Amid deep political dysfunction, how did Malaysia pull together its coronavirus vaccine plan?
- Science minister Khairy Jamaluddin has become the face of Kuala Lumpur’s public health drive, and he – and PM Muhyiddin Yassin’s government – stand to benefit from its success
- But while the country has secured enough doses to vaccinate 80 per cent of its population by early next year, analysts say the political infighting will continue behind the scenes
The premier’s Perikatan Nasional coalition, which came to power via political coup, is close to the end of a first year in government that has been marked by deep internal dysfunction and threats to its hold on power, including bickering with ostensible allies the United Malays National Organisation (Umno) over primacy ahead of promised elections next year.
Khairy, a member of Umno and an Oxford graduate, is at the centre of a plan that will cost more than 4 billion ringgit (US$988.9 million) once all procurement and roll-out costs are totted up. With vaccines from at least six different sources and more in the works, Perikatan Nasional is confident it has enough for 80 per cent of the country’s population, including foreign residents as well as refugees – and, accordingly, that it will reap any political benefit.
“As Umno heads towards a showdown with Perikatan Nasional, with a good chance that Umno will remain a key partner in a future coalition government, Khairy has everything to gain by looking like one of the few competent and reliable ministers in the government,” said political scientist Wong Chin Huat, who described the science minister as having matured from “arrogance” as a youth leader to “a steady and patient player who does a good job while waiting for his chance”.
“Depending on the composition of the next government, he may stand a good chance to be a senior minister and even a candidate for prime minister one day,” Wong said.
