COMMENT | Workplace raids: Five Covid-19 resets
COMMENT | We stand on the eve of the most dreadful year in recent history. On every New Year’s Eve, we pray all bad happenings will give way to new hope and a better future. But today is totally different. The Covid-19 pandemic has not receded as we yearned for. In fact, all signs indicate the worst is not over yet, arguably having reached the state of runaway community spread.
As always, it is time to reflect on the past year and draw lessons for the New Year. This time we need to be brutally honest, accept our shortcomings, and truly resolve to make amends. Not just wishful thinking. I call this “Covid-19 reset”, and explain why and how.
I will also explain why the trending fashionable quote “all of government, whole of society” is just so misleading and used as a political tool. I exceptionally touch on corruption and cronyism, which I consciously avoid writing because everyone is an expert on it.
But before that, since we are bombarded with numbers everyday this year, let me recall Statistics 101. Statistics is borne based on the concept of population (all elements in a target group) and sampling. In any study, it is not possible to analyse the population beyond a certain size to give us the perfect conclusion. This is where sampling comes in, to scientifically seek out a manageable representative size of the population, analyse it, draw conclusions, and then postulate the behaviour of the population.
Of course, a devious mind can purposely seek out a wrong sample, and come to the conclusion they want. So everyone will first analyse the methodology before looking at the conclusion. However, we are told the raw data and methodology cannot be shared for scrutiny, and that we just have to trust the single authority. This is not how science or rational thinking works. Also, what we don’t know, doesn’t hurt. Covid-19 reset 1.
COMMENT | We stand on the eve of the most dreadful year in recent history. On every New Year’s Eve, we pray all bad happenings will give way to new hope and a better future. But today is totally different. The Covid-19 pandemic has not receded as we yearned for. In fact, all signs indicate the worst is not over yet, arguably having reached the state of runaway community spread.
As always, it is time to reflect on the past year and draw lessons for the New Year. This time we need to be brutally honest, accept our shortcomings, and truly resolve to make amends. Not just wishful thinking. I call this “Covid-19 reset”, and explain why and how.
I will also explain why the trending fashionable quote “all of government, whole of society” is just so misleading and used as a political tool. I exceptionally touch on corruption and cronyism, which I consciously avoid writing because everyone is an expert on it.
Statistics 101
But before that, since we are bombarded with numbers everyday this year, let me recall Statistics 101. Statistics is borne based on the concept of population (all elements in a target group) and sampling. In any study, it is not possible to analyse the population beyond a certain size to give us the perfect conclusion. This is where sampling comes in, to scientifically seek out a manageable representative size of the population, analyse it, draw conclusions, and then postulate the behaviour of the population.
Of course, a devious mind can purposely seek out a wrong sample, and come to the conclusion they want. So everyone will first analyse the methodology before looking at the conclusion. However, we are told the raw data and methodology cannot be shared for scrutiny, and that we just have to trust the single authority. This is not how science or rational thinking works. Also, what we don’t know, doesn’t hurt. Covid-19 reset 1.
How best we managed Covid-19
Malaysia received worldwide accolades for ably managing the Covid-19 pandemic in the early days of the MCO and EMCO. Our daily cases were in double or low triple digits. We graduated to CMCO and RMCO. Then the Sabah political fiasco in September brought us back to CMCO in some states.
The authorities told us once these Sabah infections have run its course, all will be good and dandy. But we hit high triple digits and went into record four digits. The CMCO was extended to all of Malaysia. In early December, finance (RM300 million loss a day) trumped health, and all of us are free finally, even with community infections increasing daily.
We sneered and laughed at Singapore when they targeted foreign workplaces as the battlefront in the early days, and reported four-digit cases. Instead, our authorities clamped down on its citizens nationwide with the full might of the police and army. Desperate citizens, especially the B40, were sought out at the ubiquitous roadblocks and raids, many handcuffed, dragged in chains to court, and summarily sentenced with hefty fines and jail terms.
The US imposed sanctions on Top Glove/FGV in July/September respectively for labour rights abuse, but our authorities vehemently denied any such violations calling it a conspiracy. I verily believe only when the cases started increasing inexplicably at the end of October, the authorities paid attention to a viral video revelation of a Top Glove whistleblower at workplaces.
