Muhyiddin perlu mengumumkan pakej penyelamatan kepada PKS dan golongan-golongan lain yang tidak dibantu melalui pakej rangsangan ekonomi yang diumumkan Jumaat lepas dan pada masa yang sama memberikan keutamaan kepada kesihatan awam

Hari ini bermulanya pelanjutan dua minggu Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan (PKP) sehingga 14 April.

Walaupun penghujungnya masih tidak diketahui, statistik Covid-19 semasa PKP memberikan harapan memberansangkan bahawa jangkaan 6,300 kes seperti yang diramalkan oleh JP Morgan mungkin tidak akan tercapai.

Selain daripada 23 dan 26 Mac di mana jumlah kes disahkan merekodkan peningkatan harian 212 dan 235 kes, kebanyakan jumlah peningkatan harian kekal berada di bawah paras 200 kes sehari.

Kita juga mempunyai kadar penyembuhan yang agak baik, dengan 58 lagi pesakit Covid-19 dibenarkan pulang dari hospital dalam 24 jam yang lepas, membawa jumlah pemulihan kepada 537.

Satu kematian yang boleh dielakkan sekalipun adalah terlalu tinggi adalah tinggi untuk kita, namun penting untuk kita sedar yang kita berjaya mengekalkan kadar kematian akibat ini di paras yang rendah, walaupun ia telah meningkat sedikit ke paras 1.55%; 43 kematian daripada sejumlah 2,766 kes positif.

Kita perlu berusaha untuk mengekalkan kadar kematian akibat Covid-19 di bawah satu peratus, yang akan melihatkan kadar kematian keseluruhan kekal di bawah 100 kematian.

Jumlah kes disahkan global kini adalah 856,917 kes, dengan 42,107 kematian dan 117,141 pemulihan.

Satu lagi peristiwa suram yang direkodkan dalam tempoh 24 jam yang lepas ialah jumlah kematian global yang kini melepas paras 40,000 kematian.

Data terkini penularan Covid-19 termasuklah dengan perkembangan terkini 24 jam yang lepas untuk 12 negara tertinggi, dan juga Malaysia adalah seperti berikut:

AS: 187,347 kes, 3860 kematian (2%)
Itali: 105,792 kes, 12,428 kematian (11.75%)
Sepanyol: 95,923 kes, 8,464 kematian (8.8%)
China: 81,518 kes, 3,305 kematian (4%)
Jerman 71,808 kes, 775 kematian (1.1%)
Perancis: 52,128 kes, 3,523 kematian (6.8%)
Iran: 44,605 kes, 2,898 kematian (6.5%)
UK: 25,150 kes, 1,789 kematian (7.1%)
Switzerland 16,605 kes; 433 kematian (2.6%)
Turki 13,531 kes, 214 kematian (1.6%)
Belgium 12,775 kes, 705 kematian (5.5%)
Belanda: 12,595 kes, 1,039 kematian (8.2)
Malaysia 2,766 kes, 43 kematian (1.55%)

(sumber data: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/)

Jika kita tidak berhadapan dengan sebarang peningkatan mendadak jangkitan baru Covid-19 dalam dua minggu yang akan datang ini, dan jika kita boleh mengekalkan kadar kematian berada di bawah paras satu peratus, Malaysia mempunyai peluang yang cerah untuk memenangi peperangan melawan wabak ini.

Namun begitu, rakyat Malaysia harus menerima hakikat baharu kehidupan, yang peperangan ini adalah satu perkara yang akan memakan masa yang panjang dan berlarutan sehinggalah satu vaksin dapat dicipta, kerana pada bila-bila masa sahaja virus ini boleh menular semula.

Cara kita bekerja dan menjalani kehidupan seharian berubah dengan kedatangan wabak ini, sehinggalah kita berjaya mencipta vaksin untuknya.

Dengan permulaan lanjut PKP harii ini, Muhyiddin patut mengumumkan satu pakej penyelamatan kepada Perusahaan Kecil dan Sederhana (PKS) dan golongan-golongan lain yang mungkin tidak diberi bantuan dalam pakej ransangan ekonomi yang diumumkan Jumaat lepas, yang dirangka untuk berhadapan dengan PKP namun bukanlah dengan pelanjutannya, dan pada masa yang sama memberikan keutamaan kepada pembiayaan kesihatan awam.

