Call on Muhyiddin to focus the coming week on widest consultation to formulate the best exit strategy and blueprint to contain Covid-19, revive the economy and rebuild Malaysia


Seruan kepada Muhyiddin untuk menumpukan usaha beliau dalam usaha perundingan meluas bagi merumus rancangan keluar negara yang terbaik untuk mengekang penyebaran wabak Covid-19, melonjakkan semula ekonomi, dan membina semula Malaysia

Saya bersetuju dengan Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, kita tidak boleh berasa selesa dengan penurunan jumlah kes baharu Covid-19 kerana kita masih berhadapan dengan pelbagai sudut peperangan melawan wabak ini.

Kita mungkin sedang memenangi perang melawan gelombang kedua wabak ini, tetapi perjalanan kita masih lagi panjang, sehinggalah kita berjaya mencipta vaksin yang berkesan dalam melawan penularan virus ini.

Mungkin kita sudah pun memenangi peperangan melawan gelombang kedua ini, namun adakah kita bersedia untuk menghadapi gelombang ketiga? Berapa banyak gelombang dan kawalan pergerakan yang perlu kita lalui sebelum satu vaksin yang berkesan dibangunkan dalam tempoh 12 ke 24 bulan yang akan datang?

Dalam persidangan video dengan Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Kesihatan dan Pejagaan Sosial Parlimen UK, Profesor Kesihatan Global di University College London Profesor Anthony Costello berkata bahawa negara tersebut harus bersedia untuk menghadapi realiti yang ia tidak bertindak dengan cukup pantas dengan amaran yang telah diberikan mengenai Covid-19.

Beliau berkata, respons Kerajaan British adalah terlalu lambat dan negara tersebut mungkin akan berhadapan dengan sehingga 40,000 kematian sebelum wabak ini dihentikan.

Pakar perubatan terkemuka dan bekas pengarah British di Pertubuhan Kesihatan Sedunia itu telah menyatakan kepada para ahli parlimen yang UK mungkin bakal berhadapan dengan sebanyak enam gelombang jangkitan koronavirus sebelum satu vaksin yang berkesan dapat dicipta dan tersedia dengan meluas.

Bagi mengelakkan lonjakan jumlah jangkitan apabila negara tersebut mula melonggarkan kawalan pergerakan, beliau menyeru kerajaan untuk meningkatkan kapasiti ujian saringan komuniti dan mengguna pakai penjejakan kontak rapat seperti yang dilaksanakan di Korea Selatan.

Beliau berkata: Kita semua berharap kawalan pergerakan di seluruh negara dan pembatasan sosial akan berkesan dalam mengurangkan jumlah kes wabak ini; namun kita masih akan berhadapan dengan beberapa gelombang lagi.

“Kita perlu memastikan yang kita mempunyai sistem yang tidak hanya boleh menjalankan ujian saringan di dalam makmal.

“Kita perlukan sistem di peringkat daerah dan komuniti, untuk melakukan ujian saringan secara pantas di dalam komuniti tersebut, dan di rumah-rumah jagaan dan ujian ini harus memberikan keputusan dengan pantas.

“Pada masa yang sama kita perlu kekal mengamalkan pembatasan sosial apabila kawalan pergerakan dilonggarkan, dengan memberikan fokus terhadap golongan yang kita mahu kawal pergerakannya, iaitu mereka yang positif dan kontak rapat mereka.

Kita perlu cari semua kes-kes ini, uji mereka, jejaki kontak rapat mereka, dan asingkan mereka — tetapi yang paling utama sekali, semua ini perlu dilakukan dengan pantas.”

Beliau berkata besar kemungkinan golongan paling berisiko dalam negara tersebut mungkin perlu berada dalam pengasingan sehinggalah vaksin dicipta.

“Kita perlu menggerakkan semula ekonomi negara dan pada masa yang sama kita perlu mengawal pergerakan 10% populasi negara, dengan memberikan insentif kepada mereka untuk kekal berada dalam kuarantin dan menyediakan aplikasi digital untuk memantau simptom mereka. Ini sahaja caranya untuk meneruskan kehidupan sehinggalah vaksin berjaya dicipta dan kita mencapai imuniti kelompok.” tambah beliau lagi.

Kita perlu belajar daripada kesilapan di United Kingdom dan Amerika Syarikat, yang kini membawa mereka ke dalam situasi sebagai dua pusat penularan utama wabak Covid-19, di mana kedua-dua negara mendahului dunia dari jumlah peningkatan kes harian.

Di seluruh dunia, jumlah kes disahkan kini berjumlah 2,324,731 kes dengan 160,434 kematian.

Amerika Syarikat merekodkan sejumlah 736,790 kes disahkan dengan peningkatan 27,055 kes, jumlah kematian pula direkodkan pada paras 38,920 kematian dengan peningkatan 1,766 kematian dalam tempoh 24 jam yang lepas. United Kingdom berada di tempat kedua dengan peningkatan 5,525 kes positif dan 888 kematian, membawa jumlah keseluruhan di negara tersebut kepada 114,271 kes dan 15,464 kematian.

