Article
by William Leong Jee Keen
28
June 2021
Get Out of the Way
“Lead,
follow, or get out of the way”
-
Thomas Paine
Ending the COVID-19 Pandemic
Malaysians are demanding an end to
the COVID-19 pandemic and that is what they deserve. However, this is not going
to happen with a government putting its political interest before pandemic
containment and lacking people’s trust in government.
Incapable to lead, unreliable as
followers, this PN government ought to heed Thomas Paine’s words – get out of
the way.
Buying time with other people’s
lives
This government’s incompetence in
dealing with the pandemic is clear when compared to the PH government.
When the first wave of the pandemic
hit Malaysia on 25 January 2020, PH was able to contain the total number of
positive cases to 22 by 16 February 2020 with no deaths. There were zero daily
positive cases reported for 11 days from 16 to 27 February 2020.
Since the PN government took over,
the number of positive cases reached a record high of 9,020 positive cases on
29 May 2021. By 5 June 2021, the average daily positive cases reached 7,434. By
25 June 2021, the total number of infections stand at 722,659 with 60,117
active cases. The national death toll has reached 4,803 with 2,007 people
having died in the month of June 2021 amounting to 41.8%. On average 80 people
died from COVID-19 daily or 3.3 deaths per hour.
Politics before containment
The PN government has put its political
interest above the pandemic containment at every important turn of events.
Malaysia, under the PH government, was
on track to be declared COVID-19 free. But political ambitions have no
patience. They made the Sheraton Move on 24 February. There was no government
until 1st March and no health minister until 10 March. During this
time, the Tabligh cluster spread with 2,000 positive cases reported throughout
the country. By 10 April, the second wave of the pandemic reached 4,346
positive cases and 70 deaths.
The third wave of the pandemic was
again caused by political ambitions in seeking to take over the Warisan-led
Sabah state government through defections. An estimated 2,979 cases amounting
to 70% of the cases in Sabah and 1,741 cases amounting to 64.4% outside Sabah
were attributed to infections contracted during the Sabah state election.
Half-way compromises do not work
Political interest is also reflected
in the containment strategy chosen by the PN government. Those governments
willing to take the full blow of the political and economic hits of harsh
restrictions under an aggressive containment strategy, are now reaping the
benefits. For countries such as China, South Korea and New Zealand,
restrictions have been lifted, lives have returned to normal and economies
flourishing.
Malaysia is proof that half-way
compromises do not work. With an eye on a probable snap election to cure its
lack of legitimacy, harsh restrictions would have affected its election
chances. Appeasing economic demands from the full effect of public health
requirements dragged out the pandemic for all. The result, an increased death
toll and a flailing economy.
No light at end of tunnel under PN
By using a public health emergency as
an excuse to suspend parliament, pandemic containment was sacrificed on the
altar of political power. The absence of parliament scrutiny, oversight and due
process affected the legitimacy of the rules and regulations. It also affected
the government’s integrity and credibility.
Whatever remaining credibility was
eroded by the Prime Minister’s response to the King. No one buys that a
committee study is required for parliament to sit. Everyone knows it is really
the lack of intestinal fortitude to face a motion of no confidence.
For so long the PN leadership view any
measure to end the pandemic affects their political interest, such measure will
not see light at the end of the parliament tunnel.
Lack of Legitimacy and Trust in
government
Combating COVID-19 requires extreme
measures and restrictions in the freedom of movement, association and earning a
living. Such measures impose restrictions in nearly every aspect of social and
economic live. Coercion by police, heavy fines and imprisonment cannot achieve
the level of compliance necessary to deal with the pandemic. It can only
succeed through voluntary compliance. This is through legitimacy and trust in
government. Legitimacy and trust in government are the reasons citizens pay
their taxes voluntarily knowing it is not to the immediate personal benefit of
the individual taxpayer but is done for the greater good of the country. It is
the reason citizens stop at red traffic lights with no policeman in sight. Compliance
with government policy comes from being perceived as acceptable and credible,
that the rules and regulations are for the benefit of the greater good and
applies equally to all.
