Rajah Rasiah, Asia-Europe Institute, Universiti Malaya: This paper by Muhammed Abdul Khalid provides a reasonable account of how the COVID-19 pandemic unraveled in Malaysia, how it has affected the economy, and what types of policy interventions were taken. Khalid has largely provided a detailed account of the health and economic consequences and how interventions have impacted the country on both fronts. However, I think some parts of the account could have benefited from a more careful scrutiny of the data, and that the presentation should have told us more about the link between the health impact and the economic impact.
Importantly, apart from recommending a higher fiscal deficit to provide additional social assistance, including much needed assistance for low-wage workers and small businesses, the paper could have done more with concrete suggestions on how the handling of the economy could be improved. In the interest of the space and time...