The next step for Malaysia

MCO extension?

April 23, 2020

Hello friends!

Thank you so much to everyone who joined us at Splice Low-Res last night (and all the new readers who have signed up from there!). I got to speak a lot about how pro-newsletter and pro-Substack I am, so thought I’d share two new ones.

Three good pals of mine just yesterday launched Weekly, Maybe. Get in on the ground floor now — they’re three of the best writers in Jakarta and it’s going to be excellent. And Couchfish from the gang behind Travelfish to keep you gagging for the next trip around the region.

I mentioned last night that I’m very keen to get some commissions going, so if you’re a writer/analyst/journalist and keen to talk the region and COVID-19 please get in touch! I’m open to all sorts of ideas and happy to work with you to nail it.

All coronavirus coverage will remain free, but if you’d like to support this project or access the premium Monday edition join here for $6 a month or $60 for the year:

Thanks so much and see you tomorrow with our THIRD commissioned piece!Erin Cook

As of last night, Malaysia reported 50 new cases and an additional death bringing the tolls to 5,532 cases overall and 93 deaths. 

Where to next for Malaysia’s movement control order? The MCO was the widest sweeping response to the pandemic in the region when it was instituted a month or so ago, with many countries following suit since. Now, as the April 28 deadline approaches, could it be over?

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin will have the final say, the Health Ministry told Malaysiakini. Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah says a selection of criteria must be reached before MCO is stood down. He outlined six benchmarks, including border control and the status of the health system, and sounds like he’s hedging his bets, noting that “what I know for sure is that we must continue to avoid gathering in large crowds.”

The next phase of the pandemic battle comes as Malaysia welcomes the beginning of Ramadan. Given the future of the MCO is still up in the air, how this will impact celebrations and observations is not fully known yet but it will certainly look very different from Ramadan of years past. Most obviously will be the Ramadan bazaar moving online and mosques to stay empty.

Elsewhere, immigration authorities have reportedly taken a step back from illegal immigration operations. With exceptions for extreme cases, the agency is primarily tasked with assisting health authorities in monitoring foreigners and collecting data. New border patrol policies will be developed as the country begins to open up again to non-citizens and PR in an effort to prevent imported cases. 

Weird advice about speaking like Doraemon (is that what men want? This explains so much) has obscured the actual reality of the gender gap during the MCO period. Globally, women are taking on much of the burden of the home-based life particularly when it comes to caring. In Malaysia, this includes an increase in calls to the government’s domestic violence helpline. Women’s Aid Organisation researcher Natasha Dandavati says pushing for reforms towards gender equality will continue in a post-pandemic Malaysia.

Here’s a ripper to end it on. A woman in Sabah gave birth in traffic after running into two MCO-related roadblocks on her way to the hospital. An ambulance passed by and was able to assist. Hell of a birthday story! 

It emerged this week that nearly 16,000 Malaysians faced either fines or jail terms after being caught breaking lockdown rules aimed at halting the spread of the coronavirus, yet a string of politicians who have made similar transgressions appear to have escaped largely uncensured.

Last week, Malaysia’s deputy health minister Noor Azmi Ghazali caused uproar on social media after posting a photograph on Facebook of him and another elected representative sharing a meal with about 30 students. Users immediately questioned why he was breaching the nation’s movement control order, which was introduced on March 18 and prohibits gatherings and social visits. Noor Azmi then removed the picture and his fellow representative apologised.

We did not choose Adham Baba. In fact, we did not even choose this government.

Although most politicians would love to emerge as the country’s hero and saviour in a crisis, they are often “uniquely ill-suited to lead”. They are especially worse in a public health crisis that requires an objective, scientific and level-headed approach in decision-making.

In contrast, a professional civil servant like Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, who has the tripartite qualities of service, objectivity and empathy, is the type of leader our country needs.

Reply

or to participate.