KUCHING: Political analyst Dick Lembang Dugun has said that Malaysia’s political stability will determine its economic recovery in the coming new year.
He said with unstable Malaysian politics and politicians constantly politicking, investors would be reluctant to invest in the country.
“This would have a disastrous impact on our economy, and at the end the people will suffer. The reality is that political stability is very important to ensure economic prosperity.
“Currently, the livelihood of people is at stake and people are struggling to ensure there is food on the table.”
He believed that the economy would still be stagnant for the first half of next year, with some progress possibly being seen towards the end of the year.
“If the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government which looks fragile keeps on governing, it must come with systematic eco-planning.”
On the other hand, he noted the political stability in Sarawak, with the state contributing significantly to foreign direct investment this year.
He said next year would be an interesting one for Sarawak, what with its State Election which may take place early next year.
“The Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) state government mandate which is due in the middle of next year will give way to the state election, whereby GPS would need a new mandate to govern Sarawak.”
Dugun, who is also a lecturer at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas), believed next year will see more political drama at the federal level.
“The 15th General Election might also occur next year if we look at the Malaysian political situation now. The question is: will the election give the solution to a minority government?”
He hoped that the end of the Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia would be seen next year and that the vaccine would give hope to the people on returning to normal life.
“I hope job seekers especially graduates would have the opportunity to attain jobs and that businesses will be back to normal. Job seekers are in a dilemma as there are no jobs available or opportunities for them especially among graduates.”
He said this year had been one of the hardest for people all around the world due to the Covid-19 pandemic and its changes to normal life.
“The disastrous economic impact has affected every segment in our country and many people have lost jobs and closed their businesses.”