Namun kita juga perlu mempelajari pengajaran baik daripada United Kingdom dan Amerika Syarikat — salah satunya adalah penelitian berterusan Parlimen UK dan Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khasnya bagi memastikan rancangan yang paling berkesan untuk membendung wabak ini dilaksanakan di negara tersebut.

Bilakah pakar kesihatan awam di Malaysia akan dipanggil memberi keterangan di Parlimen Malaysia, biarpun melalui sidang maya, bagi mencari jalan terbaik untuk memenangi peperangan melawan wabak Covid-19 ini?

Para menteri kelihatan seakan-akan tidak sedar bahawa era kerajaan tahu yang terbaik telah pun tamat.

Para pegawai dan pakar di seluruh dunia sedang melihat ke arah penamatan kawalan pergerakan.

Tetapi kerajaan kita kelihatan seperti tidak mempunyai sebarang rancangan keluar untuk negara kita yang boleh membendung wabak Covid-19, melonjakkan semula ekonomi negara, dan membina semula negara. Sebab inilah Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin masih belum memberikan respons kepada seruan saya untuk diadakan satu siaran langsung menjelaskan rancangan ini.

Mungkin kerana mentaliti inilah kita berhadapan dengan keputusan mengejutkan untuk memendekkan sidang Parlimen kepada satu hari sahaja, bagi mengetepikan peranan Parlimen dalam peperangan melawan wabak Covid-19 ini.

Daripada mendapat satu cadangan yang fleksibel, kreatif, dan lincah untuk menghadapi cabaran Covid-19, kita sebaliknya cuma melihat cubaan gagal Menteri Kesihatan untuk kembali ke pentas peperangan melawan wabak ini — selepas dimalukan dengan episod “air suam” beliau — tanpa memberikan sebarang sumbangan yang bermakna kepada negara.

Saya terfikir, bagaimana seseorang itu boleh mengembalikan maruahnya sebagai “cerdik pandai” kerajaan baharu ini dengan mendapatkan sokongan daripada seorang pemimpin politik yang telah mencipta sejarah dengan mempunyai jumlah pertuduhan jenayah rasuah tertinggi dalam sejarah?

Masa hadapan pasca-Covid-19 kita adalah satu era yang belum pernah dilalui umat manusia sebelum ini. Ia akan melibatkan banyak pembelajaran sambil kita melaluinya, tetapi kita perlu belajar dengan bijak, dengan mempelajari pengajaran daripada kejayaan dan kegagalan di negara lain, terutamanya China, Korea Selatan, Jepun, Indonesia, Amerika Syarikat, United Kingdom, Sepanyol, Itali, Perancis, Jerman, Iran, Turki dan Arab Saudi yang bersama menghadapi cabaran ini juga.

Di UK, Universiti Cambridge telah menyenaraikan 275 perubahan kepada kehidupan seharian yang boleh mengurangkan penularan wabak koronavirus ini selepas pelonggaran kawalan pergerakan.

Sudahkah kerajaan kita mempertimbangkan cadangan ini?

Dalam ketiadaan strategi keluar untuk negara, saya gesa Muhyiddin untuk mengarahkan Pasukan Petugas Majlis Keselamatan Negara dan jemaah menteri beliau untuk menumpukan usaha mereka dalam minggu hadapan bagi merumus rancangan keluar yang terbaik untuk negara, dengan melaksanakan sesi rundingan bersama masyarakat sivil dan pelbagai sektor ekonomi, dan membentangkan rancangan ini kepada Parlimen untuk diterima dan dilaksanakan.

(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri, Lim Kit Siang pada hari Ahad 19 April 2020)

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The Health Director-General Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah is right – the people must not get complacent over the falling numbers of Covid-19 infections as the multiple wars in the Covid-19 pandemic is far from over.

We may be winning the battle over the second wave of the Covid-19 outbreak in Malaysia, but the multiple war of the Covid-19 is a long and protracted one until an effective vaccine is developed in 18 to 24 months’ time.

We may win in the second wave of the Covid-19 outbreak in Malaysia, but are we prepared for the third wave? How many waves and lockdowns will there be in Malaysia before an effective vaccine is developed in 18 to 24 months’ time?

Speaking remotely at the video hearing of the United Kingdom Parliament’s Health and Social Care Select Committee last Friday, University College London Global Health Professor Anthony Costello said that the country must face up to the “harsh reality” that it did not react quickly enough to warnings about Covid-19.

He said the British government responded too slowly to the COVID-19 outbreak, and the nation could see as many as 40,000 deaths before the pandemic is over.

The leading physician and former British director at the World Health Organisation told MPs via video-link that UK could face as many as six waves of the coronavirus before an effective vaccine could be developed and widely available.

