Mat Hasan: M'sia needs to get ahead of the curve in preparing for non-traditional threats

CORONAVIRUS | Malaysia needs to get ahead of the curve by developing better understanding and preparation to face non-traditional threats towards national security including pandemics and cyber-attacks.

Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan (photo) said the government can no longer take an ad hoc approach in facing such situations.

A national centre like the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in the US will become a national necessity and must be prioritised, he said.

“Malaysia will be exposed to all non-traditional threats like this, compared to war or ‘interstate conflict’.

“However, there are too many resources allocated to the traditional defence and security sector until the investment in preparing for non-traditional threats have been abandoned.

“The government cannot take an ad hoc approach anymore. Our preparations must be ahead of the curve,” he said in a statement today.

Mohamad Hasan was referring to the Covid-19 pandemic which has taken over the country right now.

He said Malaysia must be ready to do a “total reset” in ensuring the development and growth of the economy.

If the country’s economy was previously oriented towards competitiveness and high-income, the priority now should be the sustainability of the economy, he said.

“We must return to exploring the potential of the modernisation of a traditional economy and the growth of the ‘crisis-proof’ sector for the viability of our economy,” he said.

It is also time for the Malaysian government to shift to a digital platform completely as the country’s systems cannot be paralysed while facing a crisis, Mohamad Hasan said.

“The most obvious example is when schools were forced to shut down and how we could not shift to ‘online mode’ immediately,” he said.

Malaysia has announced a movement control order, effective March 18 to April 14, to break the transmission of the disease.

Malaysian citizens who returned to the country from overseas also have to be subjected to a 14-day quarantine.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has also announced the Prihatin economic stimulus package worth RM250 billion.

Keep up with the latest information on the outbreak in the country with Malaysiakini's free Covid-19 tracker.

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