Let’s have a better plan

The vast majority of Malaysians are more than willing to do their part, as long as they feel they are part of a working plan.

I GET the feeling that the Covid-19 pandemic and the MCO is creating a lot of underlying stress and tension, at both individual and societal levels.

I feel that slowly but surely, many of us have understandably become more irritable and more short-fused, with reservoirs of anger just under the surface.

As a society, I think many are becoming increasingly impatient and frustrated at what is often perceived to be unclear and inconsistent plans and rules regarding the MCO.

Trying to handle this pandemic in a reactionary, piecemeal manner rather than a clearly structured, well-planned approach that is founded solidly on transparently available data and indicators is going to cost lives.

A term coined in the early stages of the pandemic was a “whole of society approach”. This term is particularly apt because there is no way we will overcome this pandemic anytime soon unless we fight it together in a coordinated fashion.

For Malaysia thus far, achieving such a state seems to be elusive.

We seem to be far away from feeling that we are all in this together, fighting side by side in pursuit of a common goal.

Instead, the dominant vibe seems to be that we are adrift at sea, with a crew fighting with the officers, and among themselves.

I try to stick mostly to talking about what we as ordinary citizens can do, but allow me a little to take the more common approach today and talk about how different conditions can really help Malaysians better do their part against this pandemic.

Firstly, as mentioned above, a data driven, structured, transparent, and well communicated plan is vital. Without a convincing navigational map that charts our course, or with a course that changes every time the wind blows in a different direction, we will be blindly groping around in the dark, going nowhere fast.

The unprecedented nature of the pandemic almost guarantees that no plan will be perfect; and as they say, no battle plan survives contact with the enemy.

That said, there are better plans, and there are worse plans. The best plans in scenarios like this will transparently list out the reasoning behind the plan, the indicators the plan is based on, and how the plan can and will change as those indicators change.

There must be a consistent, easily discernible logic behind this plan and the rules that emerge from it. If they do not seem to make sense, or appear to be the result of caving into the lobbying of narrow interest groups, people will not stand for it – especially when there is so much at stake.

Secondly, the set of rules laid out in this plan must apply to everyone equally. If the perception exists that the rules do not apply to the privileged, the unprivileged are unlikely to accept it laying down.

Generally speaking, I do not believe that stricter rules and harsher punishments are the key to battling the pandemic.

There are definitely bad apples out there, for whom legal punishment is appropriate; but I believe the vast majority of Malaysians are more than willing to do their part, as long as they feel they are part of a working plan.

Indeed, doubling down on enforcement and punishment may only create further societal resentment – especially if there is any feeling that these enforcements are not being consistently carried out across all levels of society.

In this low-intensity, but very drawn out tension, any sense that one community is being discriminated against while others are accorded preferential treatment will also contribute greatly to a feeling of societal discontent.

Thirdly, we should take heed of the saying that in crisis always lies opportunity.

Malaysia has always struggled with questions of identity and national unity. To some extent, it can be argued that our lack of a shared national ethos is also hampering our ability to respond to this crisis as a united nation.

Our history has been one in which division has figured more prominently than unity.

This isn’t to say that this trend isn’t reversible. To reverse it however, requires dedicated will to do so. To a large extent, this means going far beyond extremely outmoded ideas of how we have organised ourselves, especially politically.

The idea of a #BangsaMalaysia for instance, can help to cement the sense that we really are all in this together. Covid-19 is something that affects every single person that we share this land with, and we need that same sense of universality if we really are to flatten the curve.

At the end of the day, I believe Malaysians are completely willing to sacrifice and work hard for a just cause.

They are even more likely to do so if they have a clear plan that is transparently driven by data and science, instead of being informed primarily by political considerations or narrow interest groups.

The answer lies in being as transparent as humanly possible about it, no matter how bleak the prospects look.

Only then will we know where we really stand, and what we really need to do moving forward.

Leadership that truly commits to a whole of society approach by transparently bringing on board every single relevant stakeholder to the decision making table will undoubtedly get wholehearted

support from every level of society.

If we get to that stage, the virus won’t stand a chance.

NATHANIEL TAN is a strategic communications consultant. He tweets @NatAsasi can be reached at [e-mail]. The views expressed here are solely his own.