COVID-19

Muhyiddin should not delay in announcing an economic rescue package for SMEs as top priority must also be given to ensure that Malaysia can win the war to restart the economic engine without suffering an economic catastrophe after winning the war against the resurgence of Covid-19 outbreak

By Kit

April 02, 2020

Muhyiddin tidak boleh berlengah dalam mengumumkan satu pakej penyelamatan ekonomi untuk PKS memandangkan keutamaan harus diberikan kepada usaha melonjakkan ekonomi negara selepas kemenangan melawan wabak Covid-19

Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin tidak boleh berlengah lagi dan perlu mengumumkan satu pakej penyelamatan ekonomi untuk Perusahaan Kecil dan Sederhana memandangkan mereka kini menghadapi kesukaran dengan aliran tunai dan menjangkakan gangguan aliran tunai untuk sekurang-kurangnya tiga bulan yang akan datang kerana Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan (PKP).

Pakej penyelamatan ekonomi untuk PKS adalah teramat penting sekarang kerana kerajaan harus memberikan keutamaan kepada keberterusan dan keselamatan pekerjaan — yang merupakan punca pendapatan utama sebahagian besar rakyat Malaysia — dan juga dalam menghadapi cabaran besar untuk melonjakkan semula ekonomi negara pasca-PKP.

Keberterusan perniagaan adalah penting untuk daya tahan ekonomi dan kelestarian pekerjaan, sebab inilah kerajaan perlu memastikan perniagaan yang merupakan enjin kepada ekonomi negara boleh mengharungi wabak Covid-19 ini dengan selamat.

Muhyiddin tidak boleh berlengah dalam mengumumkan satu pakej penyelamatan ekonomi untuk PKS memandangkan keutamaan harus diberikan kepada usaha melonjakkan ekonomi negara selepas kemenangan melawan wabak Covid-19

Seluruh dunia sedang memerangi wabak ini dan cabaran yang dihadapi kita bukan sahaja untuk memenangi peperangan melawan Covid-19 tetapi untuk melonjakkan semula ekonomi negara selepas penularan wabak ini.

Saya berkongsi optimisme yang ditunjukkan oleh Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah yang mengatakan data yang dikutip oleh pihak Kementerian Kesihatan menunjukkan tanda-tanda awal yang mungkin PKP ini berjaya mengurangkan penularan Covid-19 dengan memutuskan rantaian penyebaran.

Seperti yang saya katakan semalam: “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.”

Jika tidak ada sebarang peningkatan mendadak dalam jumlah harian kes positif baharu dan pendataran dalam jumlah peningkatan kes harian boleh dikekalkan pada tahap sedia ada, situasi terburuk Covid-19 mungkin telah berlalu untuk kita.

Dalam situasi ini, Malaysia akhirnya berjaya mengelakkan mimpi ngeri Covid-19 yang berlaku di tempat lain, terutamanya seperti di Eropah dan Amerika Syarikat.

Namun begitu, kita masih perlu memasuki fasa kemenangan dalam menentang wabak ini, memandangkan suatu hari kelak, jumlah kes positif global mungkin akan mencecah melepasi paras sejuta kes.

Data global terkini mengenai jumlah kes positif, kematian, dan kadar peratusan kematian daripada jumlah kes positif untuk 12 negara tertinggi dan Malaysia adalah seperti berikut:

– Global: 934,464 kes; 47,175 kematian (5%) – AS: 214,482 kes, 5,093 kematian (2.4%) – Itali: 110,574 kes, 13,155 kematian (11.9%) – Sepanyol: 104,118 kes, 9,387 kematian (9%) – China: 81,554 kes, 3,312 kematian (4%) – Jerman: 77,981 kes, 931 kematian (1.2%) – Perancis: 56,989 kes, 4,032 kematian (7.1%) – Iran: 47,593 kes, 3,036 kematian (6.4%) – UK: 29,474 kes, 2,352 kematian (7.97%) – Switzerland: 17,768 kes; 488 kematian (2.75%) – Turki: 15,679 kes, 277 kematian (1.77%) – Belgium: 13,964 kes, 828 kematian (5.9%) – Belanda: 13.614 kes, 1,173 kematian (8.6) – Malaysia 2,908 kes, 45 kematian (1.55%)

Sumber: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

Sejumlah 27,635 kematian akibat Covid-19 di tiga negara teratas, Amerika Syarikat, Itali, dan Sepanyol adalah lebih daripada lapan kali lebih tinggi daripada 3,312 kematian di China.

