For the past four days, the Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s speech in his constituency in Bukit Gambir had stuck in my throat.

Speaking at the Gambir State Assemby-level Tahlil ceremony and presentation of Ramadan Al-Mubarak contributions at Masjid Jamek Simpang Lima Darat, Muhyuiddin said he had watched video footage of the current Covid-19 situation in India, which was quite horrific due to the spread of the more aggressive variant, that has claimed more lives.

He said: “When I saw what’s happening in India, like I said earlier (such as) in Brazil (and) in many countries the new variant has been found to be more aggressive than the original one. All these (development) put us in a very challenging situation.

“We can’t be complacent for even one day, we can’t because maybe in a day unthinkable things can happen and this can have an effect on the lives and economy of our country.”

The nagging thought which l had wrestled for four days is why Malaysia should end up like India in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic and not compared with the better performing nations in the world?

Why we are looking at India which yesterday set another world record of daily increase of 402,110 new Covid-19 cases and has a cumulative total of 19.3 million Covid-19 cases, instead of successful nations like Thailand (cumulative total 65,153 cases), Vietnam (cumulative total 2,928 cases) or even Singapore (cumulative total 61,145 cases)

Malaysia’s cumulative total of Covid-19 cases is now 408,713 cases – India in one day has almost matched Malaysia’s Covid-19 total cumulative cases for more than a year!

Malaysia’s cumulative total is bad enough, placing us on the 43rd rank among nations in the world with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases when China, which was the worst country in the world with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases early last year is now ranked No. 96 with a cumulative total of 90,655 cases?

The long and short of the war against Covid-19 pandemic is that Malaysia has failed during the nearly four months of emergency and suspension of Parliament to bring the third Covid-19 wave in Malaysia under control.

Instead of reducing the daily increase of new Covid-19 cases to triple-digit and then to double-digit numbers, we are seeing more new Covid-19 cases daily than when emergency was declared on January 12 (when there were 3,309 new cases as compared to 3,788 new cases yesterday and 3,332 new cases a day earlier).

Even the Yang di Pertuan Agong is concerned about a fourth Covid-19 wave in Malaysia which would “threaten and worsen the country’s economy and the people’s socio-economy” and he has urged the people to be disciplined in complying with the SOPs.

But the Muhyiddin government is not setting a good example. Instead of spearheading an “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” national mobilisation in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic, it decided to declare an emergency and suspend Parliament which aggravated the Covid-19 pandemic.

The declaration of emergency which suspended Parliament is most problematic.
For instance, can the proclamation of emergency suspend the judiciary or the system of constitutional monarchy?

I call on Muhyiddin to prescribe the proper antidote to the Covid-19 pandemic – to immediately convene Parliament to spearhead an “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” strategy and approach in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic.

But the disastrous handling of the Covid-19 pandemic is not the only example justifying the hashtag #kerajaangagal

The media are full of examples of #kerajaangagal in Malaysia and there is no better example and authority than the Inspector-General, Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador who in his final press conference as IGP revealed:

1. Political intervention in the police force.

2. Political interference in the Police Force Commission.

3. Corruption in the civil service and politics. Hamid said: “I fight corruption in the force, but I see corruption everywhere in power-drunk politics.” He asked why the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has not investigated the “political frogs”.

4. “Unintelligent Ministers” who asked to loosen roadblocks during MCO and CMCOs.

I support Bersih’s call for reform on how top judges and high-ranking government officials like the IGP are hired and fired to put an end to abuse of power.

Can Malaysia be saved from kakistocracy?

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, May 1, 2021)