Are lockdowns the answer?

A little over a year ago, we were confronted by a rising political temperature and rumours of a national political equation change. As this happened, many of us were equally concerned over a virus emerging from Wuhan in China.

Fast forward a year later; we have undergone one strict national lockdown in the form of a movement control order from March to May 2020, and we have been under some form of restriction or another in order to combat Covid-19.

The strict lockdown's economic impact last year and the impact from the intermittent restrictions in the form of the conditional movement control order and recovery movement control order have been severe.

People have lost their jobs, businesses have been financially impacted, the investment market has been tepid, and interest rates on savings have been reduced.

The resulting impact of the various restrictions on movement and economic activity has plunged Malaysia into a technical recession.

After a lull of some months between May 2020 and October 2020 with very few Covid-19 infections, we have witnessed a new wave of infections. Despite the

increasing number of infections, the government took a calculated approach of keeping Malaysia open for business but also making attempts to confront this new wave with more testing and tracing.

Admittedly, this did not work as some have hoped and we find ourselves in a second lockdown, but with a calibrated and inventive approach to the economy with critical sectors allowed to operate thereby ensuring the impact to the livelihoods of Malaysians is mitigated.

However, despite three weeks of the second MCO, cases remain high and there are calls for a stricter MCO.

The Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI), Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, painted a stark picture of the options the government has between a strict MCO and more measured one, he had this to say:

“By the third quarter of 2020, we managed to bring down the decline in growth to -2.7 per cent. While this manifests the effectiveness of the stimulus packages, it should be borne in mind that it would still take at least another quarter, if not more before the economy could see actual positive growth. This underscores the fact that despite the best efforts at economic recovery, it would take an extended period of time before the economy can actually pick up to show positive growth after the liftingof the MCO. Hence, the notion that the economy can revive instantaneously after a lockdown has been lifted has no real basis. The fact of the matter is that the economy does not run on a ‘switch off-switch on’ mode"

I agree with Azmin that the economy does not have an "on-off switch", and a strict MCO will cause more damage on the economy, which may have lasting effects that may be hard to reverse.

The stark reality of our economic state is that Malaysians do not have a high savings rate, and many survive on their monthly income. Also, many work in the gig- economy or run micro-enterprises and make ends meet with a daily wage.

Businesses, especially small and medium-sized businesses do not have large cash reserves and whatever they have most probably was used during the first MCO. They have not been able to recoup what they have spent because economic activity has been tepid.

Government initiatives via the stimulus packages and Budget 2021 have ameliorated the impact of the first MCO and the ensuing economic and movement restrictions, but again, there are limitations with any policy.

Organic economic growth and activity cannot be quickly supplanted by government intervention, which we have to appreciate.

Malaysians must do their part to tackle the spread of the virus. In this regard, we must respect the restrictions put in place, including social distancing, avoid unnecessary travel or large gatherings and stay at home as much as possible.

We like to blame others, but the onus is on each of us to take the Health Ministry and the National Security Council's advice and instructions to heart and practice what they tell us to fight Covid-19. At the moment we face calls for self-discipline at the highest level and also basic social responsibility and courtesy. For example, if one chooses to travel because one wants to eat in a particular restaurant – this is a lame excuse and shows some ignorance.

We need to get tested if we have the symptoms. There have been stories of people avoiding tests because they fear being tested positive. We all have to do our partand not merely lay blame at the feet of the authorities for our bad actions.

The private sector must also play its part, including doing their best to cut costs and keep their employees at work. This habit of passing on the economic impact on employees is unhealthy and does not consider the loyalty and commitment of staff.

While salary cuts may be inevitable, it must be tempered by compassion and logic.

Further, businesses in high-risk categories must test their workers. Despite government directives on testing, many companies are baulking at it and dragging their feet on testing by asking for financial incentives. This mentality that the government should pay for everything is regressive.

With the benefit of the Emergency, the government should proactively take steps, including compelling private health providers to play their part in caring for Covid-19 patients. Many private health care providers have enjoyed record profits in the past and in this moment of national urgency, like all Malaysians, they too must play their part.

I understand that our front-liners are tired and weary, and the impact of their efforts on their mental and physical health is profound. We owe them a debt that can never be repaid. Hence, all Malaysians must play their part in battling Covid-19. We need to quit lecturing one another and do our part to fight Covid-19. As Gandhi said, be the change you want to see in the world.

Also, when the vaccine arrives, we must take it. This anti-vaccine mentality is retrograde, and many people keep sharing anti-vax news that is most probably fake on social media platforms.

While it is easy to blame MITI or the government, and I say this with seriousness because I have not given the government a free pass on their management of the pandemic. Still, with the resources available and the economic challenges we face, we need an intelligent and creative approach to battling the virus beyond resorting to lockdowns that may work in the short term but will likely be an unmitigated disaster in the longer term.

To me, lockdowns are not the answer to battling Covid-19.