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JOHOR BAHRU: The Malaysian Ministry of Health now appears to be having some success in containing the third wave of COVID-19.
Although some states and federal territories have extended their Movement Control Orders (MCOs), other areas have moved to less restrictive modes of recovery or conditional MCOs.
But messages from disparate sides of the political divide have been mixed.
This should come as no surprise given the contentious and indeterminate position of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. Having clearly expressed their withdrawal of support for Perikatan Nasional (PN), politicians from the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) have not held back in their criticism of all aspects of the government’s management of the pandemic.
After all, it is a battle for prominence and relevance.
READ: Comment: A Convenient State of Emergency Amid Tough Times in Malaysia
The UMNO claim is that the country can only survive the pandemic if the government is in the hands of the party with the most parliamentary seats (there are no prizes for finding out who the aforementioned party is). The wake-up call is that the state of emergency be lifted, that parliament be resumed by a vote of no confidence or that it be dissolved for the national elections.
CONTRARY COMMUNICATIONS
A study of the social media pages of UMNO politicians reveals a myriad of claims of support for the bottom 40 percent (B40), with lawsuits on behalf of farmers, fishermen and rural youth struggling with learning in line. Every new pandemic initiative is dismissed with an objection.
However, since the PN government positions itself as one that “listens,” many directives have been retracted and amended in response to public comment and political criticism.
Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin receives the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on February 24, 2021 (Photo: Malaysia Information Department / Muzzafar Kasim / Handout a via REUTERS).
As a result, political critics of the PN seek to reach a moving target: their positions change as quickly as standard operating procedures (SOPs) are revised.
For example, on his Facebook page, former Prime Minister Najib Razak scorned the need for an MCO with fewer restrictions, claiming that the only effective way to stop the pandemic is a total lockdown.
However, this position became one of empathy for the poor, demanding more assistance to alleviate their suffering and a reopening of the economy. He then mocked the government’s pandemic aid packages, questioning how he could afford to continue handing out cash to the poor.
READ: Comment: Malaysia is slow to reopen COVID-19 for good reason
One wonders if this is mere politicking as opposed to an argument about politics.
When the UMNO was still an ally of the PN, many within its ranks praised Penjana, the first assistance program to be launched, for following in the footsteps of similar successful initiatives under the Najib government.
READ: Comment: Malaysia in a delicate balance after Najib Razak’s conviction
DOUBT AND DISTRUST
Political inconsistencies are never unexpected, but during a national health disaster, unverified alternative views can be very damaging.
During the handling of COVID-19 in Malaysia, Director General of Health (DG) Noor Hisham Abdullah has been a beacon of information and reassurance through political clouds of confusion.
Most Malaysians ignored those in political power and turned to the Director-General for guidance and accurate assessments.
Malaysia’s Director General of Health, Noor Hisham Abdullah. (File photo: Bernama)
In recent weeks, alarm and frustration have grown over the rising number of infections, deaths, and the spread of the pandemic to rural and isolated areas despite the OLS. Perhaps despised by the doubts sown by the political discourse, even the directives and statistics of the Ministry of Health were questioned.
In urban areas, many are now openly wondering if the lower infection numbers are simply the result of a change in COVID-19 testing procedures.
READ: Comment: Frustrated With Tight COVID-19 Restrictions, Johor Residents Hope This MCO Will Be Their Last
RURAL REACTIONS
But in rural areas, like the outskirts of Iskandar Puteri, Johor, the communities are tightly knit.
In these villages, controversies have arisen between accusations that the virus is a hoax to control the population and political power, to doubts that the announced deaths are actually due to Covid-19.
The people I have spoken to argue: “Every day people die, who can say that it is not by other means?” They demand that the ministry release the names and details of the dead to prove that they are real.
The health ministry is now more specific when revealing the location of new clusters.
Yet when ministerial announcements about clusters and infections are released, some wonder if the numbers are true. News of any illness or death in a rural area is spreading like wildfire.
Passengers wearing masks use their mobile phones at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia, on January 27, 2020 (Photo: REUTERS / Lim Huey Teng)
Videos that dispute the legitimacy and existence of the COVID-19 virus are streamed through WhatsApp and Facebook. Some cite “published reports” that doubt the infectivity and dangers of COVID-19.
Many of these videos are hosted by well-spoken and seemingly educated people who can easily switch between English and Malay, lending credibility to their claims. Others are in religious garb.
The narratives in these videos are based on socioeconomic fears and medical uncertainties. While the source of these videos is never revealed, and it is convenient that the presenters have to be masked, their validity is hardly ever questioned.
Rural conversations repeat these narratives and, at times, add to the quagmire of “personal experiences” of “someone who knows someone who contracted the virus and is fine, even though they had been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.”
READ: Comment: Johor city dwellers hit hard by MCO, but rural communities fare worse
READ: Comment: Concerns about long-term side effects could slow Singapore’s COVID-19 vaccination program
MALAYSIA NEEDS HEALING
For a country to survive COVID-19, it must come together to do whatever it takes to fight the virus. Malaysians are not only separated by class and economic status, they are also deeply divided by politics and politicians.
Disinformation and the relentless political battle for power will not help those who are afraid and suffering as a result of COVID-19 or its economic consequences.
One way forward is for health authorities to disseminate accurate and accessible information to rural communities. For better outreach, they can use local languages and harness the power of artists, athletes, religious clergy, and even their regular makcik or pakcik (aunt or uncle).
Otherwise, outsiders, at least, will not take any of the standard operating procedures seriously, endangering themselves and others. Worse, they can actively challenge directives and those they distrust.
A citizenry that suffers financially and fears an incomprehensible disease is easy to incite for political gain.
Hear from Malaysians dealing with a new wave of COVID-19 share their very different experiences of living through the pandemic in Johor, Kuala Lumpur, and Sabah:
ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute Visiting Fellow Dr. Serina Rahman writes from Johor. This comment first appeared on fulcrum.sg.
