KUALA LUMPUR – Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz has given his assurance that Malaysia will not implement a total lockdown on the economy, even in the worst-case scenario.
Instead, he said the government will focus on enforcing more stringent standard operating procedures (SOPs) should the number of Covid-19 cases remain high in the country.
“Based on the current model, we believe the number of cases will go down.
“Assuming the worst-case scenario (does come true), it will not be a total lockdown on the economy. We will continue to focus on more stringent SOP,” he said in an interview CNBC today.
Tengku Zafrul was responding to a question on which sector the government will shut down if the movement control order (MCO 2.0) is extended or the Covid-19 vaccine roll-out does not go as smoothly as expected.
He said if the number of cases continue to rise, core issues, such as adherence and enforcement of the SOPs, will be addressed.
Malaysia recorded 4,094 new Covid-19 cases yesterday, taking the country’s infection tally to 198,208.
Meanwhile, Tengku Zafrul dismissed the notion that the recent increase in the ringgit against the US dollar will impact export performance.
“Yes, the ringgit has strengthened against the US dollar and other currencies, but as global trade is forecast to grow about 8% in 2021 versus 2020, Malaysia stands to benefit.
“I believe the ringgit performance will not have an adverse impact on exports.” – Bernama, January 29, 2021
