JOHOR BARU, June 16 — Johor PAS today expressed support for the federal government’s National Recovery Plan even as some trade groups describe it as vague and missing definitive strategies needed to guide Malaysia out of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Its chief Abdullah Husin defended the four-phase plan as based on data and science, and expressed confidence that if followed, will enable the community to return to normal daily life.

"Having seen this National Recovery Plan, Johor PAS supports the government’s initiative,” Abdullah said in a statement.

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin presented the plan yesterday and listed three specific threshold indicators that will decide the stages for Covid-19 pandemic restrictions to be lifted.

Each of these phases, said the prime minister, will be based on thresholds that will look at the daily Covid-19 case average numbers, the capacity of the public health system, and the vaccination rate of the general population.

Abdullah said he was confident that the fourth phase is the last stage of the National Rehabilitation Plan where the country can return to the norms of daily life.

"By then, all economic sectors will be opened, more social activities will be allowed, inter-state travel will be allowed and domestic tourism will also be opened subject to strict standard operating procedures (SOP),” he said.

Abdullah is also Johor Perikatan Nasional (PN) vice-chief and open ally of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) led by Muhyiddin.

Abdullah’s statement comes at a time when the ruling PN is facing mounting scrutiny over its management of the country’s Covid-19 situation as well as the implementation of the third movement control order.

PAS, which traditionally has a lacklustre following in Johor, is among the political parties in the state that secured only a single state seat out of 56 during the previous general election in 2018.