first was "ya they will investigate like they did the ministers and celebrities who violated the SOPs":
the second, "ha it must be true, and did they plan it so they can vaccinate more people with less vaccines?"
There is almost a total distrust of the Government of the day, the people are losing trust in the nation, one wonders what right has Muhyiddin to talk against the problems of Myanmar isn't his emergency government just as legitimate?
Our as employers as the leaders of industry the backbone of this or any other nation our employers must rise to the occasion and really at least for once do their Corporate Social Responsibility and if that does not mean putting life first one can only wonder what on earth this management jargon called CSR really means.
FOR THAT MATTER;
"ALL LIVES MATTER"
