Today is the last day of the last week for 2021.
I have written about an infamy a day for Malaysia in the six days for the last week of 2021.
Today is no exception.
The final day of infamy in the last week of infamy for Malaysia is that in the 30 days in December 2021 from Dec. 1 – Dec. 30, Malaysia has 20 times Covid-19 cases and four times Covid-19 deaths of Indonesia, which has more than eight times the population of Malaysia.
On December 1, 2021, Malaysia had cumulative totals of 2,638,221 Covid-19 cases and 30,474 Covid-19 deaths while on Dec. 30, the cumulative totals went up to 2,754,013 cases and 31,462 Covid-19 deaths, which tantamount to 116,292 Covid-19 cases and 988 Covid-19 deaths in the 30 days in December 2021.
For Indonesia, the cumulative totals on Dec. 1, 2021 were 4,256,687 Covid-19 cases and 143,840 Covid-19 deaths which increased on Dec. 30 to 4,262,546 Covid-19 cases and 144,088 Covid-19 deaths – which means 5,859 Covid-19 cases and 248 Covid-19 deaths for the 30 days of December, 2021.
These Malaysian and Indonesian figures about the Covid-19 pandemic means that for the 30 days of December, Malaysia has 20 times Covid-19 cases and four times Covid-19 deaths than Indonesia, which has more than eight times the population of Malaysia.
Malaysia ranks No. 27 and Indonesia ranks No. 45 in the 2021 Global Health Security (GHS) Index which measures the capacities of 195 countries to prepare for epidemics and pandemics.
Why had Malaysia fallen so badly in the Covid-19 pandemic response?
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 on January 11, 2021 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 lost the war against the Covid-19 pandemic, and if the exponential rates of increase of Covid-19 cases and deaths had continued, at the end of Ismail Sabri’s first 100 days at the end of November, we might have cumulative totals of five million Covid-19 cases and some 100,000 Covid-19 deaths and by the end of the year, some 10 million Covid-19 cases and some 200,000 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 to ten million Covid-19 cases and 100,000 to 200,000 Covid-19 deaths, we have now the cumulative totals at the end of the year of 2.75 million Covid-19 cases and over 31,000 Covid-19 deaths.
We have averted a great catastrophe for Malaysia but the improvement in Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 deaths have been agonisingly slow and appeared to have lost steam and petered out.
Yesterday, Indonesia recorded 189 daily new Covid-19 cases and seven Covid-19 deaths as compared to Malaysia’s 3,997 daily new Covid-19 cases and 34 Covid-19 deaths.
Indonesia had one day in December fallen to double-digit daily new Covid-19 cases and for 18 days in December had single-digit Covid-19 death figures, but Malaysia had never gone below the pre-Emergency 2,232 daily new Covid-19 cases and the lowest daily Covid-19 deaths recorded was 17 deaths.
There was some hope on Dec. 27 and 28 that Malaysia might drop below the pre-Emergency 2,232 daily new Covid-19 cases but such hopes were dashed when daily new Covid-19 cases rose to 2,997 cases yesterday.
When will the third Covid-19 wave in Malaysia, which has become one of the longest Covid waves in the world lasting some 15 months going back to September last year, finally end?
To deal with this Covid-19 infamy, the Cabinet should establish a commission of public health experts to study why Malaysia had performed so poorly in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic so that we can be better prepared for future pandemics.
(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Friday, 31st December 2021)
Prestasi buruk Malaysia dalam menangani penularan Covid-19: Dalam tempoh 30 hari sepanjang Disember 2021, Malaysia merekodkan 20 kali ganda kes Covid-19 dan empat kali ganda korban akibat Covid-19 berbanding Indonesia, yang mempunyai jumlah penduduk lapan kali ganda lebih ramai berbanding Malaysia
Hari ini adalah hari terakhir minggu terakhir untuk tahun 2021.
Saya telah menulis tentang perkara-perkara memalukan yang melanda Malaysia setiap hari dalam enam hari minggu terakhir 2021.
Hari ini tidak terkecuali.
Hari terakhir memalukan dalam minggu terakhir yang amat memalukan menyaksikan negara kita merekodkan 20 kali ganda jumlah kes Covid-19 dan empat kali ganda jumlah kes korban Covid-19 lebih banyak berbanding Indonesia – yang mana mempunyai lebih daripada lapan kali ganda penduduk Malaysia – dalam tempoh 30 hari sepanjang Disember 2021 bermula dari 1 Disember hingga 30 Disember.
Pada 1 Disember 2021, Malaysia mempunyai 2,638,221 kes terkumpul Covid-19 dan 30,474 korban terkumpul manakala pada 30 Disember, jumlah itu meningkat kepada 2,754,013 kes Covid-19 dan 31,462 korban Covid-19, yang bersamaan dengan 116,292 kes Covid-19 dan 988 kes kematian Covid-19 dalam tempoh 30 hari sepanjang Disember 2021.
