Insight -What does 8% growth mean when thousands are still dying?


Posting a positive number on the ledger won’t capture the deep hole from which the worst-hit countries have to climb. Indonesia is now ground zero for Covid-19 in South-East Asia. (A teenager reacts as she receives a shot of the Sinovac vaccine for COVID-19 during a vaccination campaign at a school in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia on Monday, July 5, 2021. - AP)

A tidy financial centre of 5.7 million people is gradually preparing for life after the pandemic, as vaccination rates increase, social distancing measures ease and residents once again dare to daydream about leisure travel.

A short ferry ride away, a sprawling archipelago with a population of 270 million is struggling to get oxygen, daily Covid-19 cases are north of 20, 000 and the death toll exceeds 60, 000.

Win a prize this Mother's Day by subscribing to our annual plan now! T&C applies.

Monthly Plan

RM13.90/month

Annual Plan

RM12.33/month

Billed as RM148.00/year

1 month

Free Trial

For new subscribers only


Cancel anytime. No ads. Auto-renewal. Unlimited access to the web and app. Personalised features. Members rewards.
Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Insight , Covid-19 , Asia , Indonesia , Malaysia , growth , IMF ,

   

Next In Business News

Saudi Aramco maintains dividend despite lower net income in Q1
Pekat unit in negotiations over purchase of stake in electrical power solutions firm
Asia shares rise on rate cut bets; Aussie slips on RBA
UBS reports first profit since taking over Credit Suisse
Amazon to spend nearly US$9bil to expand cloud infra in Singapore
FBM KLCI pushes past 1,600
Ringgit opens higher against US$, other major currencies
KLK's recruitment issues to be short-lived, say analysts
Renewed bets on Fed cuts boost KLCI to 1,600
Wall Street closes higher for third session on rate cut optimism

Others Also Read