A sterner MCO is the best policy

A sterner MCO policy is what's needed reckons this letter writer. — RONNIE CHIN/The Star

The Malaysian government extended the initial two-week movement control order (MCO) period a further two weeks until April 14 to reduce the spread of the virus that causes Covid-19 – however, some people are still not treating this outbreak with utmost seriousness, which is very upsetting.

We already lost the first three days: on the first day, there was only 60% compliance with the MCO, followed by 70% on the second day and 80% on the third day, when 100% of the population should have been observing it from Day One. According to Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, as at April 2, over 4,000 people had been arrested by the police for non-compliance. If this lack of 100% support continues, we should be prepared for a long home stay, not at a resort but at home.

The MCO was implemented on the advice of experts. We may have our views about its feasibility or its implementation – but we are not experts at the end of the day. Even if we are, for example, a medical doctor knowledgeable about infectious diseases, individual viewpoints cannot invalidate or substitute for consensus or collective thinking. There is always wisdom to be had in numbers.

Of course, objections might be raised on the grounds that the MCO is a result of groupthink (which is generally thought to be a bad way of making decisions). Yes, but that is another story for another day. We are talking about public health here. The government just cannot afford to take the risk.

The fact that there are still people violating the MCO shows there is a critical need to reiterate and highlight the rationale again. And that rationale is simple: To flatten the curve. That is to say, to ensure that the number of infected cases (and by extension, deaths) goes down rather than up.

Notwithstanding, it goes without saying that the MCO affects lives and businesses. SMEs (small and medium enterprises) which constitute the vast bulk of businesses in the country, have been the most affected, with the knock-on effect spreading to the rest of the economy. Many SMEs are already suffering from constricted cash flows, which is a major and perennial problem.

Closing factories and shops for the time being means that the cash flow problem becomes yet more exacerbated. The loss of income means some SMEs might have to choose between keeping workers on or retrenching them. The former option could then force SMEs to impose pay cuts or otherwise even close down all together because of unsustainability. The latter option could allow SMEs to stay afloat but at what price for the livelihoods of many?

In striking a balance between public health and the national economy, the government has to make the best decision it can given the circumstances. And implementing the MCO is the best way forward – because business as usual (pun intended) would jeopardise and severely compromise public health with consequences such as higher infection rates, an overwhelmed healthcare system, and much higher death tolls. In turn, this would have a more devastating impact on our economy, reeling as it already is from this crisis. In such a scenario, our economy would take an even longer time to recover.

I commend the government (whether too early or too late) for doing the right thing and extending the MCO period by another two weeks till April 14 and limiting the time in which public outings can take place from 6am to 10pm. Without such an extension and further restrictions, the efforts to contain the outbreak by breaking the chain of transmission would be inadequate.

The extension also allows the government to buy time to track and trace Covid-19 cases and perform the appropriate screening – while ensuring that our healthcare services are not overwhelmed.

For now, let us therefore all do our part and comply (stay at home), comply (go out alone to buy food and other essentials) and comply (practise social distancing in public).

JASON LOH SEONG WEI

Head of Social, Law and Human Rights, Emir Research

Note: Emir Research is a think tank focused on strategic policy recommendations.