No reservoirs of support
Legitimacy is described as a
reservoir of goodwill and support that allows the government to secure the
citizens compliance with the rules and regulations without resort to coercion.
Legitimacy is based on moral
authority. Legitimate power must be earned not grabbed. Trust means holding a
positive perception of an individual or organization. It is a subjective phenomenon
reflected in the eyes of the beholder.
In the eyes of PH voters, grabbing
power by defections and joining the opposition were heinous betrayals. The PN
government has not earned and never enjoyed the trust of PH voters. With UMNO
declaring the parting of ways with Bersatu in the next election, it lost the
trust of the BN voters.
Bersatu on its own therefore, does
not have the level of goodwill and support required to secure voluntary
compliance with the rules and regulations This is because the reservoirs of
support belong to PH and BN.
Doing right and fair
Trust represents the confidence of
citizens in government actions to do what is right and perceived as fair. Trust
in government encompasses values such as reliability, integrity, responsiveness,
fairness, openness and above all competence.
When citizens feel they have been
unfairly treated they will have less trust in government and become less
willing to comply with rules and regulations. Conversely, when citizens feel
they are fairly treated, they are willing to incur personal cost for the
greater good provided they feel confident that others are doing the same.
Perception of fair process leads to
greater acceptance and better compliance with rules and regulations. When
perceived procedural justice elements are built into the design and
administration of a regulation, this regulation will in fact work better and is
easier to enforce.
Low level of trust in government
leads to low rates of compliance with rules and regulations. Lack of trust in
government cause great harm to society and damage the government’s capacity to
act. Worse, an increasing decline in trust leads to less willingness by
citizens and businesses to obey the law and to make the sacrifices required
during the crisis.
Incompetence and unfairness
There have been confusions galore,
U-turns, and double standards in the implementation and enforcement of the
standard operating procedures, rules and regulations. The police and municipal
councils gave different interpretations from the executive government. Businesses
did not know which Ministry was responsible for approving permissions to
operate. Neither did the Ministers themselves with each giving their own set of
guidelines and approvals.
Double standards in enforcement of
the SOPs gave rise to feeling of unfairness and discrimination. Individuals and
businesses were issued summons with fines of RM10,000.00 and RM50,000
respectively and those who violated quarantine were imprisoned. Ministers on
the other hand were released or fined a mere RM1,000.00.
The resulting performance due to the
inconsistent, confusing, conflicting policies and SOPs by the different
ministers can be described in one word – incompetence.
In the circumstances, the lack of
trust and lack of legitimacy have resulted in low levels of compliance and
exponential increase in the number of positive cases and deaths.
There is no indication this decline
in trust in government can be reversed any time soon. With the country going
into the most important phase to combat the virus – vaccination, Trust in
government is crucial from approval of the vaccines, procurement of the
vaccines, distribution and implementation of the vaccination programme. The
whole of government and the whole of society recognize the vaccination campaign
of this magnitude is unprecedent, the people’s trust in government is essential
to the success of the vaccination programme. This government has been running
around “in the emperor’s clothes.” It has no legitimacy and there is no trust
in government. We cannot wait for a child to call out the ugly naked truth for
us. The whole of society must act to ensure the vaccination programme not only
succeeds but is also completed quickly.
False
Faces
Macbeth in
order to hide his evil plan to kill King Duncan to take over the Scottish
throne, said: “False face must hide what the false heart doth know.”
Malaysians
may have been deceived by the false faces before the Sheraton Move but they
will not be deceived further. The instability of this government is inherent in
the nature of the partners to the power grab. A Chinese saying is applicable:
“You
cannot cover the sky with only one palm of your hand.”
Bersatu
with only five members of parliament elected in GE14 together with the ten PKR
defectors cannot even form a government, much less a stable one. Clinging on to
power is a futile exercise. Each hour, 3.3 persons die and many more are
financially ruined.
The PN
government must get out of the way. If not all the waters in the Straits of
Malacca cannot wash clean the blood from their hands.
28 June 2021
William
Leong Jee Keen
MP
Selayang
