PETALING JAYA: A former federal minister has urged Putrajaya to buck up on its handling of the Covid-19 crisis, which he describes as “worrying and unsatisfactory”.
Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim said the government needed to restore the public’s confidence in its ability to get the pandemic under control.
Yesterday, Putrajaya announced a two-week extension of the movement control order after 20 days of restrictions had failed to slow down the spread of the virus.
In the past two weeks, more than 57,000 cases and scores of deaths have been reported.
The situation has prompted criticism of the government from politicians and social media users alike, with Umno vice-president Mohamed Khaled Nordin calling for a “Covid-19 czar” to lead an inter-ministerial effort to face the crisis head on.
Zaid said public confidence could be restored only by a high level of competence in those managing the crisis.
He said a good start would not only be for ministers to work together but to allow relevant experts instead of politicians and men in uniform to be in the forefront.
“Perhaps what the people need are not mere statistics on the number of cases and deaths but a clear picture of what the government plans to do next week and next month,” he said.
He called for a road map to show the public how the country will beat the pandemic and recover from the economic damage it has caused. This would help put people at ease, he said.
“What we, the people, and the businesses need now is an assurance that everything will be okay. We want to know how this will happen. We do not need to be frightened or threatened.”
Zaid said the government should consider a new approach in dealing with the pandemic.
“It is time for the government to look at everyone as a possible teammate. Get the best people, regardless of political affiliation, and put them in the right positions to help the country get through this challenging time.” - FMT
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