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Both Malaysia and the United Kingdom have set new records in the Covid-19 pandemic — a record high of 126 daily Covid-19 deaths in Malaysia yesterday while zero daily death in the United Kingdom on Tuesday, 1st of June — the first day of MCO 3.0 “total lockdown”.
For two-and-a-half months, the United Kingdom has kept to double-digit daily death rates — down from its daily death peak of 1,823 deaths on January 20, 2021. UK’s zero daily death on Tuesday because of Covid-19 in UK was its first time in 10 months.
But in Malaysia, we burst through the six-week streak of double-digit daily death figures to three-digit daily death figure yesterday.
Since emergency was declared on January 11, 2021, the monthly statistics for Covid-19 fatalities under the emergency were
January (from January 11): 209 February: 370 March: 142 April: 234 May: 1,290 June: (1st and 2nd) 197 Total 2,442
As the total Covid-19 deaths in Malaysia till June 2, 2021 amounted to 2,993 fatalities, this means that during the nearly five months of emergency, the number of Covid-19 fatalities is nearly four-and-a-half times the fatalities of the previous 12 months of the Covid-19 pandemic.
What can be more potent than this to demonstrate the colossal failure of the emergency to combat Covid-19 pandemic?
But there is the further reason that during the nearly five months of emergency, the number of Covid-19 cases have increased by over four times the previous 12 months of the Covid-19 pandemic – as the 138,224 cumulative total of Covid-19 cases on January 11 have increased to 587,165 cases on June 2, 2021.
It is obvious that the declaration of emergency, together with the suspension of Parliament, had crippled efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic by the government’s double failures – firstly to restore public trust and confidence because of SOP flip-flops and double standards in the government handling of the war against the Covid-19 pandemic and secondly, to spearhead a national mobilisation of Malaysians through a genuine “whole-of-society” strategy and approach in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic.
What type of an emergency is this?
It must be the only emergency in the world which has not improved a dire national situation but aggravated and worsened it – whether in terms of cumulative total Covid-19 cases or fatalities!
In fact, experts are warning of worse to come in the Covid-19 pandemic despite MCO 3.0 and a “total lockdown”.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) Science Council member Dr. Adeeba Kamarulzan warned yesterday that a recent study warned that the Covid-19 death toll in the country may reach 26,000 by September with the estimated number of fatalities at least nine times the current cumulative death toll, which stood at 2,993 yesterday.
She said the study, conducted by the Institute for Health Metric and Evaluation (IHME) of the University of Washington in the United States, also estimated that the daily death rate could go as high as 200 cases towards the end of August.
Adeeba, who is also the chairperson of the Malaysian Aids Foundation, stressed that the fight against Covid-19 was one that all Malaysians should be involved in and urged all Malaysians to really reflect, re-strategise and reset.
She said the leadership must also be responsible to restore the public’s trust because, in terms of health, trust is the currency of public health.
The question is whether the Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, will place national interest above self-interest and is prepared to restore public trust and confidence by immediately convening Parliament to ensure the proper functioning of the important constitutional safeguard of parliamentary scrutiny and “check-and-balance” to ensure Executive competence, efficiency and good governance?
(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, 3rd June 2021)
#kerajaangagal84 – Malaysia dan UK masing-masing mencipta rekod baharu – Malaysia merekodkan 126 angka korban akibat Covid-19 sementara tiada kematian direkodkan akibat wabak itu di UK
Malaysia dan United Kingdom mencipta rekod baharu — Malaysia merekodkan 126 kes kematian akibat Covid-19, sekaligus menjadikan ia angka kematian tertinggi akibat wabak itu setakat ini sementara tiada sebarang kematian direkodkan di UK pada hari Selasa, 1 Jun, hari pertama pelaksanaan sekatan pergerakan penuh di negara kita.
Selama dua bulan setengah, United Kingdom mengekalkan angka kes kematian akibat wabak itu pada paras dua digit — menurun dari kes kematian harian tertinggi pada 20 Januari 2021 dengan 1,823 kes. UK merekodkan angka sifar kes kematian akibat wabak itu buat pertama kali dalam tempoh 10 bulan pada Selasa lalu.
