Malaysia urgently needs to improve social protection for vulnerable low-income families

Photo: Filepic/The Star

The Covid-19 crisis and the ensuing movement control order (MCO) have deep negative ramifications for many Malaysians, especially vulnerable, low-income families. With the exception of the headline news – a three-year peak in the unemployment rate and a contraction of quarterly GDP of over 17% – detailed evidence of the extent of these ramifications has been largely absent. Until now.

In August 2020, the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) Malaysia and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) released a report entitled “Families on the Edge”, the first longitudinal study on the post-MCO socioeconomic and mental wellbeing of low-income households in Kuala Lumpur ("Covid-19 impact: Women and children most vulnerable", The Star, Aug 25, 2020). It paints a troubling picture. Combined with other recent, albeit pre-MCO, research on low-income Malaysia, there are compelling reasons for the Malaysian government to do more for vulnerable groups.