From Lockdown to Emergency and Back Again!

The World Health Organisation (“WHO”) has not advocated lockdowns as the primary means of controlling Covid-19. WHO, in fact, had said lockdowns would not be enough to defeat the pandemic. It is just buying time to track and contain the outbreak. Some like China or New Zealand opted for heavier lockdown to eliminate the disease before re-opening the economy. Malaysia did that in March with MCO. Other countries’ lockdowns were to drive cases low and then rely on testing, tracking and targeted restrictions. No country is now doing wide-scale restrictions.

There is a rise of cases in Europe and the U.S. Localised and targeted restrictions are implemented by local and national authorities. And so too is the justificaiton for CMCO or TEMCO in parts of Malaysia. But why do that for KL and/or Putrajaya?

Then there is the great Barrington Declaration, an open petition for countries to embrace a “herd immunity” strategy – that lifts all lockdowns and relies on more people getting sick and then building an immune system. WHO says “never in the history of public health has herd immunity been used as a strategy for responding to an outbreak... it is scientifically and ethically problematic” (Dr. Tedros A. Ghebreyesus, Director of WHO). Herd immunity abandons people to a pandemic.

Source: https://sea.mashable.com

 

The economic cost of the pandemic is between USD5.8 trillion to USD8.8 trillion according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Asia Pacific will have an impact of USD1.7-USD2.5 trillion with 30% decline in global output. Unemployment worldwide could be in the region of 158 million to 242 million with Asia Pacific having 70% of the losses.

In the midst of all this, the Prime Minister was “toying” with the idea of an Emergency. The only country that has declared an Emergency because of the pandemic is Hungary. And that too the President amassed powers for himself.

My legal friends tell me, an “Emergency” with a capital “E” is a legal event – that “threatens the security, or economic life, public order in the Federation...”. Article 150 (of the Constitution) says that the King has to be “satisfied that” the alleged emergency is grave. And grave means “giving rise to alarm”. Isn’t PN the author of its own problems – who started the “Sabah Move” – to get Musa Aman to challenge Shafie Apdal?

It is not the pandemic that is the problem but the looming “No Confidence” motion. We are not facing an invasion, war, racial riots or insurrection. So, what was this Emergency about? And there is no such thing as a “Partial Emergency”. (as if there is a partial pregnancy?)

We the people cannot be made pawns on a chessboard by any politicians. Our economy will be damaged severely with an Emergency. Forget the pandemic. The stock market will crash. Private investment and consumption will nose-dive. Unemployment will soar. Property prices will be in a free-fall and we will become a “pariah” state for foreign investment. Was that the PN Government’s objective? And was that national interest over selfish power crazy, self-interest? Luckily, the Agong and our rulers have more wisdom.

 

References:

1. ADB: The Covid-19 impact may cost global economy a whopping US$8.8 trillion, Aseanplus News, 16 May 2020

2. The past three months have proved it: the costs of lockdown are too high, Larry Elliot, The Guardian, 14 June 2020

3. Impact of the coronovirus pandemic on the global economy-Statistics and Facts, Erin Duffin, www.statista.com, 21 Sept 2020

4. No, the World Health Organisation did not “backflip” on lockdowns, Ed Cara, www.gizmodo.com, 14 Oct 2020