In a Facebook post today, he said the government should expedite the vaccination of every Malaysian and revitalise the nation’s economy, including by opening up borders.

Mohamad, popularly known as Tok Mat, said: “2020 has been wasted with a year-long politicking. 2021 will be the time to seriously govern.

“Every optimistic projection announced must immediately be translated into real economic recovery and growth. Any radical initiative must be realised to boost economic activity, as the well-being of the people is highly dependent on it.”

He said that economic recovery and revitalisation was also dependent on the opening of international borders. Immediate planning and preparations towards this, he said, must be made as it was impossible for Malaysia to survive in isolation for too long.

Mohamad also called on the government to expedite the Covid-19 vaccination process so that “every Malaysian in every corner and geographical location” gets protection.

“It will definitely be a huge medical and logistical challenge for the government. As such, an emergency approval process should be considered for the use of the Covid-19 vaccine, similar to other countries, without compromising on public health and safety.”

He said the current conditional approval process was not in line with the global standards of immediate emergency approval.

”This national vaccination initiative will be the litmus test for the government’s ability to govern.”

Saying that the nation had lost its “status quo in various parts of life, social well-being and economic growth”, he called on Malaysians to strive to build a better Malaysia in 2021 to return the nation to its glory days.