Dengan Presiden Amerika Donald Trump — yang baru sahaja sebulan lepas mengatakan “virus ini sangat terkawal” — yang kini mengatakan hampir 200,000 rakyat Amerika mungkin akan terkorban akibat Covid-19 dan pihak berkuasa di UK yang menjangkakan 10,000 hingga 20,000 korban nyawa, situasi terburuk Covid-19 di peringkat global masih belum tiba.

(Kenyataan media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang pada hari Khamis 2 April 2020)

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The Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin should not delay in announcing an economic rescue package for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as they are very tight in cash flow and expect no cash inflow at least three months due to the month-long Movement Control Order (MCO).

An economic rescue package for the SMEs is urgent and imperative as the government should give top priority to the need for continuous and secured employment as well as income as well as to the unprecedented challenge of how to restart the Malaysian economic engine after the MCO.

The survival of businesses is the key to economic resilience and employment sustainability, which is why the government must ensure that businesses, being the engines of the economy, driver of growth and providers of employment, could survive the Covid-19 pandemic.

Muhyiddin should not delay in announcing an economic rescue package for SMEs as top priority must also be given to ensure that Malaysia can win the war to restart the economic engine without suffering an economic catastrophe after winning the war against the resurgence of Covid-19 outbreak.

The world is fighting a world war and our challenge and responsibility is to win not only the invisible global war against Covid-19 but to be able to restart the Malaysian economic engine without suffering an economic catastrophe after the Covid-19 pandemic.

I share the restrained optimism of the Health Director-General Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah that data collected by the Health Ministry shows an early sign that the MCO to curb the spread of Covid-19 by breaking the chain of infection is working.

As I said yesterday: “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.”

If there is no new spike in the daily increase of Covid-19 cases, and the plateau in increases of Covid-19 cases could be sustained, the worst in the resurgence of Covid-19 may be over.

Malaysia will then be spared the nightmare of the Covid-19 pandemic which is afflicting other part of the world, particularly in Europe and the United States.

Mankind has still to enter the winning phase of the invisible global war against Covid-19 pandemic, as sometime today, the grim milestone of total global confirmed cases of Covid-19 would race past the million mark.

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

– Global: 934,464 cases, 47,175 deaths (5%) – US: 214,482 cases, 5,093 deaths (2.4%) – Italy: 110,574 cases, 13,155 deaths (11.9%) – Spain: 104,118 cases, 9,387 deaths (9%) – China: 81,554 cases, 3,312 deaths (4%) – Germany: 77,981 cases, 931 deaths (1.2%) – France: 56,989 cases, 4,032 deaths (7.1%) – Iran: 47,593 cases, 3,036 deaths (6.4%) – UK: 29,474 cases, 2,352 deaths (7.97%) – Switzerland: 17,768 cases; 488 deaths (2.75%) – Turkey: 15,679 cases, 277 deaths (1.77%) – Belgium: 13,964 cases, 828 deaths (5.9%) – Netherlands: 13.614 cases, 1,173 deaths (8.6) – Malaysia: 2,908 cases, 45 deaths (1.55%)

The total of 27,635 Covid-19 deaths in the top three countries, United States, Italy and Spain of 27,635 is more than eight times the total death toll of 3,312 in China.

With the American Prersident Donald Trump – who just one month ago claimed the virus was “very much under control” – now saying 200,000 Americans could die from Covid-19, and the UK authorities expecting a death toll of between 10,000- 20,000, the worst of the nightmare of the global invisible war against Covid-19 is yet to come.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang on Thursday, 2nd April 2020)