Has the pandemic accelerated the growth of technology?

The global health crisis has opened the door for a bigger role of technology, assisting efforts in fighting COVID-19 and helping citizens adapt to a new way of life. As opportunities unfold, technology – being a double-edged sword – is also acting as a conduit for those wanting to take advantage of the crisis. Moving forward, cautious steps are vital as technological emergency measures could also expose citizens to vulnerabilities that violate human rights and privacy.

Read here (ISIS Malaysia, April 21, 2020)

Malaysia’s youth on the unemployed frontline: Five additional measures to effect reform

Story by Bridget Welsh & Calvin Cheng

‘These [existing] measures [to address the problems of youth unemployment] however are not enough. There is an urgent need to engage in meaningful reform to address underlying issues to ameliorate the negative impact of Covid-19. In keeping with our aim to offer constructive suggestions to address Covid-19, we offer five additional concrete ideas for consideration.

• First, the government can strengthen private-public sector partnerships through incentives to hire, retain and train young employees.
• Second, the government should consider ramping up training for younger Malaysians, not just those in the Klang Valley, but those in the states hardest hit by youth unemployment.
• Third, a rethink is needed on how to aid those young workers stuck in the low-paying jobs, with possible structured tax incentives for companies that offer training and advancement for employees to hire young workers who show promise.
• Fourth, while there have been important reforms in encouraging student debt repayment, including incentives for repayment, Covid-19 may provide an opportunity to consider broader measures of student debt relief based on need and debt restructuring.  
• Fifth, we need to appreciate that the social safety net in Malaysia is inadequate. The relief measures are tiny, compared to the scale of the economic downturn coming ahead, and the reality of being experienced now by those facing insecurity. 

Read here (Malaysiakini, April 18, 2020)

Expanding the military’s role?

The MAF has been deployed since 21 March to help patrol and enforce the MCO in response to COVID-19. At the time of writing, the MCO has been extended twice and is now set to end on 28 April 2020. During this prolonged period, some thought should be given to the possibility of the MAF’s expanded role in the crisis.

Read here (ISIS Malaysia, April 17, 2020)

Digital trade: A boon during the MCO and beyond

Throughout the Covid-19 MCO, digital trade has been a boon in not only connecting businesses to consumers, but also serving as a lifeline for MSMEs and informal workers. Given that digital trade is beneficial in maintaining employment and livelihood in crucial times of emergency, on top of its benefits during “ordinary” times, the government needs to rethink – or better yet, strike while the iron is hot – on how to further encourage digital trade among MSME entrepreneurs in the country.

Read here (ISIS Malaysia, April 17, 2020)

Media freedom and fake news during the time of Covid-19

The likening of the fight against Covid-19 to a war should neither be a rationale for war-time measures, nor a free hand to muzzle the media and impinge on individual free speech. With new normals being expected, these normals must include a free media coupled with better protected free speech rights.

Read here (ISIS Malaysia, April 15, 2020)

Health insecurity and its impact on refugees in Malaysia

Refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia have always struggled with a lack of identification and healthcare. How have these issues impacted the Government’s response to Covid-19? What are some of the challenges that will still need to be addressed beyond the MCO?

Read here (ISIS Malaysia, April 10, 2020)

Making the invisible visible: Faces of poverty in Malaysia revealed under the MCO

This article, by Bridget Welsh and Calvin Cheng, is written in the context of the current movement control order (MCO) as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak. It concludes:

‘Moving ahead, a serious rethink of how to address vulnerabilities and the poor is needed, beyond cash transfers of assistance and other immediate relief measures. The poor as a whole need to be recognised and disaggregated, with more attention to how to treat those facing the most serious hardships. A key step is to start getting the numbers right and to stop leaving out the many different groups being affected.

‘Practically, a task force can be set up to look at different sets of policies that are more holistic in addressing needs and causes along the various dimensions, with greater collaboration with NGOs, academics and international organisations, notably United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). This will allow for better targeting of available limited resources, offer opportunities to find new resources and importantly, allow for the framing of sound policies that will not just ameliorate problems caused by Covid-19, but also work to address the underlying social conditions that will inevitably worsen as the economy contracts.

‘A crucial part of the way forward is to make the reality of poverty more visible.’

Read here (Malaysiakini, April 4, 2020)

Locked down and locked up: Domestic violence during the pandemic

As the implementation of movement restriction measures disrupts our daily lives, governments are compelled to respond to the high demand for support as domestic violence cases soar in a short period of time. With such measures predicted to last for weeks and even months to come, the urgency to address this issue is unprecedented.

Read here (ISIS Malaysia, March 29, 2020)

Preparing for a new normal

Governments around the world have had to scramble to find ways to manage an unprecedented crisis with varying levels of success. While Malaysia has done well compared to its peers, do we have the institutional capacity to manage present and future crises to come?

Read here (ISIS Malaysia, March 29, 2020)

ISIS Focus: The race against a raging virus

The regular publication of ISIS Malaysia, ISIS Focus, has produced a special edition called “The race against a raging virus”, a compilation of articles (many in other publications) authored or co-authored by people associated with the institute.

Read here (ISIS Malaysia, March 2020)