AS ministers debunk claims by Bloomberg that Malaysia was becoming a failed state, a veteran newsman argued otherwise.
“For ‘brainiacs’ like Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed and his merry men, I say to you that Malaysia need not wait to become like Syria, Yemen or Somalia to become a failed state.
“One of the signs of a failed state is that when previously the people could feed themselves easily, now they have to rely on charity and Government aid,” A Kadir Jasin said, in a Facebook post.
Last week, Bloomberg columnist Daniel Moss referred to Malaysia as becoming a failed state due to political instability and poor management of COVID-19, with many currently waving white flags to seek aid.
However, Sinar Harian reported Mustapa dismissing the claims saying Malaysia had not reached such dire situation like Somalia, Myanmar and parts of Latin America.
“We have done our best and our institutions are moving, the Health Ministry is moving, Government officials are all working as usual and everything is working,” the Jeli MP was reported saying.
Meanwhile, Free Malaysia Today reported fellow minister Datuk Seri Redzuan Yusof dismissing the claims as well, adding the country was still functioning as usual.
“There is still law and order, the Government and its delivery systems are functioning, there is no sign that the system is breaking down,” he was reported saying.
Unimpressed with the argument, Kadir stated that there were various indicators to determine whether a country has become failed state.
“For those untrained in economics like Mustapa, one of the signs of a failed state is when people can no longer find jobs. Once they had income but now it has been reduced or gone.
“In the past, they wave the Malaysian flag out of pride but now, they wave white flags to seek help,” the former Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) leader opined.
Kadir added that the people have also spent their retirement savings, just so they could survive for the day.
“And before this, a Government gets elected to power. Now, they grab power through coups.
“These are the signs of a failed state from a scientific point of view. I hope the likes of Mustapa and his cohorts, who live a lavish life, will understand things better now,” he remarked. – July 11, 2021.
