He said unlike the WFH policy during the Covid-19 pandemic, which was aimed at curbing the spread of the virus, the current policy focuses on sustaining productivity without affecting economic operations.

“The intention is to ensure productivity is not disrupted and that civil servants remain committed to carrying out their duties from their respective homes or locations,” Bernama reported him as saying.

Akmal’s remarks come after a business group yesterday proposed a six to 12-month loan moratorium for businesses experiencing lower sales due to WFH arrangements, which it claimed could cost up to RM1 billion in lost urban economic activity each month.

The Federation of Malaysian Business Associations said that while large-scale WFH arrangements could generate fuel subsidy savings of about RM169 million a month, the broader economic fallout could be significantly larger.

Chris Daniel Wong, a council member of the federation, said reduced urban consumption, especially in the Klang Valley, might result in losses of between RM320 million and RM495 million monthly, around 2.9 times higher than the projected savings.

He estimated monthly losses of RM100 million to RM180 million in the food and beverage sector, RM75 million to RM125 million in retail, and RM150 million to RM250 million among petrol stations resulting from the WFH policy.