FOURTEEN have so far died of Covid-19. One of the victims, a 70-year-old, had an underlying chronic health condition. One can be sure that if there are more deaths to follow, such news will be reported in a matter-of-fact manner. There will also be a rise in the number of cases with the hope that most, if not all, will recover. At the time of writing, 159 have recovered. Around the world, no one is safe from Covid-19. This includes, of all people, healthcare workers. Some 20 countries have more confirmed cases than us. Nevertheless, it’s not helpful to react if a country has a higher or lower number of cases than Malaysia. What we should react to is how we are dealing with Covid-19 at the national level.

The government has prepared 409 quarantine stations in anticipation of an increase in the number of cases. Many of us blame a particular group for the ease which with the virus has spread: the near-16,000 strong gathering at Masjid Jamek Sri Petaling. The Tabligh Cluster constitutes approximately three quarters of the cases so far. For sure such gatherings are irresponsible, but pointing fingers (at the past) is not what we need right now. Let us focus our attention elsewhere: The army.

The prime minister implemented the movement control order on March 18. That includes a prohibition of mass movements and gatherings, and closures of non-essential businesses and offices. The country has also closed educational institutions. As much as possible, teachers and students will now interact via e-learning. However, Covid-19 has brought out the panicky and irresponsible side in us. Panic-buying has occurred at supermarkets while irresponsible people are defying the movement restrictions for trivial reasons. Some Malaysians have reacted to these instances with calls to rope in the army to further enforce the two-week ban on travel in the country. Yet, the presence of the army is quite extreme, to put it mildly. The sight of  soldiers means we need to be controlled by force because we can’t control ourselves. The army also represents a divergence in the values Malaysians want to champion: One is humanity , shown by a spirit of togetherness all of us need to have in times of a crisis, and the other is our punitive inclinations, shown by the presence of authorities to ensure the virus is confined. On the one hand, you have accounts of low-income households being the most hard hit by the Covid-19 crisis. Their mental health is suffering. The sight of soldiers on the streets does nothing to improve our mental stability.

We need more productive ways in dealing with Covid-19. This is where the issue of class comes in. The link between health and class is inextricable. The deployment of soldiers shows where our economic resources are being channelled to. One suggestion to address health inequality is to test all Malaysians for Covid-19. Countries such as Canada and Australia have done this. Test kits in Malaysia cost around RM600. This is not something all Malaysians can afford. We can debate the economics of implementing such a scheme but let us put this suggestion in perspective: Is it more useful to panic buy and be policed by our own army or should we be thinking about how we can minimise the spread of Covid-19 in an efficient and low-cost manner for all? Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin took over the government at a difficult time. Implementing mass testing would be his first decisive political decision. Covid-19 raises a slew of questions for Malaysians, both at the practical and the philosophical level. As for the latter, we need to ask ourselves if we are likely to save lives with a solider or with an affordable testing programme that especially assuages the concerns of the low-income. – March 24, 2020.

* Imad Alatas reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.