THIS is the story of Ahmad and Din. Two boys from two different families. Both were given a large cake as well as a large bottle of Coke as a reward from their parents for being good children. Both of them loved cake and Coke as the combination was really quite astounding. They were delighted at this gift, especially since neither of them had had any cake or Coke in six weeks.

The parents were happy that the children were thrilled with the gift, although Ahmad complained he would have preferred chocolate cake rather than vanilla and that he would have liked a round cake instead of a square one.  He also asked why he was being given a cake now when he had been told he would have to wait another two weeks or maybe longer.  

It was quite difficult satisfying Ahmad. On the other hand, Din was just happy to have cake and coke.  

Ahmad decided to be greedy and gobbled up the whole lot in one sitting. Din knew if he consumed the whole lot at one go, he would run the risk of falling ill. It was just a risk but a risk nonetheless.  So Din exercised caution and only ate a little at a time. In fact by doing so, he managed to enjoy his cake and Coke over several days.

A pretty trivial story you may think but one that has a much deeper meaning. Ahmad and Din are actually all of us – the people. Their parents are the government. The cake and coke is the gift to us of the relaxation of the movement-control order (MCO).

Like Ahmad and Din, you have a choice come May 4. You can be like Ahmad and immediately rush out to a restaurant for breakfast. You can then be brash and push your way through the lines at the train stations or bus stations. Once at work you can ignore all good sense and not practise social distancing. 

Then, you can go out for lunch at another favourite restaurant. After that you can look forward to coming home and then going for a run to work off all that good food you ate for breakfast and lunch. 

Later, go out for dinner and then supper again. After all, the government has said it is okay right? So what’s to stop you?

Or you can be like Din. Realise that the government has said the MCO is still in place. That is has only been relaxed a little so that the economy can be restarted. Listen to the fact that they have said to stay at home as much as possible and only go out when necessary.  

This includes exercise and going out to restaurants. Is it really necessary or can you do without it for a little bit longer?

You can be also be like Ahmad and complain that barber shops should open. Or question why restaurants can operate but night clubs cannot. You can complain it is wrong to relax the MCO now and we should wait another two weeks if not longer. Or just complain for the sake of complaining because complaining makes you feel good right?

You may prefer to be Din and be thankful for whatever it is that is still operating. Be grateful people now have some way of getting an income and perhaps get their livelihood back. Because the truth of the matter is, if the economy is not restarted, it may not be Covid-19 that takes lives but just simply not being able to earn a livelihood.

There is much at play at the relaxing of the MCO. The key drivers are clearly economic as not only is the country losing billions of ringgit – businesses are suffering too.

And it is a chain reaction. If large companies close down, the lower level supplier is affected. Conversely, if a lower level supplier closes down, the supply chain is broken and the larger companies may no longer be able to operate for lack of supplies. 

To put it simply, you cannot make banana fritters if there are no bananas.

So argue all you want about the pros and cons of relaxing the MCO almost two weeks earlier than anticipated. Many of you are saying it has not been thought out properly. Bear in mind that the MCO has not been lifted but merely relaxed. 

When you look at it holistically, there are very stringent protocols that need to be followed for a business to operate. Are you all even aware there are standard operating procedures that need to be followed? Have any of you even bothered to look at the SOPs to see what is required before making a big fuss? Many companies will not be able to adhere to these SOPs and these companies may need more time before they may be able to operate.  

Covid-19 is not going away soon. Hopefully though the curve has flattened and the health system is in a better state to handle the transmission and treatment. 

That’s where you come in and play your part as well to keep the curve flat. Stay home as much as you can. Don’t rush out in droves to enjoy your freedom. Limit your social circle and maybe even track it. Call out those not practising social distancing or good health practices. 

Be sensible about what you really need to go out for. If you feel it’s not safe to go out, then don’t. Do what you think is right for you. Don’t be like Ahmad and eat the whole cake just because you can. 

The choice is really yours. As a dear friend told me a few years ago, Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. – May 2, 2020.

* Dharm Navaratnam 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.