COVID-19

Malaysians are set to face a grim Chinese New Year

By Kit

February 03, 2021

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

Malaysians are set to face a grim Chinese New Year with the extension of the second movement control order (MCO 2.0) to February 18, 2021.

If the Health Ministry’s National Institute of Health (NIH)’s revised pandemic projections are right, Malaysia will record 8,000 daily new Covid-19 cases by the first week of March and 10,000 daily new cases by the second week of March because of high infectivity rate.

Then Malaysia’s the cumulative total of Covid-19 cases would have exceeded 400,000 cases by the second week of March and we would be vying for the position of being among the top 40 countries with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases.

Malaysia would then have the dubious distinction of being the only country in the world to jump some 45 places from being ranked No. 85 on November 18, 2020 among countries with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases to around No. 40 and even lesser.

This is a most perverse interpretation of the Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s priority to “uphold the country’s sovereignty and strengthen Malaysia’s position on the world stage” in his 2021 New Year Message.

The greatest challenge today is to restore public confidence and trust in the national strategy and approach in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic, for it is in painful tatters as a result the double standards in observing the Covid-19 SOP, where Perikatan Nasional Ministers and VIPs could flout with impunity, and the govermemt’s numerous flip-flops.

In this context, reports that five ministers and nine deputy ministers were conferred titles in conjunction with this year’s Federal Territory day celebrations are sending the wrong signals to the public, as Ministers, Deputy Ministers and political leaders should be setting an example of public service before self to regain public confidence and trust in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ministers, Deputy Ministers and political leaders must not act as if they are not aware that there is a critical crisis of confidence over the government’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic.

With the first shipment of the Covid-19 vaccine to arrive on Feb. 26, this would mean that Malaysia’s nation-wide Covid-19 vaccination programme would only be able to begin in March.

So far, more than 101 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine had been given out in 64 countries around the world.

As Malaysia will be far behind other countries in the vaccination programme, we must make sure that we well-prepared to resolve the logistical and other problems so that we do not face any hitches in carrying out a successful national vaccination programme.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, 3rd February 2021)

Rakyat Malaysia bakal berhadapan dengan perayaan Tahun Baharu Cina yang suram

Rakyat Malaysia bakal berhadapan dengan perayaan Tahun Baharu Cina yang suram dengan penyambungan pelaksanaan perintah kawalan pergerakana (PKP 2.0) sehingga 18 Februari 2021.

Sekiranya jangkaan Institut Kesihatan Kebangsaan di bawah Kementerian Kesihatan yang baru disemak semula terbukti tepat, Malaysia bakal mencatatkan 8,000 kes baharu Covid-19 setiap hari menjelang minggu pertama bulan Mac, dan 10,000 kes sehari menjelang minggu kedua Mac akibat kadar jangkitan yang lebih tinggi.

Pada masa itu, jumlah kes terkumpul dalam negara akan melepasi paras 400,000 kes menjelang minggu kedua Mac, dan kita akan menjadi dalam kalangan 40 negara dengan jumlah kes tertinggi di seluruh dunia.

Malaysia juga bakal mencatatkan sejarah hitam sebagai satu-satunya negara yang telah melonjak 45 kedudukan daripada tempat ke-85 pada 18 November 2020 kepada tempat ke-40 atau lebih tinggi lagi.

Perkara ini adalah salah satu tafsiran terburuk janji Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin untuk “menegakkan kedaulatan negara dan mengukuhkan kedudukan Malaysia di pentas dunia” seperti yang dikatakan dalam Perutusan Tahun Baharu beliau.

Cabaran terbesar hari ini adalah untuk mengembalikan keyakinan dan kepercayaan rakyat dalam strategi dan pendekatan negara untuk melawan wabak Covid-19, yang kini telah berkecai apabila rakyat melihat layanan berbeza dalam pelaksanaan SOP Covid-19, di mana para menteri Perikatan Nasional dan golongan VIP boleh melanggar SOP tanpa sebarang akibat, dan juga dengan keputusan bercelaru kerajaan.

Menteri, Timbalan Menteri, dan para pemimpin politik tidak boleh bertindak seakan-akan mereka tidak sedar mengenai krisis kepercayaan kritikal yang sedang dihadapi dalam menguruskan wabak Covid-19 di negara ini.

Dengan penghantaran pertama vaksin Covid-19 dijadualkan sampai pada 26 Februari, perkara ini bermakna program vaksinasi di Malaysia hanya akan bermula pada bulan Mac.

Setakat hari ini, lebih daripada 101 juta dos vaksin Covid-19 telah diedarkan di sekitar 64 buah negara di seluruh dunia.

Memandangkan Malaysia berada di negara-negara lain, kita perlu memastikan yang kita bersedia untuk menyelesaikan cabaran logistik dan cabaran-cabaran lain supaya kita tidak berhadapan dengan sebarang masalah dalam memastikan kelancaran program vaksinasi di negara kita.

(Kenyataan Media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Rabu, 3 Februari 2021)