DEPLOYING the army to boost enforcement of the movement-control order (MCO) is a way of showing the Malaysian public how serious the government is about curbing the spread of the deadly Covid-19 coronavirus.

However, there are still pros and cons to the move, which began early today, said analysts, experts and military veterans.

At the end of the day, how effective the nation’s fight against the virus does not depend entirely on how many stern-faced uniformed personnel the government puts on the streets, they said.

It will depend on the discipline and civic mindedness of Malaysians as the police or the army cannot be everywhere at once, they said.

“Whether or not it will help reduce the number of cases still depends on the cooperation and discipline of Malaysians,” said think-tank Galen Centre for Health & Social Policy.

“The success of countries (slowing down the outbreak), such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan, did not depend on the presence of the military but the cooperation of their citizens,” said Galen’s chief executive, Azrul Mohd Khalib.

Political analyst Mohd Azlan Zainal also questioned whether deploying the army is wise use of funds and resources, which are already stretched during the outbreak and sluggish economic period.

“The army should not just be used for patrolling the streets and breaking up gatherings,” said Azlan of the Ilham Centre.

Pros: more compliance

The MCO, which expires on March 31, is aimed at breaking the virus’ chain of transmission by cutting down on social contact and movement.

As of yesterday, eight people have died from the disease, while the total number of infections has risen to 1,183 nationwide.

Some 37 patients are in intensive care units while 114 individuals have recovered.

Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the decision to involve the army was made as Malaysians appeared to be breaking the order to stay indoors and flouting the MCO.

Azlan agreed that getting Malaysians to abide by the MCO is still a challenge, even after four days.

“The main priority is to control, enforce and educate (people) about the MCO. The focus is on places that are still attracting people and on main roads, petrol stations and markets, and to start restrictions on what time people can visit these places.

“For the government, deploying the army will, hopefully, assist the police in these measures.”

Azrul echoed this view, saying the army will increase the coverage of enforcement.

“Their physical presence on the streets will communicate strongly to citizens that this is an unprecedented crisis that requires the cooperation of the entire country to get through.”

Cons: different doctrines

However, analysts and veterans are questioning the deployment of the army to enforce a peace-time ruling on civilians.

This is since the country already has a 130,000-strong police force that includes members of the General Operations Force (PGA), said veterans’ group Patriot.

“The country has an effective and experienced police force that has proven itself to be one of the best in this region, if not the world,” said its president, Mohamed Arshad Raji.

“It must also be remembered that should military force be deployed, it will look bad in the eyes of the international community. We do not want the image of the country to look like we are in a war zone.”

The military is also trained according to doctrines that differ greatly from the police force, said Azrul, adding that there must be clear directions on what its personnel can and cannot do.

“Police deal with the domestic civilian population within the context of law enforcement.

“Soldiers are trained to deal with combatants and foreign aggressors. Despite their involvement in humanitarian operations, they are not always interchangeable,” said Azrul.

Azlan said deploying the military could mean using more government resources that can instead be directed to other agencies, such as the health care sector.

“If they are deployed, the army should not just be used to disperse crowds and man roadblocks but used more strategically to complement other aspects of the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

“They should be saved and deployed during phases that are critical and used as a last resort.” – March 22, 2020.