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KUALA LUMPUR – With the Covid-19 situation in Malaysia worsening with a record daily increase of 871 cases on Sunday, people are questioning the sandals of the government on restrictions in the Klang Valley even as Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s government is at risk of collapse.
Just days after announcing that stricter controls would begin on October 14, the government suddenly allowed mosques, gyms and parks to reopen. It also increased the maximum number of restaurant diners per table from two to four, drawing ire from some Malaysians who say the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) appeared to be a waste of time.
In another radical change, the government said on Monday (October 19) that it was considering an even tighter shutdown, prompting further frustration among Klang Valley residents.
“We have received many opinions and complaints. There are sectors that asked for a stricter control, but there are also those who think the opposite,” said the main minister in charge of Security, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri.
“However, we must create a balance between reviving the economy and protecting people from the virus,” he said.
On Tuesday (October 20), he announced another new decision: Klang Valley residents must work from home starting Thursday.
Malaysia is now experiencing its worst coronavirus wave.
Across the South China Sea, Sabah’s Covid-19 situation is growing dire with limited resources, prompting the federal government to fly front-line to the state and dispatch the military to establish field hospitals.
Sarawak may be the next battleground for Covid-19, as some politicians are pushing for state elections to take place soon, although they should not be held until mid-2021.
“The U-turns make it look like the government is bowing to populist demand. Our positives are higher and more widespread than during the previous shutdown in March, but the measures are more relaxed,” said Susan Lim, 50 years, resident of KL.
The CMCO in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Putrajaya is expected to end on October 27, but health experts have said it may need to be extended if the outbreak does not improve.
Prime Minister Muhyiddin was previously considered to have handled the outbreak well, but this opinion is rapidly declining, with politicians seemingly distracted by continued power grab attempts and constant U-turns.
Many also blame Sabah’s state elections for causing the country’s third Covid-19 wave.
Political analyst Awang Azman Awang Pawi from Universiti Malaya said: “Muhyiddin’s position is increasingly unstable, it is becoming unpopular as many Malaysians are unhappy with the way the current outbreak is being handled.
“The government must be more assertive in handling the outbreak. Flip flops will only create confusion among the people, and the government will be seen as lacking a clear policy and stance in the fight against Covid-19.
“This will lead to a further lack of confidence in the Perikatan Nasional administration and the post of Prime Minister of Muhyiddin.
There are also concerns about how an early general election, if called, could lead to a further escalation of Covid-19 cases.
Sabah, the epicenter of the current outbreak, continues to record the highest number of daily cases, with 673 as of Tuesday, out of 862 recorded nationwide.
“Community transmission is widespread in Sabah and it is becoming extremely difficult to contain the spread now. I think a change in the overall strategy for Sabah is warranted,” said Professor Datuk Dr. Awang Bulgiba Awang Mahmud, an epidemiologist at the University of Malaya. .
As for the Klang Valley, health authorities have ruled out, for now, a return to the stricter Movement Control Order (MCO) that closed all non-essential businesses and schools between March 18 and May 4. .
“An MCO will probably work in a shorter period of time, but it will cost the country financially,” Health Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said Tuesday at the Health Ministry’s daily press conference.
He noted that the national reproduction number (Rt) had fallen in the last week from 2.2 to 1.5, adding that the goal was to achieve a Rt of 0.3.
The Rt refers to the infection rate and estimates the average number of people that a patient can infect.
Selangor, which has also been greatly affected by the pandemic, has seen its Rt fall from 1.98 to 1.48 in the last week, he added.
But some, like Madam Lim, still believe that stricter restrictions are needed.
“We cannot afford any more shocks in the economy, but surely a short but strict lockdown is better than a prolonged one that allows so much movement,” he said.
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