Subscribe to our Telegram channel for our latest stories and breaking news.
Malaysia needs an interim government that can be transparent and trusted in handling the COVID-19 pandemic, said Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani
According to Utusan Malaysia, the former second finance minister said all political parties should come together and establish an interim government to finally end the nation’s health crisis and political instability.
“This interim government shall be given a specific time frame and ample time to solely focus on addressing the pandemic, including managing the vaccination programme transparently,” he said in a statement on Tuesday, 15 June.
Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani.
Image via Kenny Yap/The Edge Markets
Johari told Utusan Malaysia that the interim government should also appoint someone with leadership qualities and who has experience in managing a national crisis
“Such a person should also not have any political baggage or self interest and should have no intention of getting actively involved in the next general election,” he said.
Free Malaysia Today reported that Johari’s statement comes as the public grow frustrated with the current handling of the pandemic as well as the slow vaccination roll out in the country.
His statement also comes before the Yang di-Pertuan Agong holds a special Conference of Rulers meeting today, 16 June, to discuss the country’s ongoing efforts in handling the pandemic and its implementation.
Image for illustration purposes only.
Image via Bernama/New Straits Times
The former Titiwangsa Member of Parliament (MP) outlined several suggestions for a proposed interim government to take on
First of all, Johari said the interim government must ensure nobody was left without food on the table during the pandemic. He urged for the coordination between MPs, assemblymen, the welfare department, and local authorities to provide assistance as quickly as possible.
He also emphasised that the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme should not benefit any one party but should be geared towards swiftly protecting the public.
The UMNO supreme council member also suggested that the interim government should invest more on hospital equipment and in expanding intensive care units, instead of just relying on the immunisation plan.
He noted that the United Kingdom, even after vaccinating 50% of the population, saw a recent spike in cases due to the Delta variant, causing the decision to lift travel bans to be postponed.
Image for illustration purposes only.
Image via Reuters
On the economy, Johari said the interim government should encourage businesses to do mass testing on their employees on a weekly basis
He said those found positive should be made to quarantine themselves at home, while employers who fail to comply should not be given permits to operate.
Johari suggested for additional tax deductions to be given to employers and subsidies given to small and medium enterprises to encourage them to put it into practice.
The former minister also said the Election Commission (EC) should start planning on how to hold a general election within the next 18 months, as the pandemic will likely last longer than expected.
He said the EC should therefore study how other countries have held their elections while managing to keep their COVID-19 cases as low as possible.