The new year of 2021 has come in as another year of uncertainty and only in the month of January, rakyat have to deal with flash floods, rising Covid-19 cases, political shenanigans and declaration of national emergency.
But these can be mitigated with united and selfless cooperation between every individual regardless of any social background. So long as the majority of the population (60 to 70 per cent) is not vaccinated to obtain herd immunity, not only health but economic uncertainties remain.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, in his special address on Monday, said: "…Our healthcare system is under tremendous pressure now than at any other time since the start of the pandemic…"
In the same speech, it is good to know that the supply of vaccines from Pfizer for the first phase is expected to be received by end of February. Additionally, government has also signed early agreement and in final phase of discussion in effort to increase supply of vaccines to cover a wider share of Malaysian population.
And due to the worrying spike in Covid-19 cases in the country, government has announced the imposition of Movement Control Order (MCO) at different levels (from 13 January to 26 January).
Within the economic sectors, only sectors which are considered essential are allowed to operate during the total MCO – factories and manufacturing, construction, services, distribution business, plantations and commodities, and others.
While the measures to stabilise the health-related setbacks is a must to do, economic impact in these states would undeniably be substantial too, though it cannot be translated into an exact figure yet.
An obvious example can be taken from the first nationwide MCO in March which had resulted in rising unemployment and business closures. Of course, the impact might not be as bad since it's not a nationwide imposition this time around but people would still feel the pinch.
For instance, referring to the list released by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), daily wage earners such as the small hawkers who depend on day-to-day operations are not part of the essential services would be affected badly as most people have been ordered to work from home, hence, less visitors to their stalls.
Unfortunately, prolonged political instability comes in as another major concern for the country as some politicians are pushing for a general election in the midst of this critical time when the ultimate focus should be on fighting the pandemic by avoiding mass/election gatherings and help rakyat and businesses in weathering through the crisis.
We have witnessed the consequences when Sabah state election was held amid the pandemic that has led to Covid-19 cluster amongst the ministers and again, led to disruptions in businesses and incomes.
The past is there for us to study and learn from it so that we can make our future better. Do we want to see history repeat itself?
* The writer is Research Analyst at EMIR Research, a think tank focused on strategic policy recommendations based on rigorous research