GEORGE TOWN: Politics should take a back seat for now, so that the country can focus on fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, several politicians have told theSun.
Former PKR deputy secretary-general S. Raveentharan said the priority should be fighting the pandemic head-on instead of squabbling over who is right or wrong in the present political equation.
“We need a new norm in politics, not only in our lifestyle or public health but in how our politicians conduct themselves in the face of a pandemic which has claimed over 300,000 lives worldwide in just under five months,” he said.
Citing the infighting in Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM), Raveentharan said such political drama should take a back seat in lieu of finding new ways to revive the economy.
He added while PPBM chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed as well as four other MPs whose membership in the party was withdrawn had the right to defend themselves, it was only appropriate that issues caused by the Covid-19 pandemic take precedence for now.
Malaysia has largely won plaudits for its handling of the pandemic with less than 150 deaths out of some 7,500 cases but the country continues to suffer economic hardship with much concern over job losses.
Raveentharan urged politicians to come out with innovative measures on how to revive the economy and save jobs while protecting public health.
His views were supported by Pulau Tikus assemblyman Chris Lee Chun Kit, who said that the present federal government has been advocating political distancing to fight the pandemic and to revive the economy.
But it also took advantage of the current lockdown policies to invoke changes in the Kedah government and to sideline Mahathir.
“It works both ways. If a political truce is indeed called to fight the virus, both sides must adhere to it. Instead it has worsened and the fighting may impede efforts to revive the economy in the face of the pandemic,” he said.
“Some quarters engineered the fall of the Kedah government. They also do not have a manifesto. What is their purpose in wanting to govern?”
Seri Delima assemblyman Syerleena Abdul Rashid said the economy and public health should be the priorities now.
She said that the old politics of slander and character assassination should be shunned if the country was serious about stopping the virus.
