(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

The political news is grim but the Covid-19 news is grimmer.

Following the UMNO Supreme Council decision on Wednesday night to immediately retract support to the Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the Muhyiddin government tottered but did not fall yesterday.

The Attorney-General, Idrus Harun said that it was not clear that Muhyiddin had lost the confidence of a majority of MPs and that this must be determined by MPs and not through statements.

A top UMNO leader said UMNO’s withdrawal of support was targeted at Muhyiddin and not the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government, although the UMNO President, Zahid Hamidi in his midnight media conference had listed seven major failings of the “Muhyiddin government” as the basis for the UMNO Supreme Council decision.

It is therefore quite surprising that a UMNO Vice President could say that Sabri Ismail, who was appointed the Deputy Prime Minister by Muhyiddin earlier on Wednesday, could be Acting Prime Minister if Muhyiddin resigned as Prime Minister considering Ismail’s prominent role in the failed war against the Covid-29 pandemic – apart from the shocking disregard of the constitutional fact that the whole Cabinet ceases to exist when the Prime Minister resigns.

The net result is paralysis of a kakistocratic government while the whole country is fighting a losing battle against the Covid-19 pandemic – six months after the declaration of emergency to combat Covid-19 pandemic, some six weeks after the “total lockdowns” and a month after the National Recovery Plan (NRP).

This is brought home yesterday by the worst news on the Covid-19 front – a record daily fatality of 135 Covid-19 deaths and the second-highest daily record of 8,868 new Covid-19 cases in the past 18 months!

Malaysia now ranks No. 34 among nations in the world with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases, having overtaken Hungary, Today, we are slated to overtake Japan to be ranked No. 33, when less than eight months ago, on Nov. 18, 2020, we were ranked No. 85 among nations with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases.

We are overtaking Japan a week earlier than I had expected in terms of cumulative total of Covid-19 cases.

As a worst-performing nation in the Covid-19 pandemic. Malaysia has overtaken both China and the United States – China, where the Covid-19 pandemic started and shot to 80,025 Covid-19 cases and 2,912 Covid-19 deaths by March 1, 2020 and was overtaken by the United States from March 2020 and has now a cumulative total of over 34.6 million Covid-19 cases and over 620,000 Covid-19 deaths.

Now Malaysia, with 808,658 cases and 5,903 deaths, has beaten China in cumulative total of Covid-19 cases and deaths. China, ranked No. 101, has 91,966 Covid-19 cases and 4,636 deaths.

For the past six months in the United States, daily increase of new Covid-19 cases have fallen by 70% and in the past five weeks, fallen by 95% of its peak of 304,978 cases in January 2021. Covid-19 deaths in the United States fell from its peak of 4,452 deaths in January to triple digit figures in the last three months and in the past seven days, record a rolling seven-day daily average of 142 deaths or a 97% reduction from the its peak in January.

In contrast, Malaysia is presently facing peak cases, peak hospitalisation and peak deaths.

Malaysia needs a new “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” strategy and approach if we are to win in the war against Covid-19 pandemic, which poses an existential threat not only to the lives of Malaysians, but also to the Malaysian economy and nation.

The Malaysian ship is leaking, and all Malaysians should be on deck on fix the leak to ensure that the ship will not sink.

This is the magnitude of the Malaysian problem we face today.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, 9th July , 2021)

#kerajaangagal163 — Berita-berita politik tampak suram, apatah lagi berita-berita berkaitan Covid-19

Berita-berita politik tampak suram, apatah lagi berita-berita berkaitan Covid-19.

Susulan keputusan Majlis Tertinggi UMNO pada lewat malam Rabu lalu untuk menarik balik sokongan terhadap Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin berkuat kuasa serta-merta, kerajaan Muhyiddin kini dilihat goyah tetapi masih tidak tumbang setakat semalam.

Peguam Negara, Idrus Harun berkata, tidak jelas sama ada Muhyiddin telah hilang sokongan majoriti Ahli Parlimen dan perkara ini harus ditentukan sendiri oleh Ahli Parlimen bukan menerusi kenyataan.

Pemimpin tertinggi UMNO berkata penarikan sokongan oleh UMNO itu menyasarkan Muhyiddin, bukan kerajaan Perikatan Nasional secara keseluruhan, meskipun Presiden UMNO, Zahid Hamidi dalam kenyataan media lewat malam Rabu telah menyenaraikan tujuh kegagalan terbesar “kerajaan Muhyiddin” yang menjadi sebagai asas kepada keputusan yang dibuat Majlis Tertinggi UMNO.

