As Putrajaya mulls the possibility of a "full" lockdown, MCA-linked think-tank Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research (Insap) claims the proposal has the support of 90 percent of people they surveyed.
In a statement today, Insap deputy chairperson Jacob Lee Yee Yuan (above) said the survey was conducted over Twitter, involving 3,489 respondents.
"These findings significantly reflect the swift emotional change among Malaysians post-Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations indicating dismay over recalcitrant Malaysians defying the government's interstate travel ban to travel during the public holidays," said Lee, who is also MCA Youth's spokesperson.
Lee claimed that public sentiment had shifted towards favouring stricter movement restrictions because public hospitals are on the brink.
"This tipped the scales in public discourse on whether the government must save Malaysian lives or keep the economy open and running to save jobs," he said.
Lee opined that as a "full" lockdown would hurt businesses, it must be complemented with automatic bank loan moratorium and financial assistance, such as another round of i-Sinar or i-Lestari withdrawals from the Employees Provident Fund (EPF).
He also mooted that the government should allow individuals to purchase vaccines due to the slow rollout of the national vaccination programme.
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is scheduled to chair a special session of the National Security Council meeting today to decide on a response to the latest surge in Covid-19 cases, which has brought record levels of ICU admissions and Covid-19 related deaths.
According to the Health Ministry, many hospitals have surpassed 70 percent Covid-19 ICU bed use. - Mkini
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