LETTER | Malaysia’s Achilles' heel

LETTER | In the Greek legend of Achilles, his mother Thetis - desiring to make him immortal - dips baby Achilles by the heel in the River Styx.

This would prove to be fatal for him as the part of his left untouched by the river would later become his one and only weakness - in spite of strong he would come to be - it would be the heel of Achilles which would be responsible for his unfortunate fate. A poison arrow shot directly at his vulnerable heel in combat would result in his miserable death. 

The Malaysian government, as they spearhead efforts to combat the nation’s many economic issues are responsible for leading the people in order to fulfil this ambition.

Immersing the people in the country’s action plan - while strengthening the economy - will nevertheless prove to be fatal for Malaysia as a whole if the mental health of all Malaysians is left unaddressed policy-wise.

This near-unprotected weak spot makes the country’s entire national frame dangerously vulnerable to a life-threatening injury, inadvertently worsening Malaysia’s decline to total collapse - it is the country’s proverbial Achilles heel.

Prior to GE15 the Health Ministry, under the supervision of Khairy Jamaluddin, requested an increment in the national budget, galvanising the allotted financial aid in order to develop mental health services.

The urgent need for an upgrade in the country’s constrained mental health resources ensures that the mismatch between the continued exacerbation of mental health-related cases and the country’s capacity to dispense assistance necessary to address them is accounted for lest it becomes too overwhelmed.

Reports from the Malaysian Health Association have demonstrated that the issue of mental health, haemorrhaged by stress-related issues, has only significantly worsened - indications show that one in three people are affected - describing the affliction to be the second biggest issue wreaking havoc among Malaysians.

This is unprecedented in the nation’s history, it requires absolute concentration, not efforts that are intermittent. It requires a long-term solution and not a temporary band-aid.

Malaysians are desperately crying out into the aether for support - an ignorance of this - threatens to push them to their absolute breaking point, destabilising the very fissures that constitute the government’s entire national action plan.

The mobilisation of the workforce is fundamental to the success of any state-sanctioned action plan designed to strengthen the country because it is responsible for the economy’s level of production and growth.

The question of the nation’s stability does not entirely hinge on the development or creation of a highly productive workforce.

The CEIC statistics on Malaysia’s labour productivity growth have shown great improvements over the last quarter, demonstrating the country is indeed home to a stellar labour force.

What is required however are guaranteed mental health support systems, instituted by the government, for Malaysians that assure them of protection - ensuring that economic growth continues without sacrificing or compromising the livelihood of the people and the dangerous strain on their welfare given that many are injury-prone to the disastrous consequences of a decline in mental health.

This will dispel their concerns, inspiring strength in the population to endure the nation’s economic turbulence—increasing productivity in the long term.

There are a few areas, policy-wise that the government could look to explore in order to bolster the nation’s efforts to tackle the issue of mental health. 

Employee mental health policy

Propose strict interventions in the Malaysian corporate world in order to ensure that employers better accommodate the welfare of their employees - instituting counselling support systems, eschewing overly heavy workloads, reforming corporate culture in order to make the workplace more employee-friendly and mandating work-life balance through vacation schemes.

Upgrade of mental health services 

Increase financial aid directed to mental health services in order to make medication, counselling and therapy services more affordable, improve social services, make mental health support groups more widespread and ensure that insurance schemes in this area are accessible and fair.

Mental health education

Introduce a learning syllabus that educates students on mental health and the steps needed to preserve well-being.

I urge the government to consider the issue of mental health a matter of national emergency, for the country’s future depends on it.

Make Malaysia Achilles’ heel invulnerable.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.