THE further easing of the movement control order from conditional to recovery has been met with relief and enthusiasm. Many businesses were already busier after the first week of Syawal, with QR codes and temperature readings becoming routine for those taking their turn to enter offices and eat in restaurants plastered with duct tape to enforce social distancing.
With the most recent enabling of more activities and interstate travel, invitations to work meetings, social catch-ups and sports meets have increased exponentially in a matter of hours.
Various news outlets reported a sudden uptick of hotel bookings and even our airports are beginning to fill up again as people fly home to be reunited with their families after months of being limited to online interactions.
I don’t plan to board a plane anytime soon, but squash friends are already predicting a turbulent return to the courts as long-dormant muscles and joints will be suddenly jolted into action. (I have been advised to stretch thoroughly as the day approaches.)
Understandably, the exuberance may be so great that many will throw caution to the wind. This reaction must be resisted. Until a vaccine is discovered – let alone distributed and administered – the threat of Covid-19 remains very real and we must not forget the potential effects of a second wave on ourselves, our communities and our economy.
It is our discipline – and concomitantly, our trust in health professionals and our observance of government advice – that has enabled us to be upheld internationally as an example of how to contain coronavirus transmission (though it must be noted that different indices apply different criteria in assessing best practice).
However, a lackadaisical attitude could undo our earlier discipline.
Furthermore, while most readers will cheer this liberation, it must be remembered that just as the MCO did not affect everyone equally, so too will there be inequalities in the enjoyment of restored freedoms.
Firstly, for those who have lost loved ones to Covid-19 – or indeed, to other causes during the movement restrictions – nothing will cure the pain of the loss itself, compounded by the additional inability to grieve in the familiar and comforting manner that our respective cultures provide.
For those who have lost their jobs and income, being able to access shops, restaurants and social activities is nothing to celebrate. For business owners who have been forced to shut, finding the resources and morale to start all over again will present formidable hurdles.
Thus, regardless of political affiliation, it is likely that the vast majority of Malaysians will hope that the success of controlling Covid-19 will be replicated in the government’s efforts to repair the economy and not only restore, but improve livelihoods.
In approaching public policy options, positive lessons of the MCO should be exploited. We have all observed clearer skies, cleaner air and less contaminated rain, and many have come to realise the importance of digital transformation in maintaining these environmental benefits.
As pointed out by Ideas, with digital investment for consumer and business adaptation being a key focus of the government’s short-term recovery plan (Penjana), structural issues ranging from infrastructure investment, effective regulation and the presence of monopolies should be addressed in concurrence with recovery spending.
The implementation of ongoing programmes should also be evaluated.
Ideas notes that the extension of the Wage Subsidy Programme by another RM5bil reflects the government’s priority to promote employee retention and reduce layoffs, but only RM3.22bil out of the total RM13.8bil that was previously allocated in the Prihatin stimulus package had been approved as of May 31, raising concerns over the efficiency of approval and disbursement processes.
Furthermore, the various financial assistance measures for businesses to hire unemployed workers, while incentivising upskilling and reskilling, is a step in the right direction as the danger of long-term unemployment will result in losses of skill and productivity. However, there is a need to better identify the job-matching requirements of the affected informal sectors and migrant workers too.
Lastly, while more regular public communication to report on the status and progress of economic stimulus measures is commendable, parliamentary scrutiny and oversight of Cabinet decisions should be restored.
It remains anomalous that a government with much to be proud of in its handling of Covid-19 would be averse to greater examination.
Alas, such behaviour suggests that other considerations are affecting the government’s decisions.
With persistent commentary focusing on politics and personalities, it would be a shame if the conceptualisation of policies was thus subverted.
Worse still, if individuals selected to lead bodies playing important roles in the recovery period are motivated by calculations of personal and political benefit rather than the national interest.
Tunku Zain Al-‘Abidin is founding president of Ideas. The views expressed here are the writer’s own.
With the most recent enabling of more activities and interstate travel, invitations to work meetings, social catch-ups and sports meets have increased exponentially in a matter of hours.
Various news outlets reported a sudden uptick of hotel bookings and even our airports are beginning to fill up again as people fly home to be reunited with their families after months of being limited to online interactions.
I don’t plan to board a plane anytime soon, but squash friends are already predicting a turbulent return to the courts as long-dormant muscles and joints will be suddenly jolted into action. (I have been advised to stretch thoroughly as the day approaches.)
Understandably, the exuberance may be so great that many will throw caution to the wind. This reaction must be resisted. Until a vaccine is discovered – let alone distributed and administered – the threat of Covid-19 remains very real and we must not forget the potential effects of a second wave on ourselves, our communities and our economy.
It is our discipline – and concomitantly, our trust in health professionals and our observance of government advice – that has enabled us to be upheld internationally as an example of how to contain coronavirus transmission (though it must be noted that different indices apply different criteria in assessing best practice).
However, a lackadaisical attitude could undo our earlier discipline.
Furthermore, while most readers will cheer this liberation, it must be remembered that just as the MCO did not affect everyone equally, so too will there be inequalities in the enjoyment of restored freedoms.
Firstly, for those who have lost loved ones to Covid-19 – or indeed, to other causes during the movement restrictions – nothing will cure the pain of the loss itself, compounded by the additional inability to grieve in the familiar and comforting manner that our respective cultures provide.
For those who have lost their jobs and income, being able to access shops, restaurants and social activities is nothing to celebrate. For business owners who have been forced to shut, finding the resources and morale to start all over again will present formidable hurdles.
Thus, regardless of political affiliation, it is likely that the vast majority of Malaysians will hope that the success of controlling Covid-19 will be replicated in the government’s efforts to repair the economy and not only restore, but improve livelihoods.
In approaching public policy options, positive lessons of the MCO should be exploited. We have all observed clearer skies, cleaner air and less contaminated rain, and many have come to realise the importance of digital transformation in maintaining these environmental benefits.
As pointed out by Ideas, with digital investment for consumer and business adaptation being a key focus of the government’s short-term recovery plan (Penjana), structural issues ranging from infrastructure investment, effective regulation and the presence of monopolies should be addressed in concurrence with recovery spending.
The implementation of ongoing programmes should also be evaluated.
Ideas notes that the extension of the Wage Subsidy Programme by another RM5bil reflects the government’s priority to promote employee retention and reduce layoffs, but only RM3.22bil out of the total RM13.8bil that was previously allocated in the Prihatin stimulus package had been approved as of May 31, raising concerns over the efficiency of approval and disbursement processes.
Furthermore, the various financial assistance measures for businesses to hire unemployed workers, while incentivising upskilling and reskilling, is a step in the right direction as the danger of long-term unemployment will result in losses of skill and productivity. However, there is a need to better identify the job-matching requirements of the affected informal sectors and migrant workers too.
Lastly, while more regular public communication to report on the status and progress of economic stimulus measures is commendable, parliamentary scrutiny and oversight of Cabinet decisions should be restored.
It remains anomalous that a government with much to be proud of in its handling of Covid-19 would be averse to greater examination.
Alas, such behaviour suggests that other considerations are affecting the government’s decisions.
With persistent commentary focusing on politics and personalities, it would be a shame if the conceptualisation of policies was thus subverted.
Worse still, if individuals selected to lead bodies playing important roles in the recovery period are motivated by calculations of personal and political benefit rather than the national interest.
Tunku Zain Al-‘Abidin is founding president of Ideas. The views expressed here are the writer’s own.
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