(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri James Jemut Masing said his younger brother Jantai Masing, 68, who died due to Covid-19 at the Kapit Hospital on May 31, just a day before the Dayaks in the state ushered in the Gawai celebration, would have a better chance to survive Covid-19 if he had been given the vaccine.

This is a question which is haunting Malaysians, regardless of race or religion – How many avoidable deaths will take place in Malaysia during the Covid-19 pandemic?

Malaysia has reached a stage where more people are dying of Covid-19 than in the United Kingdom.

In the month of May 2021, 1,495 people in Malaysia died of Covid-19, while in the United Kingdom, 265 people died of Covid-19.

In the first five days of June, 495 people in Malaysia died of Covid-19 while 54 died of Covid-19 in United Kingdom.

January was the blackest month for the United Kingdom, where 32.707 people died of Covid-19, but mass vaccination has changed the picture reducing the Covid-19 caseload as well as fatalities, to the extent UK is recording less daily increase of new Covid-19 cases and daily fatalities than Malaysia.

United Kingdom has turned the corner in the Covid-19 pandemic, but Malaysia is still waiting the for worst, with dire predictions that daily increase of new Covid-19 cases could increase to 13,000 cases a day by the middle of the month and that the total Covid-19 fatalities could reach 26,000 by September.

It is of the utmost importance and urgency that the national vaccination rollout in Malaysia must be accelerated.

There must be urgent review to ensure that the national vaccination rollout does not become the Malaysia’s Achilles’ heel in the war against Covid-19 pandemic.

The Special Committee on Covid-19 Vaccine must re-strategise and ensure that the campaign highlights the common touches to bring the vaccine to the people instead of bringing the people to the vaccine.

This is particularly important for rural and remotes areas, although in urban areas, emphasis should be made to increase the vaccination centres which should be people-friendly and convenient.

There should be a national campaign involving all MPs, State Assembly persons, community leaders, village heads, heads of religious groups, corporate leaders, the business community, professional associations and even social influencers to play a key role to persuade Malaysians to register for the vaccination.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, 6th June 2021)

#kerajaangagal90 — Berapa banyakkah kematian yang sepatutnya boleh dielakkan yang akan dicatatkan dalam negara kita sepanjang wabak Covid-19?

Timbalan Ketua Menteri Sarawak, Tan Sri James Jemut Masing, mengatakan yang adik beliau, Jantai Masing, 68, yang meninggal dunia akibat Covid-19 di Hospital Kapit pada 31 Mei — sehari sebelum penduduk Dayak di negeri tersebut menyambut perayaan Gawai — mungkin akan mempunyai peluang yang lebih cerah sekiranya beliau telah menerima vaksin.

Inilah persoalan yang menghantui rakyat Malaysia, tanpa mengira kaum atau agama — Berapa banyakkah kematian yang sepatutnya boleh dielakkan yang akan dicatatkan dalam negara kita sepanjang wabak Covid-19?

Malaysia telah sampai ke satu tahap di mana terdapat lebih ramai orang yang mati akibat Covid-19 berbanding dengan di United Kingdom.

Dalam bulan Mei 2021, 1,495 orang telah terkorban akibat Covid-19 di Malaysia, sementara di United Kingdom, hanya 265 orang yang terkorban akibat wabak ini.

Dalam lima hari pertama bulan Jun, 495 orang telah terkorban di Malaysia akibat wabak Covid-19, manakala hanya 54 orang terkorban di United Kingdom.

Januari adalah bulan terburuk untuk United Kingdom, di mana 32,707 orang telah terkorban akibat wabak ini. Namun, program vaksinasi besar-besaran telah mengubah keadaan di negara tersebut dengan mengurangkan jumlah kes dan juga kadar kematian, sehingga UK kini mencatatkan lebih sedikit peningkatan kes baharu harian dan kadar kematian harian berbanding dengan Malaysia.

United Kingdom telah beralih arah dalam berhadapan dengan wabak Covid-19, tetapi di Malaysia kita masih menunggu untuk yang terburuk, dengan jangkaan yang peningkatan harian mungkin akan mencecah sehingga 13,000 kes sehari menjelang pertengahan bulan ini dan dengan jumlah korban terkumpul sehingga 26,000 kes menjelang September.

Amatlah penting untuk pelaksanaan Program Imunisasi Covid-19 Kebangsaan disegerakan secepat mungkin.

Kita perlu menyemak semula strategi kita untuk memastikan program vaksinasi ini tidak menjadi titik kelemahan kita dalam perang melawan wabak Covid-19.

Jawatankuasa Khas Jaminan Akses Vaksin perlu merangka semula strateginya dan memastikan kempennya mendekati rakyat dengan membawa vaksin kepada rakyat dan bukannya sebaliknya.

Perkara ini teramatlah penting, terutamanya untuk kawasan luar bandar dan pedalaman, dan pada masa yang sama, di kawasan bandar, pusat vaksinasi perlulah diperbanyakkan dan dijadikan mesra rakyat dan mudah untuk dicapai.

Perlu ada satu kempen yang melibatkan semua Ahli-ahli Parlimen, Ahli-ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri, pemimpin komuniti, ketua kampung, pemimpin-pemimpin keagamaan, tokoh korporat, komuniti perniagaan, persatuan profesional, dan pemengaruh media sosial untuk memainkan peranan penting dalam menggalakkan rakyat Malaysia untuk mendaftar dan menerima vaksinasi.

(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri, Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Ahad, 6 Jun 2021)