In order to avoid another large spike in fatalities once the country begins to ease its lockdown measures, he said the government must up community testing capacity and embrace South Korea-style contact tracing.

He said: “We all hope that the national lockdown and social distancing will bring about a large suppression of the epidemic; however, we are going to face further waves.

“We need to make sure we have a system in place that can not just do a certain number of tests in the laboratory.

“We also need a system at district and community level to test people rapidly in the community, in care homes, and make sure the results get back to them very quickly.

“We need to maintain social distancing of some kind when we lift the national lockdown, by focusing on the people we really want to lockdown, which are cases and contacts.

“You need to find cases, test them if you can, trace their contacts, isolate them, do social distancing – but most importantly of all you do it all at speed.”

He said it was likely that the most vulnerable people in the country would have to remain in some form of lockdown until there is a vaccine.

“We have to get the economy going and if it means locking down 10% of our population, even giving them incentives to stay in quarantine and with digital apps to help monitor their symptoms and give them support, that’s the way to really keep this going until we get a vaccine and safe herd immunity,” he added.

We must learn from the grave mistakes of United Kingdom and the United States, which have now led them to become the two leading epicentres of the Covid-19 pandemic, with both leading the nations in the world in both the daily increase in Covid-19 infections and deaths.

Worldwide, total Covid-19 confirmed cases stand at 2,324,731 and the global death toll is 160,434.

United States has a total of 736,790 Covid-19 confirmed case leading the world in an increase of 27,055 confirmed cases and an increase of 1,766 deaths to reach a total death toll of 38,920 in the last 24 hours, with United Kingdom coming second with a daily increase of 5,525 cases to total 114,271 Covid-19 confirmed cases and increase of 888 deaths to a total death toll of 15,464 deaths.

But we must learn the good lessons even from the United States and the United Kingdom – and one of the good lessons and best practices of the global Covid-19 pandemic is the continued scrutiny of the UK House of Commons and its Select Committees to ensure that the most effective strategy to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic and the best exit plan for the economic recovery of United Kingdom are adopted.

When will Malaysia’s experts in public health testify before the Malaysian Parliament, even in virtual proceedings, to find the best way to win the war against Covid-19 as well as the best exit strategy for the country?

The Ministers do not seem to know that the era when the government knows best is over.

Officials and experts all over the world are looking ahead at the end of the lockdowns.

But the government does not seem to have a blueprint for the best exit plan for Malaysia to contain Covid-19, revive the economy and rebuild Malaysia, which is why the Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has not responded to my call for a live telecast to share with Malaysians the details of such an exit plan.

This mentality is probably the cause of the shocking idea of a one-day Parliament on May 18 to emasculate and marginalise Parliament’s role in the invisible war against Covid-19.

Instead of a flexible, creative and nimble approach to face the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, we only see the ham-fisted way the Health Minister had tried to get back into the limelight in the war against Covid-19 after his disastrous “warm water” outing, making no contribution whatsoever for the best exit strategy for Malaysia.

I wonder how a person could restore his claim as one of the whiz kids of the new administration and burnish his reputation by roping support from a political leader who created history with the most number of criminal charges related to corruption?

The journey post-Covid-19 pandemic is no-man’s land as it is unchartered territory. It will be a journey of trial-and-errors but we must ensure that it is a journey of smart trial-and-errors, learning from the successes and failures of other countries, in particular China, South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, United States, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia in the same journey.

In the United Kingdom, Cambridge University scientists have compiled a list of 275 changes to day-to-day life that could help reduce coronavirus transmissions after lockdowns end.

Has the government considered these proposals?

In the absence of the best exit plan strategy and blueprint for Malaysia, I would urge Muhyiddin to instruct the National Security Council Covid-19 Task Force and his Cabinet to focus the coming week on formulating the exit plan strategy and blueprint, conduct the widest consultation with the civil society and various sectors of the economy, and to present the strategy and blueprint to Parliament for adoption and implementation.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang on Sunday, 19th April 2020)

  1. #1 by Bigjoe on Sunday, 19 April 2020 - 9:13 am

    This is not even a realistic proposition. Muhiyiddin took over the govt, NOT by his design and plan but by default of the manouvering of others. He is the leader because all those people that made it happen did not have a grand design, merely acting on their interest and opportunity.

    And Muhiyiddin took over at the worst timing of global pandemic requiring resources and talent either spent or inferior. He is very lucky already he got someone like Dr. Noor, clearly Minister and Deputy Ministers are no help.

    On top of that he got UMNO and PAS, as well as the other parties who feel the neex to gain as much leverage as they can before Muhiyiddin can consolidate power.

    If Muhiyiddin further open the net wide for leadership, he will be weakened and we might as well hand over the keys to Hadi Awang.

    Muhiyiddin need to show leadership and that is hard with all the forces working against him. His best bet is to keep his relationship with PH privately as a warning to UMNO/PAS and others he is the boss

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