The Prime Minister Ismail Sabri is not taking sufficient seriousness about the high Covid-19 death rate which has to date killed 138 times more people than during the May 13 racial riots of 1969.
The National Operations Council (NOC) reported that the 196 people died in the May 13 riots in 1969, comprising 143 Chinese, 25 Malays, 13 Indians and 15 others.
Since Ismail Sabri became Prime Minister on 20th August 2021, 49.4% of the cumulative total of Covid-19 deaths of 27,113 have occurred, which comes to more than 68 times the total 196 deaths which occurred during the May 13 Incident in 1969.
In answer to a written question by the DAP MP for Bangi, Ong Kian Ming, the Health Ministry said that of the 471 Covid-19 deaths last year, 127 (26.96 percent) deaths last year were Malay, Chinese 56 (11.9 percent); Indians 15 (3.18 percent) while 273 (57.96 percent) were “lain-lain”.
Meanwhile, from Jan 1 to Oct 3 this year, there were 26,212 Covid-19 deaths, out of which 8,886 (33.9 percent) were Malay; Chinese 2,815 (10.73 percent); and Indians 1,746 (6.67 percent) while 12,765 Covid-19 deaths (48.7 percent) of the fatalities were “lain-lain”.
This is an unacceptable answer as there is no differentiation between “lain-lain” who are are Malaysians but not Malays, Chinese, or Indian from non-Malaysians who are mostly foreign workers.
So far, it is established that among Malaysians, a total of 9,012 Malays, 2,871 Chinese and 1,761 Indians have died – making a total of 13,644 Covid-19 deaths representing some 70 per cent of the total fatality during the May 13 riots in 1969 – which represents an exponential increase from the May 13 riot deaths in 1969.
The Health Ministry should issue a clearer answer, making a distinction between the “Others” who are Malaysians and the “Others” who are not Malaysians – and for foreign workers, giving their respective countries of origin.
The Prime Minister must regard the rate of Covid-19 deaths in Malaysia as unacceptably high and devise immediate measures to lower the Covid-19 fatality rate.
(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Friday, 8th October 2021)