Muhyiddin should convene an emergency meeting of the National Security Council and the Cabinet to modify his proposal yesterday on early EPF withdrawals and instead to provide cash support from government reserves


Muhyiddin perlu memanggil mesyuarat tergempar Majlis Keselamatan Negara dan Kabinet untuk mengubah cadangannya untuk membenarkan pengeluaran awal simpanan KWSP kepada pemberian bantuan wang tunai daripada rizab kerajaan

Cadangan Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin untuk membenarkan pencarum KWSP mengeluarkan sehingga RM500 sebulan dari Akaun 2 untuk tempoh 12 bulan yang akan datang bermula daripada 1 April adalah satu cadangan yang mengecewakan kerana ia bukanlah satu cadangan yang baik untuk membantu para pekerja yang terjejas dengan Covid-19.

Kerana itulah beliau telah menerima kritikan dari semua pihak.

Perdana Menteri perlu memanggil satu mesyuarat tergempar Majlis Keselamatan Negara dan Kabinet untuk mengubah cadangannya untuk membenarkan pengeluaran awal simpanan KWSP bagi membantu para pekerja dalam menghadapi bencana Covid 19. Sebaliknya beliau harus mengumumkan — melalui satu siaran langsung hari ini — kesediaan kerajaan untuk menyediakan bantuan sokongan wang tunai daripada rizab kerajaan untuk membantu rakyat Malaysia yang terjejas

Saya bersetuju dengan presiden PKR Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim bahawa kerajaan sepatutnya menggunakan rizab negara ataupun meningkatkan hasil sumbangan daripada industri minyak dan gas negara melalui Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) dan bukannya dengan menggunakan dana di Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja untuk membantu mereka yang memerlukan.

Kerajaan harus memberi pertimbangan serius terhadap cadangan sekretariat Pakatan Harapan supaya dana kecemasan diedarkan kepada penerima BSH, bermula dengan bayaran RM1,000 untuk bulan Mac dan sekali lagi untuk bulan April.

Kerajaan perlu menggunakan rizabnya untuk membiayai cadangan ini, yang akan menelan kos kira-kira RM8.2 bilion.

Majlis Kesatuan Sekerja Malaysia (MTUC) telah menghentam cadangan Muhyiddin untuk membenarkan pencarum KWSP mengeluarkan sehingga RM500 sebulan dari Akaun 2 untuk tempoh 12 bulan akan datang mulai 1 April sebagai satu langkah yang terkebelakang yang hanya akan mengurangkan simpanan jangka panjang pencarum KWSP.

Semua rakyat Malaysia yang berfikiran waras akan bersetuju dengan kenyataan Setiausaha Agung MTUC, J Solomon yang mengadu pada ketika MTUC memohon kerajaan untuk menyuntik dana bagi membantu jutaan pekerja di negara ini yang secara langsung terjejas dengan kemusnahan yang disebabkan wabak Covid-19, kerajaan sebaliknya menyuruh rakyat untuk menggunakan simpanan hari tua mereka.

Ini adalah satu lagi kesilapan Muhyiddin, jemaah menteri dan penasihat tertinggi beliau dan mereka harus kembali ke meja perbincangan untuk merancang satu pakej rangsangan kewangan yang benar-benar dapat membantu para pekerja dan direka untuk menyelamatkan nyawa, kehidupan dan pekerjaan.

Adalah teramat penting untuk pihak kerajaan bertindak dengan profesionalisme, kecekapan dan ketangkasan dalam mengemukakan cadangan yang sesuai dan berpatutan bagi membantu semua sektor di Malaysia yang terjejas dengan krisis Covid-19 ini, memandangkan peningkatan 212 kes baharu Covid-19 dalam 24 jam yang lepas — peningkatan harian tertinggi sejak permulaan penyebaran wabak ini pada akhir Januari — menunjukkan bahawa kita belum lagi mencapai kemuncak wabak Covid-19 atau sebarang petanda yang Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan (PKP) boleh ditamatkan pada 31 Mac.

Ramai rakyat Malaysia masih tidak menyedari sepenuhnya tentang sebab dan tujuan PKP dan mengapa perlunya ada penjarakan sosial. Saya harap dua contoh yang berikut akan membantu untuk memujuk lebih ramai rakyat Malaysia untuk kekal di rumah.

Pertama, terdapat video di media sosial mengenai Pesakit #31 di Korea Selatan, seorang wanita berusia 35 tahun yang tidak mempunyai sebarang simptom tetapi telah menyebabkan kira-kira 1,200 kes Covid-19 daripada sejumlah 8,961 kes yang disahkan di Korea Selatan — menunjukkan kepentingan penjarakan sosial untuk memecahkan rangkaian jangkitan virus Covid-19.

