Mila Jirin frustrated over wedding industry remaining closed

6 Oct – Singer-turned-businesswoman Mila Jirin recently expressed frustration with Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin's hesitation to allow social events in closed venues.

The singer, who has been actively involved in the wedding industry, recently posted a statement made by Khairy in which he admitted to be unconvinced that SOPs can be observed in big weddings "where masks come off and people talk with mouths full of food", saying that the same can be said about restaurants, where people are now allowed to go.

"Are people wearing face masks while they eat in restaurants? Is allowing people from India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal safer?" she posted. "Us entrepreneurs in this small and medium social sectors have been dead for a year. No ministry even cared about us."

Mila also lamented the fact that nobody cared about their industry as it is not as "important" as tourism and the airlines.

"Thank you. This really helps us in making a decision, whose business will cease to operate and who will be able to continue," she added.

While some expressed support for Mila, seeing that she has responsibilities towards a large number of employees under her company, others criticised the singer for being 'impatient', saying that the government has to test the waters before finally reopening the economy.

In another post, the BIZMILLA owner stressed that people are more aware of the SOPs now than in the past, which means that there is no reason for the wedding industry to continue to halt operations.

"We're not asking for mega events with thousands of visitors. With a hall capacity of 8,000 to 10,000 sq ft, we're just asking for 100 guests to be divided into a three-hour event with the same SOPs as a restaurant. If you can eat without a face mask inside a flight with no social distancing, why can't dining in a hall with a 1m distance between chairs be allowed?" she wrote.

Mila stressed that she understands the situation perfectly, but that the government needs to help small and medium businesses as there had been no response to their proposals.

(Photo Source: Mila Jirin Instagram, My Metro)