Muhyiddin Rises To The Occasion

Munir Majid, NST

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has risen to the occasion to become the man of the hour.

As Malaysians, we must all work together and with him so that as this country faces an existential crisis, he can become the saviour of the nation.

He was always the dark horse, as Pakatan Harapan (PH) played out the interminable game of staying and succeeding as prime minister, an obsession as I have observed in these columns that would come to harm the PH government.

As fate would have it, he is now prime minister. Yes, there was the Sheraton move — but there were also many mis-steps on the part of the then incumbent prime minister and prime minister-in-waiting.

Going by the stimulus package he introduced yesterday he has shown a calmness and depth of understanding of the people’s needs — with no extravagant rhetoric in an engaging and not hectoring style. It may be just as well he is prime minister at this unprecedented time in the life of the nation.

All politicking must stop. There’s nothing bigger than national survival.

The prime minister went straight to the heart of the matter in this crisis — the well-being of the rakyat.

The reach and extent of the RM250 billion package (including the RM20 billion of the first stimulus plan) showed his deep understanding of the plight of the rakyat, especially the most vulnerable and the lower paid.

His experience and knowledge of society and government showed in the various agencies and people at various levels in different walks of life, that he reached out to, to bring assistance and benefits.

To use his words, no one is left behind.

This is what was needed. All that it takes to give support as the Covid-19 pandemic spreads to take lives and destroy economic sustenance.

His example of how Mak Cik Kiah’s family would benefit RM7,864 (in cash aid and savings over the course of six months) from the package he was offering was a down-to-earth example used by this very down-to-earth man.

The package, while very-people first as much needed, did not neglect small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and micro businesses.

Apart from what banks are already doing through the six-month interest moratorium, there was also the suspension of employer EPF contribution, HRDF contribution and of tax payments — all of which would help ease the strain on cash flow, the crisis and the Movement Control Order (MCO) in combating the pandemic, have caused.

For companies whose revenues had come down by 50 per cent since the beginning of this year, there will be a government contribution of RM600 per month towards the salary of those earning RM4,000 and below, for three months, to ensure they are not thrown out of work or are forced to take no-pay leave.

This will cost the government RM5.9 billion and save 3.3 million jobs.

There are allocations for small and infrastructure projects. Also the commitment that major projects such as the ECRL will continue.

That is, the wider economy will not be neglected.

There are a few challenges, of course. The most immediate and life-threatening is the rampaging Covid-19. The additional allocation of RM1 billion, in addition to the RM500 million he announced earlier this week, will definitely help.

But there must be communication of the strategy to combat the disease after the MCO, to give people hope which money alone cannot buy. Therefore, the plans for mass testing, contact tracing and social distancing have to be revealed.

Quality control is of the utmost importance to save lives. We do not want to be caught like in America with faulty kits and delayed deliveries.

There are people out there willing to make money at the cost of people’s lives. The government must make sure Malaysians lives are not exposed to the unscrupulous.

Secondly, people will be asking where the money is coming from for package Prihatin Rakyat. The prime minister made reference to the fact that most of the initiatives are one-off.

Does the undertaking the government will not borrow to finance the operating budget mean these one-offs will be under a separate account?

He made reference to the liquidity in the domestic financial markets, which Bank Negara Malaysia has so creatively made possible. It would be good to know how much the government might have to borrow and where.

Of course, in this crisis, this capacity is not the issue.

Otherwise, the government will get into fiscal paralysis. Going forward, however, this has to be more closely addressed.

Finally, as mentioned by the prime minister himself, there is the matter of getting the money to the people double quick.

This is a challenge, but the government has the channels and various agencies.

They should function efficiently. There cannot be chokes and roadblocks. Otherwise this initiative to save the people and the country will not see full and immediate effect.

At the end of his presentation, the prime minister referred, in English, to the confluence of challenges he faces — political, health and economic. The nation must face these challenges with and in full support of him.

All will be lost if political intrigue continues and this far-reaching and critical initiative is wrecked.