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Online anger grows in Malaysia over perceived mishandling of pandemic

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KUALA LUMPUR Online anger over perceived mishandling of the Covid-19 situation in Malaysia saw the hashtags #kerajaangagal (failed government) trending on Twitter.

Malaysia recorded 2,078 infections yesterday, taking the total to 377,132. There were eight deaths, taking the toll to 1,386. It was the fifth straight day that cases went above 2,000, after trending below the 2,000 mark for six consecutive weeks.

Netizens have questioned why a state of emergency since January has failed to lower the number of infections.Twitter saw more than 100,000 tweets with the hashtag #kerajaangagal over the weekend.

User Amar wrote: "1. They fail in managing the pandemic even after a year; 2. Rakyat (the people) are mad; 3. The Emergency Ordinance is a pure political ploy for them to survive."

Meanwhile, Thailand reported 1,390 cases yesterday, slowing slightly after a run of record daily highs, amid a new wave of infections that has seen a third of the country's cases recorded this month alone.

The new infections were down by a fifth from Sunday's record 1,767 cases, which the coronavirus task force said was due to measures to control the spread and requests for people to avoid travel and gatherings.

"Measures we have introduced for next two weeks will reduce cases, travel and risky activities," Ms Apisamai Srirangsan, a spokesman for the task force, told a briefing. - THE STRAITS TIMES, THE STAR, REUTERS

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