The 2022 Budget presented by the Finance Minster, Tengku Zafrul Tengku Aziz to Parliament on Friday was one major exercise of denial syndrome where the Ismail Sabri government refused to face up to the fact that until the confidence-supply-reform (CSR) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by the Prime Minister and the four Pakatan Harapan leaders on Sept. 13, 2021, Malaysia had lost the war against the Covid-19 pandemic, especially from the declaration of Emergency on January 11, 2021.
When the 2021 Budget was presented by Tengku Zafrul in the Muhyiddin Government on Nov. 6, 2020, there were cumulative totals of 38,189 Covid-19 cases and 279 Covid-19 deaths.
When the Confidence-Supply-Reform (CSR) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between Prime Minister Ismail Sabri and the Pakatan Harapan leaders, Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Guan Eng, Mohamad Sabu and Wilfred Madius Tangau on Sept. 13, 2021, there were cumulative totals of 1,995,771 Covid-19 cases and 21,124 Covid-19 deaths.
As of yesterday (Nov. 1) , the cumulative totals increased to 2,476,268 Covid-19 cases and 28,975 Covid-19 deaths.
This means that from the presentation of the 2021 Budget on Nov. 6, 2020 to the signing of the CSR MOU on Sept. 13, 2021, there was a 52 times’ increase of the Covid-19 cases and an increase of 76 times the Covid-19 deaths.
But during the 50 days between the signing of the CSR MOU on Sept. 13, 2021 and Nov.1. 2021 there was an increase of 19.4% in the cumulative total of Covid-19 cases and an increase of 27% in the cumulative total of Covid-19 deaths.
This was the very intention of the CSR MOU – to stop the dizzy surge of Covid-19 cases and deaths destroying lives and livelihoods in Malaysia.
But will the reduction of the daily new Covid-19 cases and daily Covid-19 deaths hold?
it is matters of concern that the reduction of daily new Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 deaths were too slow as compared to other ASEAN countries like Indonesia and the Philippines, let alone other Asian nations like India and China.
Yesterday Malaysia recorded 4,626 daily new Covid-19 cases and 63 Covid-19 deaths, which is far cry from Indonesia’s 402 daily new Covid-19 cases and 18 Covid-19 deaths (18 consecutive days in triple-digit figures for daily new cases and 32 consecutive days in double-digit for daily Covid-19 deaths).
The slow rate of reduction to triple and then double-digit figures for daily new Covid-19 cases and single-digit for daily Covid-19 deaths in Malaysia is worrisome.
Although Malaysia reached a new low of 133 days when it recorded 4,626 daily new Covid-19 cases yesterday, the daily Covid-19 death numbers have gone up to 63 deaths after falling to 36 and 44 deaths the previous two days – with the BID Covid-19 deaths returning to double-digit figure of 18 deaths.
It has been reported that most of the fatality figures were backlog figures sometimes more than a week old.
Malaysians are still waiting for the Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin to come clean on the high Covid-19 fatality rates in Malaysia.
(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, 2nd November 2021)
Amat membimbangkan bahawa jumlah kes kematian harian akibat Covid-19 di Malaysia telah meningkat kepada 65 orang semalam selepas dua hari berturut-turut mengalami penurunan dan angka kematian di bawa ke hospital (BID) kembali meningkat kepada julat dua angka
Belanjawan 2022 yang dibentangkan oleh Menteri Kewangan, Tengku Zafrul Tengku Aziz di Parlimen pada Jumaat adalah salah satu contoh sindrom penafian di mana kerajaan Ismail Sabri enggan untuk berdepan dengan hakikat bahawa sehingga hari Memorandum Persefahaman (MOU) kepercayaan-perbekalan-reformasi (CSR) ditandatangani oleh Perdana Menteri dan empat pemimpin Pakatan Harapan pada 13 September 2021, Malaysia telah tewas dalam perang melawan wabak Covid-19, terutama dari hari pertama pelaksanaan Darurat pada 11 Januari 2021.
Semasa Belanjawan 2021 dibentangkan oleh Tengku Zafrul di bawah Kerajaan Muhyiddin pada 6 November 2020, jumlah keseluruhan kes Covid-19 adalah sebanyak 38,189 dengan 279 kematian terkumpul.
Semasa MOU CSR ditandatangani antara Perdana Menteri Ismail Sabri dan pemimpin Pakatan Harapan, Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Guan Eng, Mohamad Sabu dan Wilfred Madius Tangau pada 13 September 2021, jumlah keseluruhan kes Covid-19 adalah sebanyak 1,995,771 dengan 21,124 kematian terkumpul.
Setakat semalam (1 November) jumlah keseluruhan kes tersebut meningkat kepada 2,476,268 dengan 28,975 kematian terkumpul.
Ini bermakna, dari hari pembentangan Belanjawan 2021 pada 6 November 2020 hingga hari majlis tandatangan MOU CSR pada 13 September 2021, terdapat peningkat sebanyak 52 kali ganda untuk jumlah keseluruhan kes Covid-19 dan peningkatan 76 kali ganda untuk jumlah keseluruhan kes kematian akibat wabak itu.
Namun, sepanjang 50 hari antara majlis tandatangan MOU CSR pada 13 September 2021 dan 1 November 2021, terdapat peningkatan 19.4% dalam jumlah keseluruhan kes jangkitan Covid-19 dan peningkat sebanyak 27% dalam jumlah keseluruhan kes kematian akibat wabak itu.
Ini adalah satu sebab mengapa MOU CSR diperlukan — untuk menghentikan peningkatan mendadak dalam jumlah kes jangkitan Covid-19 dan jumlah kes kematian akibat wabak itu yang memusnahkan kehidupan dan mata pencarian rakyat Malaysia.
Namun, adakah trend penurunan dalam jumlah kes jangkitan dan kematian akibat Covid-19 akan berterusan?
Amat membimbangkan kerana penurunan jumlah kes harian baharu Covid-19 dan jumlah kes kematian akibat wabak itu agak perlahan jika dibandingkan dengan negara-negara ASEAN lain seperti Indonesia dan Filipina, apatah lagi negara Asia lain seperti India dan China.
Semalam, Malaysia merekodkan 4,626 kes harian baharu Covid-19 dengan 63 kematian, yang mana jauh lebih tinggi berbanding Indonesia yang merekodkan 402 kes harian baharu Covid-19 dengan 18 kematian (18 hari berturut-turut mencatatkan kes jangkitan Covid-19 dalam lingkungan julat tiga angka dan 32 hari berturut-turut mencatatkan kes kematian akibat wabak itu dalam lingkungan julat dua angka).
Kadar penurunan kepada julat tiga angka dan kemudian julat dua angka untuk kes harian baharu Covid-19 dan julat satu angka untuk kes kematian akibat Covid-19 di Malaysia yang agak perlahan amat membimbangkan.
Meskipun Malaysia mencapai angka kes harian Covid-19 terendah dalam tempoh 133 hari dengan 4,626 kes semalam, angka korban Covid-19 telah meningkat kepada 63 orang selepas mencatatkan penurunan kepada 36 dan 44 orang pada dua hari lalu — dengan kes kematian di bawa ke hospital (BID) kembali meningkat kepada julat dua angka dengan 18 korban.
Telah dilaporkan terdapat masalah tunggakan (backlog) pengurusan mayat untuk tempoh kira-kira lebih seminggu.
Rakyat Malaysia masih menantikan penjelasan Menteri Kesihatan, Khairy Jamaluddin berhubung kadar kematian akibat Covid-19 yang begitu tinggi di Malaysia.
(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen Iskandar Puteri, Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada Selasa, 2 November 2021)