Politics in Malaysia has always been noisily adversarial, as was shown when the country’s parliament met for the first time this year on Monday, after a state of emergency was declared in January. MPs talked over each other, the speaker of the lower house received a verbal battering from the opposition, and some observers described the session as ending in chaos when the government refused to allow a full debate on its Covid-19 recovery plan.
While politicians rarely agree on anything, one thing that did unite them earlier this month was a Bloomberg opinion piece. Titled “Malaysia is staggering down the road to failed statehood”, the outrage at the slur on national dignity was felt across the spectrum. It wasn’t just the government fighting back, led by Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz, who wrote a rebuttal that was widely published, including in The Straits Times in neighbouring Singapore.
The sting was perceived by government critics as well, including one analyst who, referring to Bloomberg’s American origins and headquarters, messaged me her irritation: “Did anybody in the West come to the failed state conclusion when the US was in the throes of the pandemic?”
Tengku Zafrul pointed to the signs of Malaysia’s good standing. In June, the ratings agencies Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s had retained Malaysia’s ratings as A3 and A- respectively. “Such ratings are not typical of a ‘failed state’,” he wrote. The vaccination programme has been revved up (close to half a million people per day are getting the jab now) with the country doing “five to 10 times more testing than our neighbours”, he said, going on to praise the “outstanding” volunteers who have been helping out at medical centres.
In the US-based Index of Fragile States, Malaysia is listed in the one-third of least fragile – or most stable – countries. Tengku Zafrul was justified in countering that the Bloomberg writer had ignored Malaysia’s “strong medium-term growth prospects, resilient capital markets, deep liquidity and capital buffers of the financial sector and other traits of our well-diversified economy that has weathered past crises and remains poised to do so with this current one".
It is perfectly true that the country has been very badly hit by the pandemic, but Tengku Zafrul was also right to say that “impacted businesses, struggling households and a government working under imperfect political conditions” made up a scenario hardly unique to Malaysia.
Another of the many who reacted to the insult was Dr Hazmi Rusli of Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia. He pointed out that it has been reported that “about 700,000 UK citizens were driven into poverty due to the pandemic” in 2020. “Based on this data, is it fair to conclude that the UK is a failed state?”
Others managed to find some humour in the brouhaha. Referencing a veteran opposition leader who has been making doomsday predictions about Malaysia – including that it was becoming a "failed state" – for as long as anyone can remember, one online commenter wrote: “Oh please tell me Lim Kit Siang is the owner of Bloomberg now.”
What prompted this strange – and offensive – judgement on the country’s health appears to have been that Malaysians who are in dire need of food and money have taken to waving white flags outside their homes. This, the writer thought, was “a shorthand for discontent at the atrophying state and troubled economy”.
It is tragic that many Malaysians have lost jobs and income through the pandemic. It is also the case that the government’s response has been mixed. But few developing countries have the wherewithal or capacity to provide for absolutely everyone in the face of such an unexpected catastrophe. The truly uplifting side to all this is the way that so many Malaysians have been coming forward to help.
Civil society figures such as Dr Hartini Zainudin, the country’s leading child activist, have leveraged their contacts so that those who can afford to send money can buy meals for families who are going hungry. A major web portal, Free Malaysia Today, has a tab for “the White Flag campaign”, which lists individuals and organisations around the country who are providing assistance.
In my own neighbourhood in Kuala Lumpur, many cafes have signs indicating times of the day when they will give out free food. Ordinary people are buying sacks of rice, bottles of oil and other essentials that those in hardship can collect from petrol stations. This is a Malaysia to be proud of and a society that is showing resilience and a sense of community in exceedingly trying times.
After the despair of lockdown, a glimmer of hope is now on the horizon
This all seemed to escape Bloomberg’s columnist, who also bizarrely characterised key infrastructure projects of the last century, such as Kuala Lumpur International Airport and the Petronas Twin Towers, as “boondoggles” that “suggested waste”. Being married to a Malaysian, I may be biased, but the sparkling and spacious international airport is far superior to Singapore’s Changi in my opinion, while the population takes deserved pride in how the stunning Twin Towers have become world-renowned.
The reality is that while many structural weaknesses have been near impossible to address politically for decades, Malaysia has and continues to do well. Like many governments around the world, the current administration has bungled some aspects of the pandemic and performed quite well in others. If Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s target of immunising the whole population by October is reached, that will be a real achievement.
Opposition politicians have been invited to join the government’s new National Recovery Council, which also includes corporate titans such as AirAsia Group chief executive Tony Fernandes and independent figures whose voices will not be silenced, such as Dr Hartini. After the desolations and despair of lockdown, endured particularly harshly by lower socio-economic groups, a glimmer of hope is now on the horizon.
That cautious optimism is justified above all by the actions of a citizenry that has displayed solidarity and compassion under the severest of strains. Malaysia a failed state? Not if its magnificent people have anything to do with it.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2019 GMC Yukon Denali
Price, base: Dh306,500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 621Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.9L / 100km
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Tuesday (UAE kick-off times)
Leicester City v Brighton (9pm)
Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United (11.15pm)
Wednesday
Manchester United v Sheffield United (9pm)
Newcastle United v Aston Villa (9pm)
Norwich City v Everton (9pm)
Wolves v Bournemouth (9pm)
Liverpool v Crystal Palace (11.15pm)
Thursday
Burnley v Watford (9pm)
Southampton v Arsenal (9pm)
Chelsea v Manchester City (11.15pm)
ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
%3Cp%3ECreator%3A%20Tima%20Shomali%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0Tara%20Abboud%2C%C2%A0Kira%20Yaghnam%2C%20Tara%20Atalla%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
FA Cup fifth round draw
Sheffield Wednesday v Manchester City
Reading/Cardiff City v Sheffield United
Chelsea v Shrewsbury Town/Liverpool
West Bromwich Albion v Newcastle United/Oxford United
Leicester City v Coventry City/Birmingham City
Northampton Town/Derby County v Manchester United
Southampton/Tottenham Hotspur v Norwich City
Portsmouth v Arsenal
About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
Investors: Undisclosed
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Other IPL batting records
Most sixes: 292 – Chris Gayle
Most fours: 491 – Gautam Gambhir
Highest individual score: 175 not out – Chris Gayle (for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in 2013)
Highest strike-rate: 177.29 – Andre Russell
Highest strike-rate in an innings: 422.22 – Chris Morris (for Delhi Daredevils against Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017)
Highest average: 52.16 – Vijay Shankar
Most centuries: 6 – Chris Gayle
Most fifties: 36 – Gautam Gambhir
Fastest hundred (balls faced): 30 – Chris Gayle (for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in 2013)
Fastest fifty (balls faced): 14 – Lokesh Rahul (for Kings XI Punjab against Delhi Daredevils in 2018)
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPowertrain%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle%20electric%20motor%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E201hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E310Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E53kWh%20lithium-ion%20battery%20pack%20(GS%20base%20model)%3B%2070kWh%20battery%20pack%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E350km%20(GS)%3B%20480km%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C900%20(GS)%3B%20Dh149%2C000%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
