PETALING JAYA: There is no reason why Malaysia should delay the reopening of its borders, says National Recovery Council (NRC) chairman, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (pic).

       Countries with lower Covid-19 vaccination rates than Malaysia had already opened their borders to welcome tourists but Malaysia had yet to do so, he said.

       This was despite the NRC recommending the government to fully reopen the country's international borders as early as March 1, said Muhyiddin.

       "The NRC has proposed that the full reopening of the border be implemented in early March with adherence to the standard operating procedures (SOP) set by the Health Ministry.

       "This is so that industries such as tourism, trade and other related economic sectors will be rejuvenated.

       "I don’t see a reason why the decision to open up the border must be delayed when other countries have already done so although their vaccination programmes were not as comprehensive as Malaysia's," Muhyiddin (PN-Pagoh) told the Dewan Rakyat on Monday (Mar 7) while debating the motion of thanks on the Royal Address.

       Muhyiddin also said that he had recommended the government to immediately kickstart the National Recovery Plan (NRP) 2.0, which had appropriate and thorough policies and strategies based on quality investments, high productivity, and trade creation.

       He said there were three aspects of recovery, the first being the recovery of output or total production, which might be achieved in another year or two.

       The second and third aspects, which were the recovery of total employment and quality of life, would require sustainable economic growth, he said.

       "This is what I term as Recovery Plus Plus (Recovery ++).

       "This Recovery ++ requires sound policies and programmes based on quality investment, high productivity, as well as the creation and expansion of trade so that economic growth for the period 2023 to 2025 and beyond is stable and sustainable.

       "Otherwise, we may be stuck in double-dipped growth, which is economic growth that declines twice, or what the economic term refers to 'W-shaped Recovery'," said Muhyiddin.

       He added that the NRP 2.0, which has Recovery ++ at its core, should be inclusive and involve stakeholders through an integrated or whole-of-nation approach.