Loss of lives and livelihoods from mounting COVID-19 deaths and infections as well as desperate economic conditions for ordinary Malaysians are key factors in considering Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s institutional reforms. These are desperate times for Malaysia with a record 592 deaths bringing the total death toll to a tragic 20,419 on 11 September 2021 and the number of infections nearing the 2 million mark with 1,955,881 cases.
The economic situation has not improved but deteriorated for many with businesses closing, especially SMEs, and workers losing their incomes or jobs as well as families breaking up. Under such a severe national crisis, there is an urgent need to find common ground for the public good to win the battle against COVID-19 and the economic recession to save lives and livelihoods.
COVID-19 has hit every Malaysian hard regardless of race, religion or background. PH and DAP cannot just turn a blind eye to the people’s sufferings where a pregnant Malay lady with her 5th child dies from COVID-19 leaving her four young children without a mother, a poor Chinese 22-year old boy whose poverty-stricken family has struggled mightily to allow their only child to graduate from university only to lose him to COVID-19 or a healthy 34-year old Indian professional who suddenly died when his oxygen level dropped, could not breathe and cannot find an ICU bed in time when utilisation is more than 100%.
The people’s sufferings must take priority. Despite deep distrust at whether such promises of reforms will be delivered, Ismail’s proposals of reforms should be given consideration provided it possesses a set timeline for its execution and are accompanied by reforms in the economy and public healthcare. This would not just include a RM45 billion Economic Turnaround Plan and waiver of interest during the bank loan moratorium period or a National COVID-19 Reset Plan to reduce deaths and infections.
There must be a whole-of-society approach towards reforms in politics, economy and public healthcare with a united focus involving civil society to win the battle against Covid-19 and rescue the beleaguered economy. Setting aside political interests to adopt a bi-partisan approach is not easy. But we should be bold to try to save not only our young but also the future of our young.