I am shocked that the former Prime Minister, Muhyddin Yassin, is still trying to justify the declaration of Emergency on January 11, 2021 which completely undermined parliamentary oversight of the government in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic until the month of August and made Malaysia one of the worst performing nations in the world in the two-year battle with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Muhyiddin attempted to justify the declaration of Emergency on January 11, 2021 in an interview with Abu Dhabi-based newspaper, The National, where he claimed that the additional powers were important to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
If so, can Muhyiddin explain why we have not reverted to pre-Emergency days after more than a year from the declaration of emergency?
On January 11, 2021, when emergency was declared to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, there were 2,232 daily new Covid-19 cases and four Covid-19 deaths but yesterday, we have more daily new Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 deaths – 3,010 daily new Covid-19 cases and 12 Covid-19 deaths.
On August 1, 2021, the last day of the Covid-19 Emergency, daily new Covid-19 cases rose to 17,150 cases, an increase more than eight times, and daily Covid-19 deaths increased to 160 deaths, an increase of forty-times, from the day the Emergency was declared.
What type of an Emergency to fight to Covid-19 pandemic was this?
Going by Muhyiddin’s illogic, there was a much stronger case for continuing the emergency.
Why didn’t Muhyiddin resign when he was unable to prolong the fake Emergency?
Malaysia would have performed better in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic if an emergency had not been declared on January 11 last year.
May be the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Health, Science and Innovation can investigate and report to Parliament on how the declaration of Emergency on January 11, 2021 had undermined the country’s war against the Covid-19 pandemic in the last one year.
(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Monday, January 17, 2022)
Malaysia boleh mencatatkan prestasi melawan Covid-19 yang lebih baik tanpa pengisytiharan darurat pada 11 Januari 2021 tahun lepas
Saya terkejut dengan kenyataan bekas Perdana Menteri, Muhyiddin Yassin, yang masih cuba untuk mempertahankan keputusan beliau untuk mengisytiharkan darurat pada 11 Januari 2021. Tindakan ini telah menyekat semak imbang Parlimen terhadap tindakan kerajaan sehingga bulan Ogos yang akhirnya menjadikan Malaysia salah satu negara dengan prestasi terburuk dalam mengendalikan wabak Covid-19 dalam dua tahun yang lepas.
Muhyiddin cuba mempertahankan keputusan beliau ini dalam satu wawancara dengan sebuah akhbar dari Abu Dhabi, The National, di mana beliau mendakwa kuasa-kuasa tambahan daripada darurat tersebut diperlukan untuk mengawal penularan wabak Covid-19.
Sekiranya benar begitu, bolehkah Muhyiddin jelaskan mengapa kita tidak kembali ke paras kes Covid-19 seperti sebelum darurat diisytiharkan selepas setahun kemudian?
Pada 11 Januari 2021, semasa darurat diisytiharkan untuk melawan wabak Covid-19, terdapat 2,322 kes baharu dan empat kematian akibat Covid-19, tetapi semalam, kita mempunyai lebih banyak kes dan kematian – 3,010 kes dengan 12 kematian akibat Covid-19.
Pada 1 Ogos 2021, hari terakhir darurat Covid-19, kadar kes harian telah meningkat sehingga ke 17,150 kes dengan 160 kematian akibat Covid-19, peningkatan kes harian sebanyak lapan kali ganda dan peningkatan kematian empat puluh kali ganda berbanding dengan sebelum darurat.
Apa jenis darurat untuk melawan Covid-19 jika ini hasilnya?
Mengikut logik Muhyiddin, ada kes yang kuat untuk darurat diteruskan lagi.
Mengapa Muhyiddin tidak meletak jawatan apabila beliau gagal melanjutkan darurat palsu ini?
Malaysia boleh menunjukkan prestasi yang lebih baik dalam memerangi Covid-19 sekiranya darurat tidak diisytiharkan pada 11 Januari tahun lepas.
Mungkin Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Parlimen Kesihatan, Sains dan Inovasi boleh menyiasat dan melaporkan kepada Parlimen tentang bagaimana pengisytiharan Darurat pada 11 Januari 2021 telah menjejaskan perang negara menentang pandemik Covid-19 dalam tempoh setahun yang lalu.
(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Gelang Patah pada hari Isnin, 17 Januari 2022)
