KLSCAH Webinar Series: Tackling the COVID-19 Pandemic: MCO, Emergency and Alternatives

Date: 1 February 2021 (Monday)
Time: 8pm
Streaming Platform: KLSCAH Facebook Live (https://www.facebook.com/klscah/)

Speaker:
Prof. Jomo Kwame Sundaram – A prominent economist, Dr. Jomo writes regularly on sustainable development, was an economics professor until 2004 and Assistant Secretary General for Economic Development in the United Nations system during 2005-2015. He received the Wassily Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought in 2007.

Moderator: Ooi Heng – Chief executive at KLSCAH.

Organiser: The Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH)

Introduction:

On Jan 12, our nation was declared under a state of emergency. The statement given to the media for such a measure is to tackle the surge of COVID-19 positive cases. Plus, an extension of MCO 2.0 until Feb 4 is placed across seven states: Penang, Selangor, Melaka, Johor, Sabah, Kelantan, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan.

For the 1st time in history, the Emergency Ordinance states a suspension of parliamentary and legislative meetings during this state of emergency till Aug 1st.

This has raised many questions within the Malaysian public, especially by those with expertise in legal scrutiny.

Amidst these roadblocks, many high-profile institutes have projected Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP) to grow at least 6.5%.

However, experts are concerned with the struggling foreign direct investment (FDI) on local soil. Moreover, income inequality gaps have widened further.

In a visible struggle to sustain rates of economic growth, concerns for the nation to be stuck in the “middle-income trap” continue to rise. How will we reach optimistic GDP growth through a state of emergency? Are there alternatives?

Audiences are encouraged to support KLSCAH’s continuous effort to organise more webinars moving forward. Any contributions can be made to The Kuala Lumpur And Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (Bank Account No: 3077340127; Public Bank), and send a copy of the transaction receipt to the Secretariat of KLSCAH as proof through WhatsApp at 012-6645702 (Mr Loh).

Check out our refreshed multilingual website for more info on KLSCAH today:
https://klscah.org.my/en