LETTERS: A Merdeka Centre report in March 2019 revealed that economic dissatisfaction among the people had risen from a similar survey done in May 2018.
Sixty-three per cent agreed that the economy remains the top problem of the country.
The sluggish economy is worsened by the substantial impact of Covid-19. Undeniably, Malaysians are anticipating robust policies from the new government. With regard to that, there is a need for the new government to communicate well so the people have more confidence that things will get better as we face serious economic challenges.
Fake news on social media platforms should be closely monitored and stern action taken regarding the outbreak.
Meanwhile, the tourism sector, the third largest revenue earner of the nation emerged as one of the sectors most affected by the outbreak. The weak economy that resulted from the Covid-19 outbreak and the latest political upheaval needs a boost to achieve a stronger and sustainable gross domestic product (GDP).
Sabah, for instance, being a state with most Chinese visitors has faced a fall in its tourism income. Visitors to tourist attractions in Sabah, like Semporna, have dropped from thousands to only hundreds of people per day.
This has resulted in a ripple effect among the hospitality and tourism sectors as well as the players, and even impacted the nation’s GDP as China is Malaysia’s largest trade partner. Thus, it is vital that policymakers in China and Malaysia come up with sufficient measures to stem further effects from this virus outbreak.
This year is an important year for Malaysia to spur its vision in Shared Prosperity 2030. It is the best time for the new government to recoup the people’s support as well as regain faith that the administration is people-centric in steering governance and navigating decision-making. The nation needs more free and open dialogue between the people from the grassroots level and the government with more platforms for public views to be heard.
Also, institutions that represent the public conscience made up of the civil society, the media, academicians and non-governmental organisations must continue to play a vital role in not only pinpointing problems but also playing a constructive role in finding solutions to sensitive issues.
Everybody should be on the same page in moving the country forward.
IRIS NG PEI YI
Petaling Jaya, Selangor
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times