Saya telah menerima mesej berikut, yang menunjukkan bencana kewangan dan ekonomi yang dihadapi oleh PKS jika mereka tidak dibantu oleh kerajaan:

“If the lockdown continue until 30th April then I will be forced into early retirement by closing down my factory. Reason is I can’t afford to pay salary, rental, instalment, loan and zero collection n etc etc

“Amen”.

Satu pakej penyelamatan ekonomi untuk membantu PKS perlu menjadi keutamaan tertinggi untuk Muhyiddin dan Malaysia jika kita mahu melihat negara ini berjaya dalam menghadapi cabaran kesihatan awam dan ekonomi yang dibawa oleh Covid-19 bagi membolehkan kita melonjak semula ekonomi negara dalam era pasca-PKP.

(Kenyataan media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang pada hari Isnin 1 April 2020)

============================

We begin today the two-week extension of the Movement Control Order (MCO) till April 14.

Although the outcome is still uncertain, the Covid-19 statistics during the MCO give hope that JP Morgan’s grim projection of Malaysia peaking at 6,300 Covid-19 cases in mid-April may be proven wrong.

Apart from March 23rd and 26th where confirmed Covid-19 cases recorded daily increase of 212 and 235 cases respectively, the daily increase of confirmed cases in the past 17 days from March 15 have been below 200 cases.

There has been a good recovery rate, with another 58 Covid-19 patients discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, bringing the total recoveries to 537.

Although one death is too many in Malaysia, it is significant that we have been able to keep the death rate low, although it has reached its highest of 1.55%, i.e. 43 deaths out of a total confirmed total of 2,766 cases.

We should aim to keep the death rate to below one per cent, which would mean we should be able to keep the total death rate to below 100 cases in the current surge of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The global total of confirmed Covid-19 cases now stand at 856,917, with 42,107 deaths and 177,141 recoveries.

Another grim milestone in the invisible global war against Covid-19 was reached in the last 24 hours with the global total of deaths passing 40.000 mark.

The latest data including the developments in the last 24 hours for Malaysia and the top 12 countries with confirmed Covid-19 cases are as follows: (https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/)

– US: 187,347 cases, 3860 deaths (2%)
– Italy: 105,792 cases, 12,428 deaths (11.75%)
– Spain: 95,923 cases, 8,464 deaths (8.8%)
– China: 81,518 cases, 3,305 deaths (4%)
– Germany 71,808 cases,m775 deaths (1.1%)
– France: 52,128 cases, 3,523 deaths (6.8%)
– Iran: 44,605 cases, 2,898 deaths (6.5%)
– UK: 25,150 cases, 1,789 deaths (7.1%)
– Switzerland: 16,605 cases, 433 deaths (2.6%)
– Turkey: 13,531 cases, 214 deaths (1.6%)
– Belgium: 12,775 cases, 705 deaths (5.5%)
– Netherlands: 12,595 cases, 1,039 deaths (8.2)
– Malaysia: 2,766 cases, 43 deaths (1.55%)

If there is no spike in exponential increase in the Covid-19 cases in the next two weeks, and if we can keep the death rate to below one per cent, then Malaysia would be well on the way to win this phase of the Covid-19 war.

But Malaysians must accept a new fact of life, that the war against Covid-19 is going to be a long, protracted dreary one, as until a vaccine against Covid-19 is invented in 12 – 18 months’ time, a Covid-19 outbreak can always make a return with new infections.

The way we live and work has been changed by the Covid-19 pandemic, at least until a vaccine is invented.

With the beginning of the extension of the MCO today, Muhyiddin should also announce an economic rescue package for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and others missed out in the economic package last Friday, which was conceived to deal with the MCO but not its extension, as well as to give top priority to public health financing.

I have received the following message which highlights the financial and economic catastrophe faced by the SMEs if they are not immediately bailed out by the government:

“If the lockdown continue until 30th April then I will be forced into early retirement by closing down my factory. Reason is I can’t afford to pay salary, rental, instalment, loan and zero collection n etc etc

“Amen”.

An economic rescue package to bail out the SMEs must be Muhyiddin’s topmost priority and most urgent imperative if Malaysia is to see through both the public health and economic challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic to successfully re-start the Malaysian economy in the post-MCO era.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang on Wednesday, April 1, 2020)