SO MUCH UNCERTAINTY, INCOHERENCE , AND DESPAIR... by Rafidah Aziz

 

I do not want to belabour on WHAT the Government needs to be doing TO CONTINUE to manage the Pandemic,  and attend to Getting Vaccines into people's ARMS...

BUT please do so  IN a COHERENT and EFFICIENT way.

Please do not, on a DAILY basis, suddenly  think of different and diverse groups  to  Vaccinate...

Especially ANNOUNCED BY every  Abah, Kakak and Adik in Government....every other day.

DO HAVE a TOTAL PICTURE of the PROFILE of sectors to be Vaccinated ...NOT just  pick bits and pieces as and when it comes to your mind !

PLAN at one go..Vaccination for Each IDENTIFIED SECTOR / GROUP 

SO THAT APROPRIATE  Approaches can be undertaken.

For example : 

GATHERING them on an orderly basis WHEREVER THEY ARE
OR SENDING MOBILE VACCINATION  facilities TO THEM
All should be done AT THE GRASSROOTS LEVEL
TO PREVENT movement of more people.

The GROUPS ARE amongst others..

• SCHOOLS..including Teachers and School Support staff (unvaccinated)
• OLD FOLKS HOMES and other Similar facilities
• FACTORIES...to Vaccinate WORKERS...SO THAT they can continue to OPERATE, to fulfil key market demands..

The ONUS should be on the Factory management,  to ENSURE EVERY EMPLOYEE is Vaccinated ..

(AND observe all the safety Covid PRECAUTIONS,  as per Prevailing SOPS).

ON LOCKDOWNS...

Please do NOT announce "lockdowns" at the last hour",  especially WHEN THERE WAS ALREADY AN EARLIER END DATE.

MANY, especially SMEs, self employed and businesses in general, WOULD HAVE MADE PLANS: 

• To make New investments 
• To begin  operations, as per SoPs
• To hire new workers 

And all these decisions have positive  Spinoffs  into Society and the Economy.

The INFECTION RATE is VOLATILE...fluctuating on a Daily basis..

4,000 yesterday,  3,399 today, 4,003 the day after ..

SO do we do the MEXICAN SHUFFLE approach  to determining Lockdowns ?

Based upon whether it's 4000, 3099, or 4003 Cases ??

Please DO have MEANINGFUL ANALYSIS..AND MEASURES that are LOGICAL.

The MICRO enterprises and entrepreneurs, the stalls,  have been very HARD PRESSED to  EARN their daily keep.

Please remember - we need to give them THE MEANS TO FISH,  NOT  dishing out fish now and then, in the form of the cash handouts.

THEY NEED TO BE  SUSTAINED OVER THE LONGER TERM !

WHY not have a Special Policy to:

1) Set aside PROPER AREAS for them to operate...in one Area, to be SEGREATED as per SoPs ..by type of business...Food / attire/ fresh items/home use items etc etc

2) ENSURE SoPs are ENFORCED ON BOTH VENDORS and CUSTOMERS..

waiting areas,  spacing of lines to make purchases AND WEARING MASKS

AND give them SPECIAL FREE PERMITS..to do Business

IDENTIFY the Categories of businesses which can be allowed to operate, with well enforced Safety and Security,  in the Covid Environment. 

RESTAURANTS can do TAKEAWAY and DELIVERY SERVICES..

THESE small business CANNOT !

No one wants to see the Pandemic continue to Prevail.

God Willing, we can manage it.

BUT it is very important that incoherent policy measures, and endless politicking do NOT KILL the NATION...MORE than what Covid does !

AND NATIONAL RECOVERY PLANS  ARE NOT about recovery "from Covid"

It is ABOUT PARALLEL PLANNING OF HOW to ensure that The Society And the Economy can BEGIN TO FUNCTION, in an effective manner, using Common Sense and logical timelines.

LIFT the EMERGENCY,  RECONVENE PARLIAMENT.

SO THAT The Country and the people can ACTUALLY FEEL that sense of NORMALCY  Happening.

There MUST be COORDINATION of POLICIES and APPROACHES between THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT and all the STATE GOVERNMENTS.

WE ARE ONE NATION...MALAYSIA !

Only then can there be COHERENCE IN managing the Pandemic.

AFTER ALL..except in Putrajaya and the Federal Territories, 

All Economic activities are at the State/ District levels .

Yess... We have the Lockdowns on movement and activities..

BUT PLEASE DONT ALLOW LOCKDOWNS of :

• Common Sense  
• Rational Thinking
• Empathy and understanding 
• and of MINDS

that will prevent coherent thoughts and actions. 

(NO matter HOW MANY MINISTERS etc Show themselves "pitifully" eating instant noodles!)

THESE ARE NOT TIMES FOR "PHOTO OPS" or "Public Comms" to earn brownie points.

Please FOCUS ON THE PEOPLE and THE NATION.

DO NOT BE SELF SERVING 

  ....It is said that...

STATESMEN do NOT think of the NEXT ELECTIONS..but of the NEXT GENERATION..

AND our next Generation have lost more than a year..in Education, Skills enhancement, and Opportunities.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.