Malaysians are right to be outraged by the indifference of the Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin and his lieutenants about the worsening Covid-19 pandemic with over half-a-million Covid-19 cases, the fourth consecutive daily increase of over 6,000 new Covid-19 cases and 2,199 Covid-19 deaths.
This total lack of urgency and gravity of Muhyiddin and his lieutenants over the worsening Covid-19 pandemic have been illustrated by the nonchalant manner in which the decisions of the National Security Council (NSC) were announced today.
Since the announcement by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Takiyuddin Hassan in Kota Bharu on Thursday that the National Security Council (NSC) will decide on Friday whether to implement “total lockdown” to stem the spread of Covid-19, the whole nation of 32 million had been on tenterhooks on the NSC’s Friday decision.
This is not helped when the Selangor Mentri Besar, Amiruddin Shari revealed on Thursday evening that after confirmation of his attendance of the NSC meeting, he had been notified that that the NSC meeting on Friday excluded Menteri Besars and Chief Ministers.
But late on Thursday evening, Mentri Besars and Chief Ministers were again invited to the NSC meeting.
Can the Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, explain this “invite, uninvite, reinvite” drama of Mentri Besars and Chief Ministers to the NSC meeting on Friday – all happening on Thursday itself?
In view of Takiyuddin’s announcement on Thursday that the NSC will meet to decide on whether to implement a “total lockdown”, many Malaysians waited anxiously for the NSC news on Friday.
But there was none. It was well after eight o’clock on Friday night that there was a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office stating that the senior Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob will announce the NSC’s decision on more stringent measures to be imposed at a press conference the next day.
If the Covid-19 pandemic was taken seriously, why didn’t the Prime Minister, who chaired the NSC meeting, announce the NSC decision after its meeting Friday, which started at 3 pm?
The press conference today only justified the view that neither the Prime Minister nor his lieutenants took the Covid-19 pandemic seriously.
Those who had expected an early press conference today were disappointed. Ismail took his time and it was announced that he would make a live telecast at 5 pm, which was pushed to 5.30 p.m., together with the Health director-general Noor Hisham.
Why didn’t Muhyiddin make this live telecast as he had done several times on important Covid-19 announcements last year? What is more important than the Covid-19 pandemic?
All the events surrounding this NSC meeting confirm that the Prime Minister and his lieutenants do not take the Covid-19 pandemic seriously.
Malaysians cannot depend on the Muhyiddin government to save themselves.
They must self-lockdown, avoid the 3Cs and practise the 3Ws – avoid Crowded places, Close-contact settings and Confined and enclosed spaces; practise Wear a mask, Wash hands and heed the Warning to avoid close contact, practise proper cough etiquette, frequent disinfection and seek medical help if symptomatic.
(Media Statement (4) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, May 22, 2021)