Why didn’t the authorities heed Singapore, US and many other warnings of infections at workplaces? The big enterprises seem to be protected by the “dare-touch-me-not” vaccine. The ordinary citizens were literally viewed as criminals, unless otherwise proven, and any attempt to explain carries an additional charge of obstruction.
SMEs, such as restaurant owners, recreational facility owners, night market traders were raided and fined for minor violations of SOPs and for misconduct of their patrons. But why didn’t the joint police/army enforcement patrols raid the big enterprises at that time? The religious authorities/NGOs who taunt non-believers every day, inexplicably abandoned foreign workers mostly of their own faith, to suffer in silence.
Even now only the health, labour and local government authorities are raiding and prosecuting under their respective laws. I see no exemption given to big enterprises under the gazetted MCO regulations. So many questions, but a Covid-19 reset 2 would require the authorities to come clean, explain the seemingly double standards, and regain the trust of the public.
Moving forward, a Covid-19 reset 3 would require, for example, a prior warning to all owners of workplaces to clean up their act in a week or two, and then carry out an enforcement blitz nationwide for the next two weeks led by the police/army and supported by the functional agencies. No more RM1,000 fine for these big players.
Corruption and cronyism
Corruption and cronyism is the root of all evil, and it definitely aids in the proliferation of Covid-19 infections. Human Resources Minister M Saravanan is now doing a great job in leading the raids personally, otherwise the extent of the problem would not have surfaced. Even so, he confirmed that officials have tipped off a raid, which a company representative dismissed as rubbish.
By right, the representative should be arrested and charged for obstruction and tampering evidence. How big enterprises could have carried on gross violation of human rights abuse, and yet not held accountable is anybody’s guess. Suddenly so many violations sprout like mushrooms, after the raids.
When big enterprises exchange corporate social responsibility (CSR) mock cheques with VIPs in attendance in a glittering ceremony, I cannot help wondering whether real cheques are exchanged behind the scene. The ongoing court cases offer a peek into how corruption and cronyism thrive among the big and powerful players. These enterprises have deep pockets and will certainly fight back, but the cabinet should stand firm and act in concert, not leaving Saravanan alone. The health minister seems to have absconded from his own frontliners’ battlefield. Covid-19 reset 4.
Governance and society
I have twitched the trending catchphrase to “all of governance, whole of society” approach in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. Governance includes the government, opposition, all elected representatives, the civil service, elites, the medical fraternity etc, i.e. anyone with influence and capacity to contribute.
The opposition cunningly uses the term ‘government’ to whack the ruling class to score political points. On the other hand, the ruling class uses that to take a non-inclusive authoritarian approach. For example, the private medical fraternity has been offering their facilities, I believe on a non-profit basis, but no takers yet.
Parliament session is over. Rather than continue to snip at each other outside Parliament, the politicians should call a truce and work together. Covid-19 reset 5. While they claim to be concerned about Covid-19 and the public, sadly their every action/inaction or outburst is driven by the motivation to hold on to, or topple the government.
The public can see easily through all this and will vote wisely when the times comes. In this respect, Malaysiakini’s 2020 newsmaker polls is very telling, though it may not be a representative sample. The frontliners came out tops, followed by hitherto unknown individuals; untiring social workers, courageous youths. The political leaders too received high votes, but for all the wrong reasons. Certainly, foreign labourer Yubaraj Khadka would have been among the top newsmakers.
So what do we wish for in 2021? Throughout my professional career as an environmentalist, there is one dictum I hold dear; never meddle with “nature, environment and health”. Man-made remedies like vaccine are just band-aids, it can never offer lasting solutions.
We should reflect on our follies of wantonly destroying nature, vow to reset our unsustainable lifestyle, and accord nature enough space and time to heal itself from the massive destruction caused.
Ever wondered how an unknown invisible microscopic organism could bring us all to our knees; and force every single human being on this planet to make this one and only wish, in one form or other?
My best wishes for a Covid-19-free 2021.
RAMAN LETCHUMANAN was director, Environment/Conservation, Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment (1993-2000), head of Environment/Haze/Disaster Management, Asean Secretariat, Jakarta (2000-2014), and senior fellow at S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (2014-2016). He is a subscriber of Malaysiakini. Email: raman.asean@gmail.com.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
