PETALING JAYA: Muhyiddin Yassin has defended the Covid-19 lockdowns he imposed as prime minister, saying the country was battling a pandemic “worse than war”.
Admitting that not all his decisions were right, Muhyiddin said he was forced to make drastic and crucial decisions to keep infections at bay.
In an interview with The National, a daily based in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, he said the lockdowns were necessary to keep infections low, despite costing the country RM2.6 billion a day.
Muhyiddin said his government had to balance the preservation of life and economic security at a time of uncertainty.
“I took unprecedented action by imposing a national lockdown. There was nowhere to go.
“At the time, there were only 300 cases and we were unsure what was going to happen next.
“It was a drastic decision. But Malaysians were concerned about their health and the death rates, so they responded well.”
Muhyiddin, who is the National Recovery Council chief, said the country has a bright future ahead and will emerge as an economic powerhouse in the region.
He said Malaysia’s strength in riding the Covid-19 wave was its partnership with neighbouring countries, with the constant sharing of best practices and treatments concerning the virus.
“The question now is, are we going back to how things were in 2019 or going to use this as a platform to push Asia to a higher rank among developed nations?
“Can Asian countries use this to jump-start and lift their status, to look at a new digital economy and how our banks work?
“It sounds ambitious, but (what happened) could be a blessing.” - FMT
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