PETALING JAYA: Political instability in the country has been blamed for the woes faced by the public and not the Covid-19 pandemic, according to initial findings from a research firm.
Emir Research said during a survey conducted from July 12-30, the groups they spoke to had urged politicians to spend more time focusing on solutions to all the woes faced by the rakyat instead of
wasting time on political games, intrigues and dramas.
“We intend to release the findings of the poll soon. However, for the first time, we are releasing the findings of the focus groups we talked to, ” it said in a statement.
The survey involved 63 people who were divided into 11 focus group discussions (FGDs) from similar socio-economic backgrounds.
They also pointed to the political fights from the moment the Pakatan Harapan government collapsed with the resignation of then prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad alongside the rise of a new government established by a new coalition called Perikatan Nasional led by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
They predicted that politics would blunt economic growth in Malaysia for the next decade, as supported by a news report on Sept 30 by international rating agency Fitch Solutions.
The report also noted the level of trust in the present government to manage Covid-19 and economic recovery.
“In the various FGDs, the discussants consistently reiterated the same belief that if the current government had not taken over power, we might be witnessing more severe problems by now.
“This relates to their appraisal of the current government’s actions, especially in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic and its consequences such as closing the country’s borders, distributing aid packages that included cash assistance, deferred loan repayments and deducted rentals, ” the report said.
Some of the participants thought Covid-19 was actually a blessing in disguise as it injected the emergence of a new economy with a new mindset.
“When the government implemented the movement control order to flatten the curve of Covid-19 cases, most Malaysians were moaning.
“However, many realised later that it was actually a blessing, where a new economy which relied on digitalisation and e-commerce gradually emerged, ” it added.
Emir Research’s findings also highlighted the plight of urban dwellers and rural communities.
“There is a general feeling across all the groups that the living conditions have been worsening and continue to deteriorate.
“Some discussants even feel that life is becoming more competitive and turning into a struggle for survival, ” the report said.
The groups highlighted that despite the continued increase in general costs of living, there was very little or almost no corresponding increase in wages, forcing people to find additional jobs and sources of income.
They also said their fear of this continuous downfall of the economy would lead to an increase in social illnesses when people might be even forced to commit crimes to survive.
The report also mentioned that the country had been experiencing an increase in the unemployment rate even before the global pandemic, especially the youth and fresh graduates.
“Many younger discussants felt that in order to survive in this highly competitive and extremely fluid employment market, they needed (or they wished that they had acquired) more versatile skills which have a lot to do with modern technologies.
“They expressed their concern that the current education system is not adequate to prepare students who can meet this challenging environment, ” the report said.
As for rural folk, the findings showed that for fishermen, farmers and Felda settlers, the Covid-19
pandemic did not exert much economic impact on them individually or on their family and community directly.
