Malaysia passed another grim milestone today with more than 6,000 deaths from COVID-19, In less than 2 weeks, 1,000 more have died since the COVID-19 death toll crossed the 5,000 mark on 28 June 2021. In the losing battle against COVID-19, Malaysia is spiralling downwards with no end in sight.
Yesterday 9 July marked the highest number of daily infections at 9,180 to a cumulative 817,838 cases. The day before on 8 July, marked the highest daily death toll at 135. This record daily infections and death toll is in spite of the Emergency Proclamation on 12 January and serial Enhanced Movement Control Orders(MCO), have abysmally failed to make any impact on controlling COVID-19.
Malaysia’s rapid descent into new lows culminated in being for the first time in history, seen increasingly as a failed state by Bloomberg. The Economist had even placed Malaysia bottom or 50 of 50 largest economies in the world, that accounted for 90% of global GDP and 76 per cent of the population, in its global normalcy index of recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
This is both a shameful moment and a damning indictment of the failure of the PN government in dealing with the quadruple crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic recession, chronic political instability and disintegrating social resilience. And yet, no single Minister of the current administration has owned up to their failure or resigned to take responsibility, like India’s Health Minister recently.
Instead, the Senior Minister in charge of the serial failures of MCOs is promoted to Deputy Prime Minister. Our Health Minister continues to reign despite once asking Malaysians to drink warm water to prevent COVID-19. The Prime Minister clings on to power despite losing his Parliamentary majority, his political legitimacy and moral authority. There is neither shame nor public accountability.
The PN government’s policy flip-flops between Ministries and COVID-19 standard operating procedure (SOP) U-turns, as well as double-standards in enforcement between VIPs and the rakyat, have resulted in whole-of-government failure in managing COVID-19. The PN government’s lackadaisical attitude in procuring vaccines and delays in its delivery has not allowed a swift and smooth vaccination rate.
In the current scenario of soaring COVID-19 cases, will Malaysia achieve herd immunity through infection rather than inoculation? Of greater concern than our record daily infections, is the positivity rate, calculating the % of infections based on the number of tests done. On 1 June the positivity rate was 7.04%. On 9 July the positivity rate was 9.42%, far above World Health Organisation’s recommendation of 5%.
The Prime Minister And Ministers Can Be Replaced, Only Lives and Livelihood Are Irreplaceable.
The government must adopt a targeted MCO approach relying on science and data based on the World Health Organisation’s proven success of adopting mass screenings to ‘test, trace, isolate and treat’, as well as a swift and smooth vaccination programme, is our best hope to win the war against COVID-19. Promoting or retaining Ministers who failed is sending the wrong message.
Despite 8 economic stimulus packages worth RM530 billion, many Malaysians were forced to put up the white flag nation-wide in a desperate cry for both food and financial help. A survey by the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives on June 4 said more than 90% of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) risked closure. The SME Association of Malaysia disclosed that 100,000 SMEs closed last year and 50,000 more are expected to suffer the same fate from the current total lockdown.
Again no one claims responsibility for the failure of RM530 billion to pull the economy out of its recession or at least help to save jobs, businesses and economic livelihood over 15 months. The loss of livelihood has also led to loss of human dignity and lives, causing a growing disintegration of social resilience.
There were 631 suicide cases in 2020 as compared to 609 in 2019, resulting from the loss of livelihood and family problems. For the first 5 months of 2021, there were 468 suicide cases or an average of more than 3 suicides a day. These 3.12 suicides per day is nearly double the 1.7 suicides per day in 2019. A significant number of suicides involve Muslims, which were rare previously. Where has the country lost our way until Malaysians are bereft of hope and helpless?
The public anger against the whole-of-government failure is real as can be seen in the social media and the spontaneous black flag campaign by the society at large asking the PN government to resign. The government should stop shifting the blame to the rakyat for not complying with the CVID-19 SOPs but take full responsibility. The Prime Minister and Ministers can be replaced. Only lives and livelihoods are irreplaceable.