Covid-19 in Malaysia – ‘The good, the bad, the ugly’

 

The double standards in SOP enforcement on ordinary civilians and the elites has been one of the ‘ugly’ aspects of the government’s handling of the pandemic. (Bernama pic)

GEORGE TOWN: The head of a local health think tank believes that while Malaysia has managed the pandemic well, there are areas where the country has performed badly, such as the double standards in enforcement and lax in SOPs during festive seasons.

Azrul Mohd Khalib, chief executive officer of the Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy, said this in addressing “the good, the bad, and the ugly” in Malaysia’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic over the past 18 months.

“On the good side, Malaysia benefited from the good leadership displayed by health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah and health minister Khairy Jamaluddin. Proper communications with clear and coherent public messaging from both of them helped in increasing public trust in the country’s management of the pandemic.

“In addition, the high compliance rate on SOPs by the public is a factor as well,” he said during a forum organised by Penang Institute.

On the “bad side” of Malaysia’s Covid-19 pandemic management, Azrul highlighted the public suspicions on mRNA vaccines in the beginning, the government’s failure to include the Covid-19 vaccine procurement plan in Budget 2021, and the frequent immigration raids on migrant workers.

“These frequent raids by the immigration department on migrant workers made it difficult for the health authorities to conduct contact tracing on these workers as well as to vaccinate them,” he said.

On the “ugly side”, Azrul highlighted the double standards in SOP enforcement on ordinary civilians and the elites, as well as the loosening of SOPs during festive periods, including Hari Raya Puasa and Hari Raya Haji, that led to massive Covid-19 outbreaks. - FMT