By TINDAK

KUALA LUMPUR--Given the worsening Covid-19 situation in Malaysia, especially in the Klang Valley, we have decided to form a civil society coalition called Pelan Bertindak Rakyat (TINDAK!).

The purpose of this coalition is to mobilise mass support for a series of Emergency Action Plans, especially in the Health and Economy sectors.

These Emergency Action Plans have been or will be written by independent policy experts, and feature detailed, highly specific policies that need to be implemented urgently and without delay. (The Health Emergency Action Plan was published on the morning of July 19th by Dato’ Dr Amar Singh-HSS, Dr Khor Swee Kheng, Prof Datuk Dr Lokman Hakim Sulaiman, and Dato’ Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar, and has been endorsed by multiple organisations and individuals in the health sector.)

Failure to implement policies such as these will result in increased deaths and a higher infection rate of Covid-19, as well as increased hunger and extreme economic difficulty.

While we do not condone panic or undue alarmism, the authorities do not seem to be taking the magnitude of the problem we are facing nearly seriously enough. If they will not act on high alert, then the rakyat will put them on high alert.

TINDAK! will study the Emergency Action Plans and summarise key actionable demands from the Plans that we will mobilise mass support for.

As a grassroots initiative, our primary concern is that the concern and voices of all the rakyat are heard loud and clear, especially the voices of all Covid-19 frontliners who are increasingly burdened by the worsening pandemic. We clearly need a whole-of-society approach, and we must recognise our shared responsibility to drive bottom-up leadership.

If the authorities continue to act too slowly, we will organise mass protests (that do not involve mass gatherings, due to the Covid-19 situation) to pressure the relevant parties to implement the demands urgently.

We plan to announce the final list of demands later this week.

Jawatankuasa TINDAK!

Faisal Aziz - Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM)
Badlishah Sham - Pertubuhan IKRAM Malaysia / Gabungan Bertindak Malaysia (GBM)
Nathaniel Tan - Projek #BangsaMalaysia
Tan Yew Sing - Gabungan Bertindak Malaysia (GBM)
Grazele Jenarun - Projek #BangsaMalaysia
S. Arutchelvan - Jaringan Rakyat Terindas (JERIT) / Jawatankuasa Marhain
Altaf Deviyati - Projek Wawasan Rakyat (POWR)
Tharma Pillai - Undi18
Mukmin Nantang - Borneo Komrad
Farhan Rosli - Persatuan Kebangsaan Pelajar Islam Malaysia (PKPIM)