Malaysia is no stranger to public health crises. In the A(H1N1) outbreak, there was no health curfew imposed given the preparedness Malaysian Health Ministry in pandemic outbreak response, with health screening and thermal scanners in place at various checkpoints at Kuala Lumpur International Airport following the start of a global alert on the flu.
What makes the COVID-19 pandemic different from previous pandemic outbreaks in Malaysia that the country’s constitutional monarch declared a nationwide state of emergency at Prime Minister Muhyiddin’s request? Is the COVID-19 outbreak response by the Malaysian government encroaching into our liberty that turns us, the law-abiding civilians, into victims? Many stop living. Many stop having to accomplish or even try hard things because there’s this deadly thing out there that might kill them. Is this who we really are? You choose – is it going to be a fight over liberty or do you accept death sentence over our livelihood without putting up a fight?
