Over 173,000 people in Johor expected to lose jobs, says MB

Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad

JOHOR BARU: More than 173,000 people in Johor are expected to lose their jobs, says Mentri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad.

"In facing the Covid-19 pandemic, we did not expect that the effects would be this hard, ” he said in a speech during a dinner held on Saturday (Aug 15) in conjunction with Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s official visit to Johor.

Hasni added that the focus has to be on recovering the state’s economy, increasing social resilience and developing sustainability in various sectors to handle the effects of Covid-19.

He said the government required the cooperation of all sides, including civil servants, political parties and community leaders.

“We need to focus on recovering, ” he added.

The Benut assemblyman said handling the dynamics of political parties was not as heavy as managing the people’s interests.

“It is small when compared to managing the abnormal situation that we are facing right now," said the Johor Umno and Barisan Nasional chief.

He said this was why the state government's focus was on governing Johor, as it wanted the state to be a functional and effective government.

He also said administering the state required a sincere, dynamic and a tolerant government based on consensus, with an objective focused on Malaysia, instead of certain groups.

Hasni said in Johor, the government had a strong strategy in serving all communities including the Malays and non-Malays.

He added that he felt obligated to make sure that the present government understood the diversity of Malaysia.

“The government today is an inclusive government that fights for the interest of all and celebrates its diversity, ” he said.

Hasni also congratulated Muhyiddin for successfully steering the nation in such a difficult time, adding that such a government would get the confidence of the people and be seen as mature if it was able to give solutions in such challenging times.

“We all are aware that the country’s economy has declined at a rate of 17.1% where it is lower than Singapore, which stands at 13%," he said.