It doesn't take a genius to tell that the current economy is not doing too well, no thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and its long lasting effects.

But it does take a genius (not!) to come up with the best workaround to help the economy.

Do more harm than good?

Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal went on radio station BFM on Monday (16 November) to talk about the current state of the economy.

During the 'Morning Brief' segment, He commented on the various initiatives proposed by the government during the Budget 2021, including the decision to let EPF members withdraw money from their Account 1 to pay bills.

He noted that letting the rakyat dipping into their EPF funds is not a long term solution, so he offered his solution to fix the economy: ask Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) to print more money.

When asked about how the initiatives would help the rakyat manage their debt due to the current econimic situation, Wan Ahmad Fayshal suggested that BNM could print 'helicopter money' and practice forgiving debt to help those in need.

“We can couple this (forgiving debt) with a helicopter money monetary policy, where the central bank can directly print money and give it to the people so that they can spend it," he was quoted as saying.

In case you're wondering, helicopter money refers to the act of printing a large sum of new money and then distributing it among the public to stimulate the economy during a recession, which is akin to a helicopter dropping emergency supplies during tough times.

You can listen to the whole interview below:

However, former Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) CEO Jalil Rasheed has rubbished the idea of printing more money.

Jalil told Malaysiakini that a helicopter policy can backfire badly, as demonstrated by the hyperinflation in countries such as Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

“Printing money is not a solution for Malaysia. It drives down the currency value – it’s already weak enough – when you have too much in circulation," he was quoted by the news portal as saying.

Of course, it doesn't take a financial expert to see that helicopter money is not beneficial in the long run:

I think a better and doable alternative as compared to @wanfayhsal's suggestions is that, ministers that are useless and provide idiot alternative should immediately "print" their own resignation letter.https://t.co/BbBxMzQe5S
— Par (@ajepar94) November 18, 2020

Bruh, even high schoolers know what's wrong with thishttps://t.co/PUq1XeQ8Rd
— Irfan Adlan (@irfan_adlan03) November 18, 2020

Muhahhaha.. This minister must have learnt well from Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe.?? or During Japanese accupation..print as many Banana notes and give it to the people..Dia nak Ringgit jadi duit pokok pisang ka ni?https://t.co/fxx1F8Y2UJ
— Adrian Lasimbang (@lasimbang) November 18, 2020

Print more money, more inflation. Means more price for items you regularly buy.Haihh don't talk about economy la Jargonhttps://t.co/ZJPiR2XiBq
— ContresGrafiti (@ContresG) November 18, 2020

Tolonglah katakan ini cuma sebuah lawak bodoh yang tak kelakar.Morning Brief: Wan Fayhsal: BNM Should Print Money https://t.co/tt6qZbqICM
— Azan (@azan_ms) November 18, 2020

dia punya level bodo xleh bawak bincang...Morning Brief: Wan Fayhsal: BNM Should Print Money https://t.co/8cfEOU4EIt
— 山本彩の弟 (≧▽≦)/~┴┴ (@totomoyo) November 18, 2020

Wan Fayhsal tu betul tak otak dia?Kenapa kau suruh BNM cetak lagi wang?Kau ada tengok apa terjadi dekat Zimbabwe? Vanezuela?Dia tau ke terma 'Hyperinflation'?Kau sekolah tak?
— Not Am ? (@NotRealAm) November 18, 2020

Sigh, let's just hope the real experts know what needs to be done to save the economy.

Deputy Minister Says Bank Negara Should Print More Money To Give To The People And Save The Economy

Do more harm than good?