Sementara Indonesia, jumlah terkumpul kes Covid-19 pada 1 Disember 2021 adalah sebanyak 4,256,687 dan 143,840 korban yang meningkat kepada 4,262,546 kes Covid-19 dan 144,088 kes Covid-19 pada 30 Disember – bermaksud 5,989 kes Covid-19 dan 248 korban telah dicatatkan selama 30 hari sepanjang bulan Disember 2021.
Angka-angka kes wabak Covid-19 di Malaysia dan Indonesia ini menunjukkan bahawa Malaysia mempunyai 20 kali ganda kes Covid-19 dan empat kali korban lebih tinggi berbanding Indonesia, yang mempunyai jumlah pendudukan lapan kali ganda lebih ramai berbanding Malaysia.
Malaysia berada di kedudukan ke-27 dan Indonesia berada di kedudukan ke-45 dalam Indeks Keselamatan Kesihatan Global (GHS) 2021 yang mengukur kapasiti 195 negara untuk bersiap sedia menghadapi epidemik dan pandemik.
Mengapa kedudukan Malaysia menjunam begitu teruk?
Ketika Ismail Sabri mengangkat sumpah sebagai Perdana Menteri Malaysia kesembilan pada 21 Ogos, terdapat peningkatan sepuluh kali ganda dalam kes harian baharu Covid-19 kepada 22,262 kes dari tarikh pengisytiharan Darurat pada 11 Januari 2021 dan peningkatan lebih 50 kali ganda dalam jumlah korban harian Covid-19 kepada 223 kematian Covid-19 pada hari tersebut.
Kita telah kalah dalam perang melawan pandemik Covid-19, dan jika kadar lonjakan kes dan kematian Covid-19 berterusan, pada penghujung 100 hari pertama Ismail Sabri pada akhir November, kita mungkin mempunyai lima juta kes terkumpul Covid-19 dan kira-kira 100,000 kematian terkumpul Covid-19 dan bakal mengumpulkan kira-kira 10 juta kes Covid-19 dan kira-kira 200,000 kematian Covid-19 menjelang akhir tahun.
Ini adalah salah satu sebab utama mengapa saya menyokong memorandum persefahaman (MOU) keyakinan-pembekalan-pembaharuan (CSR) antara Ismail Sabri dan pemimpin Pakatan Harapan, apabila negara berdepan dengan risiko ancaman yang melibatkan jutaan kes Covid-19 dan berpuluh-puluh ribu nyawa manusia, rakyat Malaysia mesti mengenepikan perbezaan mereka untuk melindungi nyawa, mata pencarian dan keharmonian masyarakat Malaysia.
kita telah menamatkan pandemik Covid-19 yang paling teruk tetapi kita masih belum memenangi perang melawannya.
Daripada jumlah terkumpul lima hingga sepuluh juta kes Covid-19 dan 100,000 hingga 200,000 kematian Covid-19, kita kini mempunyai jumlah kes terkumpul pada akhir tahun sebanyak 2.75 juta kes Covid-19 dan lebih 31,000 korban Covid-19.
Kita telah mengelak malapetaka besar bagi Malaysia tetapi kadar penurunan dalam kes Covid-19 dan korban Covid-19 sangat perlahan.
Semalam, Indonesia merekodkan 189 kes harian baharu Covid-19dan tujuh korban Covid-19 berbanding 3,997 kes harian baharu Covid-19 dan 34 korban Covid-19 di Malaysia.
Indonesia mempunyai satu hari pada bulan Disember di mana kes harian baharu turun ke julat satu angka dan selama 18 hari pada bulan Disember merekodkan kes korban satu angka, tetapi di Malaysia angka kes tidak pernah turun di bawah 2,232 kes seperti sebelum Darurat diisytiharkan dan kadar korban Covid-19 terendah yang dicatatkan pula adalah sebanyak 17 kes.
Muncul sedikit harapan pada 27 dan 28 Disember yang memperlihatkan Malaysia mungkin dapat menurunkan kes Covid-19 ke bawah paras 2,232 kes seperti sebelum Darurat diisytiharkan tetapi harapan itu musnah apabila kes harian baharu Covid-19 meningkat kepada 2,997 kes semalam.
Bilakah gelombang ketiga penularan Covid-19 di Malaysia, yang telah menjadi salah satu gelombang Covid yang paling lama di dunia yang berlangsung selama 15 bulan sejak September tahun lalu, akan berakhir?
Untuk menangani keburukan Covid-19 ini, Kabinet harus menubuhkan sebuah suruhanjaya pakar kesihatan awam untuk mengkaji mengapa Malaysia menunjukkan prestasi yang sangat buruk dalam perang melawan pandemik Covid-19 supaya kita boleh lebih bersedia menghadapi pandemik masa depan.
(Kenyataan Media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Gelang Patah pada hari Jumaat, 31 Disember 2021)