Justeru, amat mengejutkan apabila Naib Presiden UMNO berkata yang Ismail Sabri, yang dilantik sebagai Timbalan Perdana Menteri oleh Muhyiddin pada awal Rabu, boleh menjadi Perdana Menteri sementara jika Muhyiddin meletakkan jawatan sebagai Perdana Menteri, mengambil kira peranan penting Ismail dalam perang melawan pandemik Covid-19 — apa yang lebih mengejutkan, kenyataan itu dibuat tanpa mempedulikan fakta perlembagaan bahawa Kabinet akan terbubar selepas Perdana Menteri meletak jawatan.

Hasilnya adalah kelumpuhan sebuah kerajaan kleptokratik di tengah-tengah negara sedang berperang melawan pandemik Covid-19 — enam bulan selepas Proklamasi Darurat dengan alasan untuk melawan pandemik Covid-19 diisytiharkan, enam minggu selepas pelaksanaan “sekatan penuh” dan selepas sebulan pengumuman Pelan Pemulihan Negara.

Ini dapat dilihat menerusi angka kes jangkitan dan kematian akibat Covid-19 yang dicatatkan semalam — sebanyak 135 kes kematian akibat wabak itu dicatatkan sementara sebanyak 8,878 kes positif Covid-19 dikesan, yang merupakan rekod kedua tertinggi pernah dicatatkan dalam tempoh 18 bulan lalu!

Malaysia kini berada di kedudukan 34 antara negara-negara di dunia dengan jumlah kumulatif kes Covid-19 tertinggi. Setelah memintas Hungary hari ini, kita diramal memintas Jepun untuk berada di kedudukan ke-33, kurang lapan bulan dari sekarang. Pada 18 November 2020, kita berada di kedudukan ke-85 antara negara negara-negara di dunia dengan jumlah kumulatif kes Covid-19 tertinggi.

Kita bakal memintas Jepun seminggu lebih awal daripada jangkaan saya.

Dalam kategori negara paling teruk menguruskan pandemik Covid-19, Malaysia telah memintas China dan Amerika Syarikat — China, di mana wabak itu mula-mula dikesan dengan 80,025 kes jangkitan dan 2,912 kematian direkodkan sehingga 1 Mac 2020 dan dipintas oleh Amerika Syarikat bermula 1 Mac 2020 dan negara barat itu kini mempunyai jumlah kumulatif kes Covid-19 sebanyak 34.6 juta dengan lebih 620,000 kematian.

Kini Malaysia, dengan 808,658 kes jangkitan dan 5,903 kematian, telah menewaskan China dalam kategori jumlah kumulatif kes jangkitan dan kematian akibat Covid-19. China berada di kedudukan ke-101, dengan 91,966 kes Covid-19 dan 4,635 kematian.

Sejak enam bulan lalu di Amerika Syarikat, kes harian yang dicatatkan telah menurun sebanyak 70% sejak lima minggu, menurun sebanyak 95% dari kemuncak 304,978 kes pada Januari 2021. Angka korban akibat Covid-19 di Amerika Syarikat menurun dari kemuncak 4,452 orang pada Januari kepada julat tiga angka dalam tempoh tiga minggu lalu dan dalam tempoh tujuh hari lalu, merekodkan purata 142 kes kematian harian atau 97 peratus penurunan dari kemuncak pada Januari.

Sebaliknya di Malaysia, kita sedang mengalami kemuncak kes jangkitan dan kematian baharu, ditambah dengan hospital yang padat dengan pesakit Covid-19.

Malaysia memerlukan sebuah strategi dan pendekatan baharu melibatkan “keseluruhan kerajaan” dan “keseluruhan masyarakat” jika kita mahu menang dalam perang melawan pandemik Covid-19, yang mengancam bukan sahaja kehidupan rakyat Malaysia, malah kestabilan ekonomi negara.

Bahtera Malaysia mula bocor, dan semua rakyat Malaysia harus bekerja keras untuk memperbaiki kebocoran ini bagi mengelakkan bahtera ini daripada terus karam ke lautan dalam.

Sebesar inilah masalah negara yang kita sedang hadapi sekarang.

(Kenyataan Media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Jumaat, 9 Julai 2021)