Kedua, semalam Greece telah mengenakan sekatan ke atas pergerakan dengan hanya beberapa pengecualian untuk memerangi penyebaran coronavirus.

Greece berada jauh di belakang Malaysia dari segi jangkitan Covid-19 – merekodkan 624 kes, 15 kematian dan peningkatan sebanyak 94 kes dalam 24 jam terakhir hari Ahad lepas berbanding 1,306 kes, 10 kematian dan peningkatan 123 kes sehari di negara kita.

Berikut adalah ucapan Perdana Menteri Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, ketika mengumumkan perintah kawalan pergerakan dalam siaran langsung beliau pada hari Ahad:

“Di Itali, satu nyawa terkorban setiap dua minit dan keadaan ini menjadi semakin teruk di seluruh dunia. Adalah menjadi kewajipan saya untuk tidak membenarkan negara kita melalui pengalaman yang sama.”

Merujuk kepada pilihan tragis untuk doktor yang sudah kehabisan katil hospital di Itali, beliau berkata: “Kita tidak boleh sampai ke tahap di mana kita perlu memutuskan siapa yang akan hidup dan siapa yang akan mati, saya hanya memilih satu perkara: kehidupan dan kesihatan rakyat Greece. “

Di seluruh dunia, berita mengenai pandemik Covid-19 kekal suram, dengan United Kingdom hari ini menyertai negara lain dengan mengumumkan perintah berkurung.

Itali melaporkan 602 kematian baru coronavirus pada hari Isnin, dengan jumlah kes baru meningkat sebanyak 6,077 di negara tersebut, membawa jumlah keseluruhan Itali kepada 63,928.

Namun begitu, kematian yang dilaporkan di Itali telahpun menurun untuk hari kedua berturut-turut, selepas mencapai kemuncak 793 kematian pada hari Sabtu lepas.

Dengan sejumlah 63,928 kes, Itali kini menghampiri jumlah 81,093 kes di positif di China — perkara yang sangat serius memandangkan Itali mempunyai penduduk yang jauh lebih kecil, sekitar 60 juta berbanding 1.4 bilion penduduk di negara China.

Di UK, korban nyawa COVID-19 meningkat sebanyak 54, membawa jumlah keseluruhan kematian di negara tersebut kepada 335 dengan 6,650 kes positif.

Di Amerika Syarikat pula, jumlah kes melonjak melepasi paras 35,000, dengan 495 kematian, menurut data daripada Universiti John Hopkins.

Lebih daripada 15,400 orang telah meninggal dunia dari COVID-19 di seluruh dunia. Dianggarkan 100,000 daripada 362,000 orang yang telah didiagnosis dengan virus ini di seluruh dunia telahpun pulih, menurut data yang dikumpulkan oleh Universiti John Hopkins.

Pada hari Isnin, Ketua Pengarah Pertubuhan Kesihatan Sedunia (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus memberi amaran yang “wabak ini sedang memecut” di mana ia mengambil 67 hari untuk kes mencapai 100,000 kes di seluruh dunia, 11 hari untuk kes mencapai 200,000 kes dan hanya empat hari untuk kes mencapai 300,000 kes.

Rakyat Malaysia harus sedar bahawa mereka boleh memainkan peranan dalam peperangan global terhadap Covid-19 ini dan bertekad bahawa Malaysia tidak akan mengambil jalan yang telah dilalui oleh Itali, Amerika Syarikat, Sepanyol, Perancis, Iran atau Jerman. Tetapi akan memenangi perang melawan Covid-19 dengan meratakan lengkungan edaran jangkitan dan kematian, dengan semua rakyat kekal berada di rumah untuk memutuskan rangkaian jangkitan virus ini.

(Kenyataan media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang pada hari Selasa 24 Mac 2020)

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The Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s proposal to allow EPF contributors to withdraw up to RM500 a month from Account 2 for the next 12 months beginning April 1 is a disappointment as it is not a well thought-out proposal to help workers affected by the Covid-19 crisis.

This is why it has received brickbats all around.

The Prime Minister should convene an emergency meeting of the National Security Council and the Cabinet to modify his proposal on early EPF withdrawals to help the workers in the Covid 19 crisis, and instead to announce in a live telecast later today of government provision of cash support from government reserves for Malaysians affected by the Covid-19 crisis.

I agree with PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim that the federal government should utilise the nation’s reserves or increase contribution from state oil and gas Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) rather than Employees’ Provident Fund savings to help those who are financially incapacitated by Covid-19 crisis.

The government should give serious consideration to the proposal by the Pakatan Harapan secretariat for emergency funds to be dispersed to Cost of Living Aid (BSH), starting with payments of RM1,000 for March and April each.

The government should dig into its reserves to fund this proposal, which would cost about RM8.2 billion.

