After 99 days of depressing, gloomy or at best “not bad news”, it is great to have some good news at last on the Covid-19 pandemic front on the last day of Ismail Sabri’s first hundred days as the ninth Prime Minister of Malaysia.
Yesterday, Malaysia recorded 4,239 daily new Covid-19 cases, the lowest in 196 days since May 16, and 29 daily Covid-19 deaths – second lowest in over six months.
I had hoped that at least by the first 100 Days of Ismail Sabri as the ninth Prime Minister of Malaysia, we can at least undo the damage of the proclamation of emergency by the Muhyiddin Yassin Government on January 11, 2021, when we had 2,232 daily new Covid-19 cases and four Covid-19 deaths, with the cumulative totals of 138,224 Covid-19 cases and 555 Covid-19 deaths.
When Ismail Sabri took his oath of office as the ninth Prime Minster of Malaysia on August 21, there was a ten-fold increase in the daily new Covid-19 cases to 22,262 cases from the date of declaration of Emergency and an increase by more than 50 times in number of daily Covid-19 casualties to 223 Covid-19 deaths on that day.
We had not won the war against the Covid-19 pandemic, and if the crazy rate increases of cases and deaths had continued, at the end of Ismail Sabri’s first 100 days yesterday, we might have cumulative totals of five million Covid-19 cases and some 100,000 Covid-19 deaths.
This was one main reason why I supported the confidence-supply-reform (CSR) memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Ismail Sabri and the Pakatan Harapan leaders, for when the country is faced with an existential threat involving millions of Covid-19 cases and tens of thousands of human lives, Malaysians must put their differences aside to protect lives, livelihoods and the national fabrics of Malaysian society.
We have ended the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic but we have not yet won the war against it.
Instead of cumulative totals of five million Covid-19 cases and 100,000 Covid-19 deaths, the cumulative totals at the end of the first 100 days of Ismail Sabri as the ninth Prime Minister was 2,623,816 Covid-19 cases and 30,309 Covid-19 deaths – which means the CSR MOU had prevented some 2.4 million Covid-19 cases and saved the lives of 60,000-70,000 lives.
From a losing position, the CSR MOU has turned the tides of defeat to end the crazy increase of Covid-19 case and Covid-19 deaths but we have not won the war against Covid-19 pandemic by at least returning to the pre-Emergency days before January 11, 2021.
For 99 days, we descended from the peak of daily new cases of 24,599 cases on 26th August and the peak of 592 daily Covid-19 deaths on Sept. 11, 2021 but the process of reduction of daily new cases and daily deaths was too agonisingly slow – as for six weeks, we were struggling in the 4,500 – 6,500 region for daily new cases.
On the last day of Ismail Sabri’s first 100 days as the ninth Prime Minister, Malaysia has broken the jinx of being trapped in the 4,500 – 6,500 region for daily new Covid-19 cases and recorded 4,239 daily new cases.
Hopefully, this will mark Malaysia gaining firmer grip of the Covid-19 pandemic situation in the second 100 days of Ismail Sabri as Prime Minister, where we can not only bring Malaysia to pre-emergency situation but end the longest Covid-19 wave in the world in Malaysia which had lasted 14 months since the Sabah general election last year.
We must look forward to the day where the daily increase of new Covid-19 cases is in double-digit figure while the daily Covid-19 fatalities are in single-digit figure.
Indonesia yesterday recorded 264 daily new cases and one Covid-19 death, while India recorded 6,226 daily new cases and 20 Covid-19 deaths.
Indonesia had been recording daily Covid-19 new cases in triple digit numbers for seven weeks since Oct. 14 and double-digit numbers for daily Covid-19 deaths for eight weeks since Oct. 3.
Now Indonesia is recording Covid-19 deaths in single-digit number.
When will Malaysia be able to do so?
This question becomes more urgent with reports that a new Covid variant, Omicron, is spreading around the world although it is not yet clear whether Omicron is more transmissible than other variants or if it causes more severe disease.
(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, November 29, 2021)
Akhirnya berita baik mengenai Covid-19 pada hari terakhir 100 hari pertama Ismail Sabri — kadar jangkitan terendah sejak 16 Mei dan juga kadar kematian akibat Covid-19 kedua terendah dalam enam bulan yang lepas
Selepas 99 hari dengan berita yang suram, di mana situasi yang paling baik sekalipun hanyalah apabila kita didatangkan dengan berita yang “tidak buruk”, kita akhirnya menerima berita yang baik pada hari terakhir 100 hari pertama Ismail Sabri sebagai Perdana Menteri kesembilan.
Semalam, Malaysia mencatatkan 4,239 kes baharu Covid-19, kadar terendah dalam 196 hari sejak 16 Mei, dan pada masa yang sama mencatatkan 29 kematian akibat Covid-19 — kadar kematian kedua terendah dalam enam bulan yang lepas.
