Tengku Zafrul: NRP is light that will guide Malaysia out of pandemic tunnel

KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 — Malaysia isn’t a “failed state” nor is it heading in that direction, said Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the National Recovery Plan (PPN), Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz.

In an opinion piece carried by Singapore’s Straits Times today, he said the assessment is unfair and flawed as it failed to take into account Malaysia’s rising vaccination rate and the various government aid packages which he said have helped millions of people.

He also said critics using the “white flag” movement as a yardstick to measure the government's performance missed the point.

“References to the ‘white flag movement’ as further (and perhaps social media-based) evidence of impending failed statehood not only miss the point that democracy is alive and well in Malaysia, but also completely fail to appreciate the historical context and socio-political psyche of the Malaysian masses.

“I am sure that many social and political scientists are as baffled as I am by how a single community-care campaign (and perhaps also social media conversations) on helping those in need can be equated with impending failed statehood.

“The facts are clear: Despite being burdened with legacy debt and socio-economic structural issues, as well as political uncertainty, RM38 billion was successfully disbursed in the form of direct aid and subsidies last year, while RM45 billion has been allocated for this year, with a balance of RM28 billion still to be disbursed,” he said in the opinion piece.

Citing the World In Data Covid-19 tracking site, Tengku Zafrul said Malaysia is one of the world's leading countries for daily administered jabs surpassing China, the United Kingdom, France and Germany as of July 10.

With more vaccines set to arrive this month, more of the Malaysian population will be vaccinated, and by year's end, 80 per cent of the adult population would be vaccinated and more states can move into Phase Two of the NRP, he added.

“Coupled with efforts in refining our current Covid-19 case management, ramping up vaccinations and supporting the vulnerable, it is clear that these are not signs of a country heading towards a failed statehood, but of a nation determined to fight back against the mother of all pandemics.

“Currently, there is no perfect solution to enable us to exit the stressful and inhibiting lockdowns once and for all. Nonetheless, we are confident that the strategies laid out in the NRP represent not only the light at the end of the tunnel, but also the light that will guide us out of the tunnel,”  he added.