The Malaysian Trade Unions Council (MTUC) has understandably lambasted Muhyiddin’s proposal to allow EPF contributors to withdraw up to RM500 a month from Account 2 for the next 12 months beginning April 1 as a regressive move which would deplete the long-term savings of the EPF contributors.

All right-thinking Malaysians would agree with MTUC secretary-general J Solomon who complained that at a time when MTUC is asking the government to inject funds to help the millions of workers in the country who are directly affected by the devastation of Covid-19 pandemic, the government is instead resorting to asking the workers to take money out of their provident funds meant for old-age savings and spend it.

This is another false step by Muhyiddin, his Ministers and top advisers and they should go back to the drawing board to draw up financial packages which can really assist the workers and designed to save lives, livelihoods and jobs.

It is urgent and imperative that the government should act with professionalism, competence and agility to come out with proper and appropriate proposals to help all sectors in Malaysia affected by the Covid-19 crisis as the record increase of 212 new Covid-19 cases over the past 24 hours – the highest daily increase since the start of the outbreak in late January – does not indicate that we have reached the peak of the Covid-19 outbreak or that the Movement Control Order (MCO) will not be extended come March 31.

Many Malaysians are still not fully aware of the rationale and purpose of the MCO and why there should be social distancing. I hope the following two examples will help to ensure more Malaysians stay at home during the MCO.

Firstly, there is a video on the social media on Patient 31 of South Korea, a 35-year-old woman who felt “completely fine” but who was responsible for infecting some 1,200 Covid-19 cases out of a total of 8,961 confirmed cases in South Korea – highlighting the importance of social distancing to break the chain of infection of the Covid-19 virus.

Secondly, Greece yesterday imposed a restriction on movement with only a few exceptions to combat the spread of coronavirus.

Greece is far behind Malaysia in terms of Covid-19 infections – recording 624 cases, 15 deaths and increase of 94 cases on in the last 24 hours on Sunday as compared to Malaysia’s total of 1,306 cases, 10 deaths and daily increase of 123 cases.

This is what the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said when announcing the Greek lockdown in a live telecast on Sunday:

“In Italy, one person dies every two minutes and the situation is getting worse throughout the world. It is my duty not to allow our country to go through such a trial.”

Referring to the tragic choices of doctors running out of hospital beds in Italy, he said: “We must not get to the point where we decide who will live and who will die. I only choose one thing: the lives and health of Greeks.”

Worldwide, the news on Clovid-19 pandemic remains grim, with United Kingdom today joining others in locking down the country.

Italy reported 602 new deaths from the coronavirus on Monday, bringing the total to 6,077 with the tally of cases in the country, a major hotspot, rising to 63,928.

The silver lining is that the reported deaths in Italy dropped for a second day in a row, after on Saturday reaching an all-time high since the outbreak began of 793.

With a total of 63,928 cases, Italy is catching up with China’s total of 81,093 confirmed Covid-19 cases – which is very serious considering that Italy has a much smaller population of some 60 million as compared to China’s 1.4 billion population.

In the UK, the number of those who have died from the disease the virus causes, COVID-19, increased by 54, bringing the toll in the country to 335 among 6,650 cases.

In the US, the number of cases surged past 35,000, with a death toll of 495, according to John Hopkins University data.

More than 15,400 people have died from COVID-19 globally. An estimated 100,000 of the 362,000 people who have been diagnosed with the disease across the world have recovered, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.

On Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned “the pandemic is accelerating” with it taking 67 days for cases to reach the 100,000 mark globally, 11 days for cases to reach 200,000 and just four days for cases to reach 300,000.

Every Malaysian must decide that he or she can make a difference in the global war against Covid-19 and resolve that Malaysia will not go the way of Italy, United States, Spain, France, Iran or Germany, but will win the war against Covid-19 by flattening the curves of Covid-19 infections and deaths with everybody staying at home to break the chain of infection of Covid-19.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang on Tuesday, 24th March 2020)

  1. #1 by Bigjoe on Tuesday, 24 March 2020 - 10:08 am

    On this crises, you cannot say Muhiyiddin govt has been incompetent but you can say they have lost steps they could have been ahead.. From the start, they should have said it is a partial lock down potentially quickly to a full lock down. The MCO thing was nonsense in hindsight.

    Even now the nonsense that other events are the same as the Sri Petaling tabligh shows they do not know what they are talking about. The Teluk Bahang thing was almost all local attendee when local transmission was very low.. Not a single case linked to it yet after two weeks.. Too many Kangkong experts in this country even after losing tens of billions that now tie Muhiyiddin’s hand and those people still threaten Muhiyiddin govt for more power..

    Yah, right, this govt is going to lead us better govt, if we do not get worst than before, we are lucky..

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