Saya telah berharap sekurang-kurangnya dalam 100 hari pertama Ismail Sabri menjadi Perdana Menteri kesembilan ini, kita dapat memulihkan semula kerosakan yang telah disebabkan oleh Proklamasi Darurat oleh kerajaan Muhyiddin Yassin pada 11 Januari 2021, di mana kita mencatatkan 2,232 kes baharu dengan empat kematian akibat Covid-19 dan sejumlah 138,224 kes dan 555 kematian terkumpul.
Semasa Ismail Sabri mengangkat sumpah sebagai Perdana Menteri kesembilan pada 21 Ogos 2021, kadar kes Covid-19 dalam negara adalah sepuluh kali ganda berbanding dengan semasa darurat diisytiharkan dengan 22,262 kes baharu, manakala kadar kematian pula telah meningkat 50 kali ganda kepada 223 kematian pada hari tersebut.
Kita belum memenangi perang melawan wabak Covid-19 ini dan sekiranya kadar yang tidak masuk akal tersebut berterusan sehingga ke penghujung 100 hari pertama Ismail Sabri, kita sudah akan mencatatkan lima juta kes dengan lebih kurang 100,000 kematian akibat Covid-19.
Inilah sebab utama saya menyokong memorandum persefahaman (MOU) kepercayaan-perbekalan-reformasi (CSR) di antara Ismail Sabri dan pemimpin Pakatan Harapan, kerana apabila negara kita sedang berhadapan dengan ancaman besar yang melibatkan jutaan kes dan ribuan korban nyawa, kita perlu ketepikan perbezaan kita untuk melindungi nyawa, punca pendapatan, dan fabrik masyarakat Malaysia.
Kita telah menghentikan keadaan terburuk Covid-19 tetapi kita belum memenangi perang melawan wabak ini.
Daripada mengumpulkan lima juta kes dan 100,000 kematian akibat Covid-19, kita sebaliknya mencatatkan 2,623,816 kes dan 30,309 kematian akibat Covid-19 menjelang 100 hari pertama Ismail Sabri — perkara ini bermakna MOU CSR ini berjaya mengelakkan 2.4 juta jangkitan Covid-19 dan berjaya menyelamatkan kira-kira 60,000 ke 70,000 nyawa.
Daripada berada dalam kedudukan sedang kalah, MOU CSR ini mengubah arah tuju negara untuk menghentikan peningkatan melampau kes dan kematian akibat Covid-19, tetapi kita masih belum berjaya dalam perang ini selagi mana kita belum mencapai sekurang-kurangnya kadar kes yang dicatatkan pada era pra-darurat pada 11 Januari 2021.m
Untuk 99 hari, kita turun daripada kemuncak 24,599 kes pada 26 Ogos dan kemuncak 592 kematian pada 11 September, tetapi proses ini bergerak dengan terlalu perlahan — memandangkan selepas enam minggu, kita masih berada dalam julat 4,500 ke 6,500 kes setiap hari.
Pada hari terakhir 100 hari pertama Ismail Sabri ini, negara kita akhirnya terkeluar daripada jerat 4,500-6,500 kes ini dengan 4,239 kes baharu.
Harapnya, perkara ini mencatatkan permulaan di mana kita mula berjaya mengawal penularan Covid-19 dengan lebih baik dalam 100 hari kedua Ismail Sabri, di mana kita tidak boleh hanya mengurangkan kes ini kepada kadar pra-darurat, tetapi kita juga perlu menamatkan gelombang penularan terpanjang di dunia yang telah berlarutan selama 14 bulan sejak daripada PRN Sabah pada tahun lepas.
Kita perlu terus berharap kepada suatu hari di mana kadar peningkatan kes baharu ini berada dalam julat dua angka dengan kadar kematian dalam julat satu angka.
Indonesia semalam mencatatkan 264 kes baharu dengan satu kematian akibat Covid-19. Sedangkan India pula mencatatkan 6,226 kes baharu dengan 20 kematian akibat Covid-19.
Indonesia telah mencatatkan kadar kes baharu dalam julat tiga angka sejak untuk tujuh minggu sejak 14 Oktober dan mencatatkan kematian dalam julat dua angka selama lapan minggu sejak 3 Oktober.
Kini Indonesia mencatatkan kadar kematian akibat Covid-19 dalam julat satu angka.
Bilakah kita akan menyaksikan perkara seperti ini?
Persoalan ini menjadi lebih mendesak apabila terdapat laporan mengenai varian baharu Covid-19, Omicron, yang sedang tular di seluruh dunia walaupun masih belum jelas sama ada varian Omicron ini lebih mudah berjangkit berbanding dengan varian-varian lain atau sama ada ia menyebabkan penyakit yang lebih parah.
(Kenyataan Media (2) oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Isnin, 29 November 2021)