Worsening COVID-19 outbreak poses political threat to the M’sian Gov’t

MALAYSIA’S third wave of COVID-19, yet to be contained since it began last September, will be a test to Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s resolve to tackle the pandemic vis-à-vis the declaration of Emergency in January.

According to Fitch Solutions Country Risk & Industry Research, there are already telling signs of elevated political risks in Malaysia which will likely have a negative impact on policymaking and policy continuity, as well as social stability.

“We see this as largely the result of mounting dissatisfaction with the Government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic which has seen daily caseloads rise to the thousands while residents have had to cope with multiple lockdowns and confusing instructions,” the research house pointed out in its latest commentary.

“(This is) amid high profile cases of celebrities and politicians flouting social distancing and lockdown rules.”

Accordingly, Fitch Solutions has revised downward its short-term political risk index score to 65.2 out of 100 from 66.7 previously to reflect these risks.

The research house further noted that perceptions have likely turned significantly against the PM with his move to declare a state of emergency being viewed more widely as a bid to stave off challenges to his rule – with his vulnerability due to a slim majority in Parliament – rather than a sincere attempt to control the outbreak.

“Social media has seen the hashtag ‘Kerajaan Gagal’ or ‘Failed Government’ trend and frequently used in numerous posts criticising the Government’s handling of the outbreak,” observed Fitch Solutons.

“In the latest show of dissatisfaction, netizens have gathered more than 80,000 signatures as of June 3 calling for the resignation of (Datuk Seri) Azmin Ali, the Senior Minister for Economics and Finance and also in-charge of the Ministry for International Trade and Industry (Miti), accusing him of undermining the ‘total lockdown’ by allowing multiple exemptions for companies to continue operating.”

Fitch Solutions said it has consistently been highlighting the various risks to government unity since the inception of the Perikatan Nasional Government in March 2020 and its view continues to play out amid the worsening public fallout over its handling of the pandemic.

“Yet another public blame game has started over the exemptions,” noted the research house.

“Indeed, Azmin, the chief target of the public’s anger regarding the exemptions granted to businesses, appeared to shift the blame away from himself, pointing out that a total of 15 ministries were responsible for the approval of such exemptions despite the Government clarifying on May 31 that all applications would be handled by MitiI.

The South China Morning Post also reported on June 3 that (Datuk Seri) Ismail Sabri Yaacob, Senior Minister for Security, had posted on Instagram a picture of him closing a door with the caption ‘I shut the front door, but…’ which was likely a veiled comment against Azmin’s handling of the exemptions.” – June 8, 2021

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