Several MCO regulations relaxed, Malaysians rejoice
Several Movement Control Order (MCO) regulations have been relaxed, with perhaps the happiest one (at least for some Malaysian men) being that now two people in a family can sit in a car. Does this mean a not-too-distant end to being forced to stay at home?
Meanwhile, there’s been a spike in the number of new Covid-19 cases in the country; a single mum has her custodial sentence for an MCO violation reduced to a fine; a senior minister goes all silly and defends the indefensible; and a cop is charged over the alleged rape of two foreign women.
VIPs get off easy as hammer falls on rakyat
At some point, Covid-19 can no longer be used as an excuse to not convene a full meeting of Parliament. That point is coming ever closer as voices questioning the suspension of the democratic process get louder and louder. The question is, will PM Muhyiddin Yassin listen?
Meanwhile, a deputy minister will be charged for flouting the MCO, AirAsia cabin crew get new Covid threads, and Covid recoveries continue to outpace new infections.
Lastly, if you didn’t read the special email we sent out at 4pm yesterday, we urge you to click on this link
as we have a very important announcement to make.
Dear democracy, it’s been a while since we met
At some point, Covid-19 can no longer be used as an excuse to not convene a full meeting of Parliament. That point is coming ever closer as voices questioning the suspension of the democratic process get louder and louder. The question is, will PM Muhyiddin Yassin listen?
Meanwhile, a deputy minister will be charged for flouting the MCO, AirAsia cabin crew get new Covid threads, and Covid recoveries continue to outpace new infections.
Lastly, if you didn’t read the special email we sent out at 4pm yesterday, we urge you to click on this link
as we have a very important announcement to make.
A big change is coming to BTL next week
This weekday newsletter is brought to you by Trident Media, a group of Malaysian journalists with 60 years of combined media experience in four countries across TV, print and digital media.
The RM2.4 billion question
This may have slipped through your radar over the weekend, but PM Muhyiddin Yassin laid out the cost of the MCO in terms of lost revenue for the country – and boy it ain’t cheap.
But on the bright side, with recoveries stacking up and new infections still trending lower, we may be coming to the endgame soon. About bloody time, we say.
Also, have you noticed the shitstorm that’s erupted over what a Rohingya activist is said to have said? If you haven’t, never fear as here’s where you can get the skinny on it. Be warned, though: you may not like what you read.
MCO extended yet again
Yes folks, the movement control order (MCO) has been extended yet again. It’s something everybody suspected would happen, considering our Covid-19 numbers are not quite there yet. So, we gotta stay at home till at least May 12.
The good news is new infections are still in the double-digits, and recoveries are still outweighing new cases. Meanwhile, we’re still having problems with food aid for people stuck in areas under enhanced MCO (EMCO), as well as for the needy.
And lastly, Ramadan begins today and we’d like to take the opportunity to wish our Muslim friends selamat berpuasa.
Are we getting the whole picture?
Is there truth in the numbers?
The number of new daily Covid-19 cases have consistently been in the double-digits over the past few days. But are they a true reflection of actual infections in Malaysia? Or will mass testing, especially of foreign workers, prove otherwise?
Meanwhile, a new cluster has been identified in Johor, people in Selayang (now under enhanced movement control order, or EMCO) are starving, business owners are worried about the post-MCO period and Muslims have been advised to not balik kampung for Ramadan and Raya this year.
Oh happy day!
For the first time in a month, Malaysia had a day when nobody was killed by Covid-19. At a time when we have to take whatever little joys we can from life, a day without a Covid-related death is truly cause for celebration.
But it doesn’t end there – yesterday was also the day when we recorded the lowest number of new coronavirus cases since the MCO began. So, all in all, it really has been the best day we’ve had for a long, long time.
We wish we could say ‘That’s All Folks’, but there was also some less lovely news; more areas have been placed under EMCO, people are still behaving like morons and as always, we’ve got the usual political nonsense going on.
If you want to lead, first learn to follow
Regular Malaysians have been forced to stay home for the past month, on pain of arrest, in an effort to stop the spread of Covid-19. By and large, we’ve accepted the rules with good grace. But it’s turning out that these rules don’t seem to apply to those who fancy themselves as the leaders of this nation.
On the bright side, though the partial lockdown is now into its second month, things actually do seem to be getting better and there is genuine hope that we’ve turned a corner in the fight against the devastating virus.
Can we be optimistic about our Covid-19 situation?
Should we be optimistic about our Covid-19 efforts and numbers? While there are reasons to be, there is still cause to be cautious about how we move forward. We take a look at both sides of the coin.
Meanwhile, there were mixed reactions to the government move to cancel some major examinations and postpone others, as well as a host of other Covid-19 and movement control order (MCO) news yesterday.