No reason for Emergency to fight pandemic: Dr M

 

PETALING JAYA: Covid-19 could have been brought under control under regular law and there was no reason to proclaim a state of emergency to combat the pandemic, says Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

"Since the Emergency was proclaimed, there hasn't been one act to combat Covid-19 that needed it to be called.

"All the measures could have been taken under normal circumstances," said the former premier in a statement broadcast over social media on Monday (Feb 15).

Dr Mahathir said the real reason for it was because Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had lost support as Prime Minister.

Dr Mahathir also said the country's economy had been affected, with the national debt hitting RM1.3 trillion.

The country was also dealing with a high unemployment rate with 773,000 people out of work, many of them graduates.

"One out of four graduates are forced to work in fields not related to what they studied in university," he said.

He added that many workers and small traders were unable to feed their families because they were unable to work and had not received the assistance promised to them.

Dr Mahathir also said that the country's economic growth had shrunk by 5.6% and the government has set an unrealistic target of a 7.5% rebound this year.

He said the Emergency has also scared away foreign investors who have decided to channel their investments to neighbouring countries.

"The government has blocked investors instead of welcoming them," he claimed.

Dr Mahathir also claimed that the Emergency was not valid as it did not follow the proper process. - Star