The United Kingdom Parliamentary science and technology as well as the health and social care Select Committees have come out with a joint report stating that Britain’s early handling of the coronavirus pandemic was one of the worst public health failures in UK history.
It is time that the Malaysian Parliamentary Select Committees, in particular the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, Science and Innovation should conduct public hearings on the Covid-19 lessons to be learnt in Malaysia, if we are to be prepared for the next pandemic which medical experts have warned could come soon and be deadlier.
Furthermore, why Malaysia became one of the worst-performing nations in the Covid-19 pandemic, even worse than Indonesia, a country more than eight times the population of Malaysia?
This was illustrated again by yesterday’s numbers for daily new Covid-19 cases and daily Covid-19 deaths (Indonesia yesterday had 1,261 new cases and 47 deaths as compared to Malaysia’s 7,276 cases and 103 deaths) and this situation had been going on for more than a week.
On Monday, Parliament approved the increase of the number of members in the parliamentary special select committees from seven to nine members, with five from the government and four from the opposition.
It is time for the 10 parliamentary special select committees to be fully formed in the next twelve days before the Dewan Rakyat is reconvened on Oct. 25 for the 2022 Budget session and for each of the parliamentary special select committee to inquire how the Covid-19 pandemic had impinged and impacted on the area of their jurisdiction.
A check of the United Kingdom House of Commons website shows that apart from the latest report describing the coronavirus pandemic as one of the “worst public health failures” in UK history, the various parliamentary select committees have so far submitted 57 reports related to the Covid-19 pandemic, for instance, the Justice select committee had submitted seven reports on the Covid-19 pandemic, such as its impact on prisons, the legal profession, on court and Tribunal reforms and on the probation service.
The Home Affairs select committee had submitted six reports on the Covid-19 pandemic, including Home Office preparedness with regard to domestic abuse and risks of harm with the home, immigration and visas, institutional accommodation and management of the borders.
The Digital, Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) select committee had submitted three reports on the charity sector and the future of the digital technology; the Education select committee had submitted two reports on the impact of Covid-19 on education and children’s services while the Women and Equalities Select Committee had submitted four reports including on “gendered economic impact” and “treating disabled people unfairly”.
Apart from these close to 60 reports, there are over fifty ongoing inquiries on the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic in the various spheres of life by the various parliamentary select committees in the British Parliament.
Malaysia’s parliamentary special select committees have a lot to catch up to play the important role of check-and-balance to the Executive as intended by the Malaysian Constitution and the historic confidence-supply-reform (CSR) memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri and the Pakatan Harapan leaders on 13th September 2021.
(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, October 13, 2021)
Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Kesihatan, Sains, dan Inovasi perlu mengadakan sesi pendengaran awam mengenai pengajaran daripada penularan Covid-19 di Malaysia
Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Sains dan Teknologi dan juga Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Kesihatan dan Kebajikan Sosial di Parlimen United Kingdom telah mengeluarkan kenyataan bersama menyatakan yang pengendalian peringkat awal wabak koronavirus di negara tersebut adalah antara salah satu kegagalan kesihatan terbesar dalam sejarah mereka.
Sudah tiba masanya untuk Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas di Malaysia, terutamanya Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Kesihatan, Sains, dan Inovasi untuk mengadakan pendengaran awam mengenai pengajaran yang boleh kita dapati daripada penularan wabak Covid-19 di Malaysia sekiranya kita hendak bersedia untuk apa-apa pandemik yang akan datang yang dijangkakan boleh tiba pada bila-bila masa dan mungkin lebih membawa maut oleh pakar kesihatan.
Tambahan lagi, mengapa Malaysia terus menjadi salah satu negara dengan prestasi terburuk dalam wabak ini, dengan prestasi yang lebih buruk berbanding dengan Indonesia, sebuah negara yang mempunyai lebih daripada lapan kali jumlah penduduk berbanding negara kita?
Perkara ini digambarkan sekali lagi dengan angka kes dan kematian baharu Covid-19 semalam (Indonesia semalam mencatatkan 1,261 kes dan 47 kematian berbanding dengna 7,276 kes dan 103 kematian di Malaysia) dan keadaan ini telah berlanjutan selama lebih daripada seminggu.
Pada hari Isnin, Parlimen meluluskan peningkatan jumlah ahli dalam Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Parlimen daripada tujuh ke sembilan orang, dengan lima orang daripada pihak kerajaan dan empat orang daripada pihak pembangkang.
Sudah tiba masanya untuk semua sepuluh jawatankuasa-jawatankuasa ini dibentuk sepenuhnya dalam 12 hari yang akan datang sebelum Dewan Rakyat bersidang semula pada 25 Oktober untuk persidangan Belanjawan 2022 dan semua jawatankuasa ini perlu menyiasat bagaimana wabak Covid-19 telah memberikan kesan ke bidang mereka.
Jawatankuasa Hal Ehwal Negeri telah membentangkan enam laporan mengenai wabak Covid-19, termasuklah kebersediaan Kementerian Dalam Negeri untuk berhadapan dengan kes penderaan rumah tangga dan risiko ancaman dalam negeri, imigresen dan visa, institusi penempatan, dan pengurusan sempadan.
Jawatankuasa PIlihan Khas Digital, Budaya, Media, dan Sukan (DCMS) telah membentangkan tiga laporan mengenai sektor amal dan masa hadapan teknologi digital; Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Pendidikan membentangkan dua laporan mengenai impak Covid-19 terhadap pendidikan dan perkhidmatan untuk kanak-kanak, manakala Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Hal Ehwal Wanita dan Kesaksamaan membentangkan empat laporan termasuklah mengenai “impak ekonomi berjantina” dan “layanan tidak adil terhadap golongan kurang upaya”.
Selain daripada hampir 60 laporan yang telah dibentangkan ini, terdapat lima puluh lagi siasatan dan pendengaran mengenai impak wabak Covid-19 dalam pelbagai bidang kehidupan sedang dijalankan oleh Jawatankuasa-jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Parlimen British.
Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas di Parlimen Malaysia mempunyai banyak tugas yang menanti mereka untuk memainkan peranan semak imbang terhadap pihak eksekutif seperti yang diniatkan dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan dan memorandum persefahaman kepercayaan-perbekalan-reformasi (CSR) yang bersejarah yang ditandatangani di antara Perdana Menteri Ismail Sabri dan pemimpin Pakatan Harapan pada 13 September 2021.
(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri, Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Rabu, 13 Oktober 2021)
