WE have learnt many things about managing the economy that has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Movement Control Order (MCO), and how in some situations, people have been forced to change in order to continue with their lives. Now is the right time to change for the better.
We have learnt to prioritise health in our daily lives because of its huge impact on the socio-economy and welfare of the people, with Visit Malaysia 2020 also cancelled in the interest of citizens' health. As for the economies that have been chasing after aggregate economic indicators, gross domestic product, import-export growth, better trade balance, improvement in the tourism sector, the achievements that they have attained are easily threatened by a pandemic.
There's also the decreasing dependency on food imports that has seen a reduction in livestocks, fertilisers, pesticides and medicines used for agricultural activities. Therefore, special incentives should be provided to encourage urban agriculture or vertical farming, especially in larger cities as part of efforts to safeguard the national food security. What with around 77 per cent of Malaysians now living in the cities.
We have learnt that even with restrictions on movement, information still flows freely. Sectors relating to information technology, including online government services, online education, online shopping, delivery and many other online activities, have expanded during the MCO. Even tofu sambal can be delivered to our homes through the digital economy.
In light of that, the economy should be actively transitioned into a digital economy through the implementation of four digital ecosystems: infrastructure, infostructure, data capture and innovation.
The establishment of high-speed Internet in schools and educational and training institutions, smart villages, the expansion of e-commerce, and the adoption of automated systems and drones should be expedited.
At the same time, the government should have a comprehensive online system to ensure smooth communication between the central and state agencies, always on an updating mode, to enable government aid to reach the target groups.
This means that the economy needs to change from being labour-based to one that is technologically intensive.
Recruitment of foreign workers should be reduced and restricted to specific activities to provide job opportunities to local labour, who are unemployed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the MCO.
We have also starting learning about working from home during the MCO, which is predicted to increase women's numbers in the workforce. While there are many benefits, working from home requires more planning and clearer guidelines. Work quality, cost-savings and increments to both employers and employees, productivity, annual performance evaluation, allowances and incentives must be factored in.
The environment has also become cleaner and solid waste disposal has decreased.
Ultimately, the MCO has made people more creative and innovative in their daily lives. Even though the political situation is intense, there seems to be less politicking during the MCO. In a situation where the people are faced with myriad issues and an uncertain future, politicking will not solve the people's problems.
The people need a government that is stable, efficient and can make quick decisions.
Certainly after the MCO, people would like to see how the needs of the day will be tended to, with national development programmes centred on the wellbeing of residents, be they students, investors, business people, workers or consumers.
Overall, there are many things that we have learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic and the implementation of the MCO. So now it is time for us to unite as a people and a nation. In short, with the right attitude and mindset, things have changed for the better.
The writer is a professor at Azman Hashim International Business School, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia