The light at the end of the Covid-19 pandemic tunnel is getting brighter but we must remain vigilant in view of the omnicron variant of Covid-19 virus – to adhere to mask wearing, to use good ventilation and to avoid close contact with too many people and to get vaccinated or get booster shots.
Yesterday, we recorded 4,087 daily new Covid-19 cases – the lowest in 197 days – the strongest indication that we can look forward to breaching the 4,000-line to go below 4,000 daily new Covid-19 cases after struggling for six weeks in the 4,500 – 6,500 cases region for daily new cases, and even to return to pre-Emergency days of January 11, 2021 when we had 2,232 daily new Covid-19 cases and four Covid-19 deaths.
But we must go back further to end the longest Covid-19 wave in the world for Malaysia had been having the third Covid-19 wave since the Sabah state general elections in September last year – lasting over 14 months!
Many Malaysians have still a misconception of the confidence-supply-reform (CSR) memorandum of understanding (MOU) which Pakatan Harapan signed with Prime Minister Ismail Sabri, as if Pakatan Harapan had ceased to be an Opposition coalition and been corralled into the Ismai Sabri government.
Nothing could be further from the truth. The Covid-19 pandemic was one of the chief reasons for the CSR MOU.
When Ismail Sabri was sworn in as the ninth Prime Minster of Malaysia, we recorded 22,262 daily new Covid-19 cases with 233 daily Covid-19 deaths, with cumulative totals of 1,535,286 Covid-19 cases and 13,936 Covid-19 deaths.
If the exponential increase of Covid-19 cases and deaths had not been checked, we could have reached cumulative totals of five million Covid-19 cases and some 100,000 Covid-19 deaths.
The CSR MOU had probably saved the lives of some 60,000 – 70,000 people as the cumulative totals today are 2,627,903 Covid-19 cases and 30,370 deaths.
But the pace of decreasing the exponential increase of daily new Covid-19 cases and daily Covid-19 deaths have been agonisingly slow and unacceptable, to the extent that we are behind Indonesia and even India.
Indonesia yesterday recorded 176 daily new cases and eleven Covid-19 deaths and 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.
Yesterday, Malaysia has even lost out to India in daily new Covid-19 cases, as India recorded 2,765 cases as against Malaysia’s 4,807 cases.
If we had not achieved a modicum of political stability with the CSR MOU, the political game of “Who is the Prime Minister of Malaysia” would have been the main game in town.
DAP and Pakatan Harapan do not support the 2022 Budget but we do not want to made pawns of the “Who is the Prime Minister of Malaysia” game and we do not fancy those who were eyeing the Prime Minister’s position, including Azmin Ali and Hamzah Zainuddin of Bersatu and Zahid Hamidi, Hishammudin Hussein, Ahmad Mazlan and even Najib Razak of UMNO, to become the Prime Minister of Malaysia.
Only one thing was certain: It would not be Anwar Ibrahim as Pakatan Harapan could not muster majority support in Parliament to name him as the Prime Minister.
The CSR MOU did not commit DAP and Pakatan Harapan to support the racialist, unjust and one-sided 2022 Budget. It only committed the DAP and PH not to vote down the 2022 Budget, which will mean Ismail Sabri’s resignation as Prime Minister as it tantamount to a vote of no confidence.
Now, whether the CSR MOU could last until July 2022 is in question as a result of the “landslide” victory of UMNO in the Malacca general election – in seats but not in votes.
While UMNO leaders, like UMNO President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Deputy President, Mohamad Hassn, UMNO Youth leader Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki and even Najib Razak are pressing for early 15th general election, political analysts are unanimous in their view that BN victory n Malacca is bad news for Ismail Sabri.
This is because Ismail Sabri must decide on whether to give in to the pressure of the UMNO leaders to tear up the CSR MOU and have early 15th General Election, and become the Prime Minister with the shortest tenure shorter than Muhyiddin Yassin, or be a Prime Minister who kept his word in the CSR MOU not to have general election until July 2022.
Malaysians will know on Dec. 8 whether Najib will be making a serious bid to become the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia.
If on that date, the Court of Appeal quashes his conviction in the RM42 million SRC International corruption case and sentencing of 12 years imprisonment and RM210 million fine, the likelihood is that Najib will put into action his plan for his return as the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia in the 15th general election, shoving Ismail Sabri aside.
Malaysians will know in nine days whether there will be a serious bid for the return of kleptocracy in the country.
(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, 30th November 2021)
Cahaya di penghujung terowong pandemik Covid-19 semakin cerah tetapi kita harus tetap waspada memandangkan telah muncul varian baharu Omicron Covid-19
Cahaya di penghujung terowong pandemik Covid-19 semakin cerah tetapi kita mesti kekal berwaspada memandangkan kemunculan varian virus Covid-19 baharu, Omicron — untuk terus mematuhi arahan pemakaian pelitup muka, menggunakan pengudaraan yang baik dan mengelakkan sentuhan rapat dengan terlalu ramai orang dan untuk mendapatkan vaksin atau mendapatkan suntikan penggalak.
Semalam, kita merekodkan 4,087 kes harian baharu Covid-19 – terendah dalam 197 hari – petunjuk paling kuat yang kita boleh berharap untuk melepasi garisan 4,000 untuk turun di bawah paras 4,000 kes harian baharu Covid-19 selepas bergelut selama enam minggu dengan jumlah kes dalam lingkungan 4,500 – 6,500 untuk kes harian baharu, malah kembali ke hari pra-Darurat pada 11 Januari 2021 apabila kita merekodkan 2,232 kes harian baharu Covid-19 dan empat korban Covid-19.
Tetapi kita mesti kembali lebih jauh untuk menamatkan gelombang Covid-19 terpanjang di dunia kerana Malaysia telah mengalami gelombang Covid-19 ketiga sejak pilihan raya negeri Sabah pada September tahun lepas – berlangsung selama 14 bulan!
Ramai rakyat Malaysia masih mempunyai tanggapan yang salah mengenai memorandum persefahaman (MOU) keyakinan-pembekalan-pembaharuan (CSR) yang ditandatangani Pakatan Harapan dengan Perdana Menteri Ismail Sabri, seolah-olah Pakatan Harapan telah tidak lagi menjadi gabungan Pembangkang dan telah dikaitkan dengan kerajaan Ismail Sabri. kerajaan.
Semua ini tidak benar. Pandemik Covid-19 adalah salah satu sebab utama MOU CSR ditandatangani.
Semasa Ismail Sabri mengangkat sumpah sebagai Perdana Menteri Malaysia yang kesembilan, kita merekodkan 22,262 kes harian baharu Covid-19 dengan 233 kematian harian Covid-19, dengan jumlah kumulatif 1,535,286 kes Covid-19 dan 13,936 kematian Covid-19.
Sekiranya peningkatan mendadak kes Covid-19 dan kematian tidak diawasi, kita boleh mencapai jumlah kumulatif lima juta kes Covid-19 dan kira-kira 100,000 kematian Covid-19.
MOU CSR mungkin telah menyelamatkan nyawa kira-kira 60,000 – 70,000 orang kerana jumlah kumulatif hari ini ialah 2,627,903 kes Covid-19 dan 30,370 kematian.
Tetapi kadar penurunan lonjakan kes harian baharu Covid-19 dan kematian harian Covid-19 adalah sangat perlahan dan tidak boleh diterima, sehingga kita ketinggalan di belakang Indonesia dan juga India.
Indonesia semalam merekodkan 176 kes harian baharu dan 11 kematian Covid-19 dan telah merekodkan kes harian baharu Covid-19 dalam julat tiga digit selama tujuh minggu sejak 14 Oktober dan julat dua digit untuk kematian harian Covid-19 selama lapan minggu sejak 3 Oktober.
Semalam, Malaysia kalah kepada India dalam kes harian baharu Covid-19 — India merekodkan 2,765 kes berbanding 4,807 kes di Malaysia.
Jika kita tidak mencapai sedikit kestabilan politik dengan MOU CSR, permainan politik “Siapa Perdana Menteri Malaysia” akan menjadi permainan utama.
DAP dan Pakatan Harapan tidak menyokong Belanjawan 2022 tetapi kita tidak mahu menjadikan permainan “Siapa Perdana Menteri Malaysia” dan kami tidak gemar terhadap mereka yang mengintai kedudukan Perdana Menteri, termasuk Azmin Ali dan Hamzah Zainuddin dari Bersatu and Zahid Hamidi, Hishammuddin Hussein, Ahmad Mazlan malah Najib Razak dari UMNO, menjadi Perdana Menteri Malaysia.
Hanya satu perkara yang pasti: Bukan Anwar Ibrahim kerana Pakatan Harapan tidak dapat memperoleh sokongan majoriti di Parlimen untuk menamakan beliau sebagai Perdana Menteri.
MOU CSR tidak mengikat DAP dan Pakatan Harapan untuk menyokong Belanjawan 2022 yang bersifat perkauman, tidak adil dan berat sebelah. Ia hanya mengikat DAP dan PH untuk tidak menolak Belanjawan 2022, yang bermakna Ismail Sabri terpaksa meletakkan jawatan sebagai Perdana Menteri kerana ia sama dengan undi tidak percaya.
Kini, sama ada MOU CSR boleh bertahan sehingga Julai 2022 menjadi persoalan berikutan kemenangan besar UMNO dalam pilihan raya negeri Melaka – di kerusi tetapi bukan dalam undi.
Sementara pemimpin UMNO, seperti Presiden UMNO Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Timbalan Presiden, Mohamad Hassan, Ketua Pemuda UMNO Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki dan juga Najib Razak mendesak untuk pilihan raya umum ke-15 diadakan lebih awal, penganalisis politik sebulat suara dalam pandangan mereka bahawa kemenangan BN di Melaka adalah berita buruk untuk Ismail Sabri.
Ini kerana Ismail Sabri mesti membuat keputusan sama ada mahu mengalah kepada tekanan pemimpin UMNO untuk membatalkan MOU CSR dan mengadakan Pilihan Raya Umum ke-15 lebih awal, dan menjadi Perdana Menteri dengan tempoh paling singkat lebih pendek daripada Muhyiddin Yassin, atau menjadi Perdana Menteri yang mengotakan janjinya dalam MOU CSR untuk tidak mengadakan pilihan raya umum sehingga Julai 2022.
Rakyat Malaysia akan mengetahui pada 8 Disember sama ada Najib akan berjuang untuk menjadi Perdana Menteri Malaysia ke-10.
Jika pada tarikh itu, Mahkamah Rayuan membatalkan sabitan kes rasuah RM42 juta SRC International dan hukuman penjara 12 tahun dan denda RM210 juta, berkemungkinan Najib akan melaksanakan rancangannya untuk kembali sebagai Perdana Menteri Malaysia yang ke-10 dalam Pilihan Raya Umum ke-15, sekaligus mengetepikan Ismail Sabri.
Dalam masa sembilan hari, rakyat Malaysia akan tahu sama ada kleptokrasi akan kembali mencengkam negara kita.
(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri, Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Selasa, 30 November 2021)