CORONAVIRUS | Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said while Malaysia has surpassed many other countries in its recovery from Covid-19, it risked falling behind if it allowed “bureaucratic and administration problems” to hamper its progress.
Addressing the Prime Minister’s Department staff in Dataran Perdana, Putrajaya today, the premier said Malaysia is currently being recognised as among the most successful countries in handling the novel coronavirus outbreak.
He said Malaysia should not allow other countries which are behind us to recover faster in the wake of Covid-19 due to issues related to “bureaucracy and administration”.
“Therefore, the period ahead of us is critical. I told the cabinet that, for example, although Malaysia is close to tackling Covid-19 problem, it is faster compared to other countries such as our neighbour.
“But don’t let it be, just because of bureaucratic actions and problems within our administration, countries behind can overtake us in terms of the recovery process. They will recover faster than we do...as we will take longer to aid all sectors to return to normal” he said.
The premier added all levels of government - including him, his office and state governments - were facing challenges in revitalising the economy and returning the country to normalcy in the wake of Covid-19.
As such, Muhyiddin also recognised the need for efforts to be in place to help the various sectors recover due to the economic ramifications of the health crisis.
He said among the worst-hit industries in the country is the tourism sector.
“For this sector alone...the Economic Action Council (EAC) projects it would take a period of four years to recover. Four years is a long time, (during which time) we could see new players.
“And they (industry players) need support and help to ease business so the tourism sector, for example, can return to becoming one of the largest income generators in the country. I believe we can collect over RM80 billion from this sector alone,” the premier said.
Efforts the country takes to manage and restore the nation’s fiscal state in the appropriate amount of time, he added, would help realise the World Bank’s projection that Malaysia could be “among the first countries” to recover purportedly with a 5.6 percent growth rate by 2021.
Recently, Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz said Budget 2021, to be tabled in Parliament on Nov 6, is designed to revitalise the economy as well as to restore investors and consumers’ confidence following the pandemic.
“The World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), ratings agencies and analysts are all projecting that Malaysia will post strong growth in 2021. So, the national budget must be there to accommodate and facilitate this growth,” the minister reportedly said. - Mkini
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