THE year 2020 has never been like any other in recent history. Doomsday believers could not have predicted about the Covid-19 pandemic and how it would have severely inflicted the lives, livelihood and business of people across the globe including Malaysia.
Resulting from the unprecedented measures (lockdowns and movement control measures), the pandemic has created a layer of misery with people in hunger and anger, exposed inequalities, tragedy of individual loss and death, national disruption and political instability in Malaysia.
Many people are in bereavement, isolation or are living in fear and anxiety due to having loss their jobs or income with no clarity on how long this situation will be.
And the Covid-19 itself can lead to neurological and mental complications like delirium, agitation and stroke. People with pre-existing mental, neurological or substance use disorders are vulnerable – they may stand at a higher risk of severe outcomes and even death.
Despite being vaccinated and stepping up the process of vaccination, the new variants of the virus can potentially be more infectious and resistant to the vaccines. This will continue to threaten the people, especially if the virus spread are not controlled now.
Underpinned with continued uncertainties and people being in misery, it will only add further frustrations among them with the perception of rising corruption and double standards from top to bottom as they reel from disease, death and deprivation.
AmBank Anthony Dass
Today, Malaysia is experiencing the worst recession since the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis due to the impact from the pandemic.
The economy contracted by 5.6% in 2020 and is now envisaged to grow between 3% and 4% this year, much lower than the previous projection of 6%–7.5%. Besides the health crisis, the country is also saddled with the political crisis.
Many political observers are of the view that the politicians and political parties are overly prioritising politics as opposed to the country’s issues, namely in the areas of health, social and economics.
Driven by these, there are concerns that the country could be losing its grip to address the social and economic challenges brought on by the pandemic.
Anger is mounting with the prolonged lockdown and it could see a potential backlash if the issues of lives, livelihood and business are not attended to quickly.
There are two schools of thoughts with respect to the lockdown. One champions for a lockdown to control the virus spread, while the other propagates for the economy to be opened but complying with the standard operating procedure (SOP).
The current lockdown of more than two months is seen as less effective by many, given that the Covid-19 cases and death are still high although the vaccination rates are high.
This has resulted in anger and displeasure since the lives, livelihood and businesses are further impacted. Many are already struggling and in fact have not come out from the first movement control order (MCO) that was imposed on March 18, 2020.
In this challenging period, the emphasis will have to be fully concentrated on lives, livelihood and the economy. In this context, it is important to have a stable government, which means political stability.
The current scenario of political uncertainties is poised to remain should the new government formed enjoys a thin majority. The risk of falling back into the old vicious cycle remains.
While holding a general election (GE) is seen as the ultimate solution, that too pose a risk considering that the number of Covid-19 cases are still high. A GE can be held when the Covid-19 cases are well contained and we have migrated from pandemic to endemic.
But another factor to take into consideration is on the outcome of a GE. If there is a clear winner, the risk of political instability fades with a stable government. But what happens if there is no clear majority? We will be back on the drawing board.
In this challenging environment, it calls for an urgent need to have a better government. The current political crisis that has been engulfed with divide and infightings must end.
This would mean that it is time for all political leaders from all political parties to come together and form a “unity” government that is inclusive and sustainable.
Establishing a “unity” government at this point in time is timely, given that the political and health crisis remains unending. And this concept of a “unity” government is not new. And it remains unclear if it is well understood or fleshed out.
A “unity” government brings together leaders of both the government and opposition to provide the best opportunity to overcome the current crisis and reboot the nation’s politics towards reconciliation, security and reform. Politics and party politics will have to be left aside, at least for the time being.
The leader of the “unity” government should be someone who is able to deliver the job. And the immediate job is to save lives, livelihood and economy.
Besides, the focus of the “unity” government should be on inclusiveness, good governance and mobilisation of the best talent in the nation to save lives and the economy as well as to maintain peace and harmony during this period of national crisis.
This government will need to work on a set of national programmes that can benefit the people and prioritise the revival of the economy. It should not just focus on recovery but also on reforms and structural issues that flared from this pandemic – some of which were already lingering even before Covid-19.
One may dismiss the idea as a “Panglossian” pipe dream. However, history has showed otherwise. For instance, Abraham Lincoln formed a Cabinet with a “Team of Rivals” that clinched victory in the US Civil War. Winston Churchill led the British War Cabinet in 1940 with members from the opposition ranks like his predecessor Asquith did during World War I.
Even independent India’s first cabinet sworn in on Aug 15, 1947, in the aftermath of the partition, resembled a National Unity Cabinet. Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Patel ensured that out of the 14 ministers, four of them – R.K. Shanmukham Chetty, Syama Prasad Mookerjee, B.R. Ambedkar and Baldev Singh – were fierce political adversaries of the ruling Congress party. Two others – John Mathai and C.H. Bhabha – were individuals of distinction.
More recently, the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison formed a National Cabinet to tackle the Covid-19 issues in 2020.
A lesson we can draw from history is the importance of national unity Cabinets with cross-party membership, on the lines of previous War Cabinets.
On that note, given the current political divide and party infightings, a unity Cabinet appears to be the best solution for Malaysia. It must be represented with the best minds coming from politicians, professionals and industry leaders with proven expertise.
Its guiding mantra would be collective responsibility and accountability. This government must be dissolved after we tide over the health crisis.
Perhaps it is time for us to head towards a “new political direction”. It is not just about appointing a new prime minister. More importantly, it is to create a new form of politics that is more peaceful and harmonious. This could likely be the only way out of the political conundrum affecting the country.
If politicians or political leaders can work together, the “unity” government can focus on containing the spread of Covid-19, and this is good for the people and the country.
Anthony Dass is group chief economist and head of AmBank Research. He is a member of the Economic Action Council Secretariat and Adjunct Professor, UNE, Australia. The views expressed here are the writer’s own.