Namun di Malaysia, angka kes kematian akibat wabak itu kekal pada paras dua digit selama enam minggu berturut-turut dan meningkat kepada tiga digit semalam.
Sejak pengisytiharan darurat pada 11 Januari 2021, statistik bulanan angka kes kematian akibat Covid-19 adalah seperti berikut:
Januari (dari 11 Januari): 209 Februari: 370 Mac: 142 April: 234 Mei: 1,290 Jun (1 dan 2 Jun): 197 Jumlah: 2,442
Setakat 2 Jun 2021, jumlah kes kematian akibat Covid-19 adalah sebanyak 2,993 kes, ini bermakna jumlah kematian akibat wabak itu sepanjang tempoh hampir lima bulan pengisytiharan darurat dikuatkuasakan adalah kira-kira 4.5 kali ganda daripada jumlah kematian yang direkodkan sepanjang 12 bulan sebelumnya.
Bukankah ini gambaran yang jelas tentang kegagalan perisytiharan darurat yang kononnya dikuatkuasakan kerajaan untuk melawan pandemik Covid-19?
Malah, sepanjang hampir lima bulan pelaksanaan bulan darurat, jumlah kes Covid-19 yang direkodkan di negara ini meningkat lebih empat kali ganda berbanding jumlah kes yang direkodkan dalam tempoh 12 bulan sebelumnya — jumlah keseluruhan kes positif Covid-19 adalah sebanyak 138,224 kes pada 11 Januari; meningkat kepada 587,165 kes pada 2 Jun 2021.
Sudah terang lagi bersuluh, perisytiharan darurat dan penggantungan Parlimen, telah melumpuhkan usaha untuk melawan wabak Covid-19 ekoran kegagalan berganda kerajaan — pertama; kegagalan untuk mengembalikan kepercayaan dan keyakinan masyarakat ekoran pelaksanaan SOP yang caca-marba dan bersifat dwi-standard dan kedua; kegagalan untuk menggerakkan mobilisasi nasional semua rakyat Malaysia untuk memastikan terdapat pendekatan dan strategi melibatkan “keseluruhan masyarakat” dalam peperangan melawan pandemik Covid-19.
Darurat jenis apakah ini?
Mungkin inilah satu-satunya darurat seumpamanya di dunia yang dilihat gagal untuk merubah situasi meruncing dalam negara, malah mendatangkan lebih banyak bencana – sama ada dalam kes kematian atau kes baharu jangkitan wabak itu.
Malah, pakar telah memberi amaran bahawa situasi lebih buruk dijangka akan berlaku meskipun sekatan pergerakan penuh telah dilaksanakan.
Anggota Majlis Sains Pertubuhan Kesihatan Sedunia (WHO) Dr. Adeeba Kamarulzaman memberi amaran semalam bahawa satu kajian yang diterbitkan baru-baru ini memberi amaran bahawa jumlah kematian berkaitan Covid-19 di negara ini berkemungkinan mencapai 26,000 kes menjelang September. Anggaran angka itu sekurang-kurangnya sembilan kali ganda daripada jumlah kumulatif kes kematian terkini iaitu 2,993 setakat semalam.
Beliau berkata kajian oleh Institute for Health Metric and Evaluation (IHME) University of Washington itu juga menganggarkan kadar kematian harian akan mencecah 200 kes menjelang akhir Ogos.
Dr Adeeba yang juga Pengerusi Yayasan AIDS Malaysia menegaskan bahawa memerangi Covid-19 adalah tindakan yang perlu dilibatkan semua rakyat Malaysia dan menggesa semua rakyat Malaysia untuk berfikir, membuat rancangan strategik dan atur semula.
Beliau berkata pucuk pimpinan juga perlu mengambil tanggungjawab untuk mengembalikan kepercayaan rakyat dalam erti kata kesihatan awam, kerana kepercayaan adalah mata wang kepada kesihatan awam.
Persoalannya kini, adakah Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin akan meletakkan kepentingan negara mengatasi kepentingan peribadi dan bersedia untuk mengembalikan kepercayaan dan keyakinan masyarakat dengan segera memanggil sidang Parlimen bagi memastikan wujudnya prinsip “semak dan imbang” ke atas segala keputusan yang dibuat oleh pihak eksekutif?
(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri, Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Khamis, 3 Jun 2021)