Sin Chew Daily

On January 12, the Muhyiddin administration came up with an emergency decree shortly after the announcement of MCO 2.0, meant to stabilize the country's politics and battle the coronavirus wholeheartedly.

Many in the opposition are against the emergency decree, arguing that it was designed to shore up Muhyiddin's grip on power.

Pakatan Harapan feels that MCO alone is sufficient to deal with the virus, and Anwar has even said Muhyiddin must take responsibility for failing to contain the spread of the virus and losing support in the Parliament, and should step down from office immediately.

But should we rather keep the politics stable so that we can focus on the war against the virus, or should the Parliament be dissolved now to pave way for fresh election?

During such a crucial moment, we feel that the rakyat's livelihood and well-being must take precedence. To people in the street, there is hope only if we stay alive!

This gives the PM an edge over his rivals in this round of fight. If he can successfully put the pandemic under control over the next six months, it will give him a big boost in his re-election bid.

Muhyiddin has said the primary objective of emergency is to allow us to concentrate in battling the virus and firm up our vulnerable economy.

Politic-wise, although there will not be any election during this period, the government will still function as usual. And where the people's day-to-day living is concerned, there will be no curfew and we can still lead our normal lives under MCO.

To be fair, MCO 2.0 is much better planned than last year's version. The 47-day MCO last year was enforced nationwide with hardly an major adjustment made in the course. As a consequence, economic activities, the education system as well as daily living of ordinary citizens were adversely affected.

This time, the government still urges the public to adhere to all the SOPs and not to travel across state borders without valid reasons. On the economic front, five sectors are allowed to operate, including plantation and commodities, manufacturing, construction, finance, services industry, and trade distribution.

By allowing these sectors to operate, impact on the national economy will be significantly reduced.

Take the last MCO for instance, restaurants and eateries were not allowed to provide dine-in service, only takeaway and delivery, and markets were not allowed to open for business. As a result, many food hawkers had to close down.

The current MCO 2.0 will last for 14 days and can be extended. Economically, only non-essential sectors will be affected, such as travel, aviation, transportation, restaurants, cinemas and recreational facilities.

Sure enough a slump in these sectors will deal a severe blow on the national economy and will have chain effects on the day-to-day lives of Malaysians. We all must be mentally prepared to embrace a very simple lifestyle without much entertainment in the days to come.

And very soon we will usher in the Chinese New Year. All festive celebrations will very likely be out of reach this year!

This might be the first time Chinese Malaysians are unable to celebrate CNY in the country's history, Even during the second world war, at least our grandparents could still enjoy a very mediocre dinner together while fleeing hostile gunfire.

Who can deny that fighting a virus is no different from fighting a war?