Muhyiddin is now a weaker Prime Minister at the end of 2020 Sabah state general election than at the beginning two weeks ago

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

It has been said that a week is a long time in politics, but  Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yasssin has found that two weeks is a longer time in politics.

Muhyiddin  is now a weaker Prime Minister at the end of the 2020 Sabah state general election than at the beginning two weeks ago.

Muhyiddin asked the people of Sabah to make the Sabah state election a turning point towards a better future for Sabah.

He did not realize how prophetic he had been, for the Sabah state general election would definitely be a turning point for him as Prime Minister.

This was  why in his latest visit to Sabah, covering constituencies contested by DAP candidates in  Luyang and Likas in Kota Kinabalu last night, Muhyiddin was reduced to clarifying whether was still Prime Minister.

He said: “Some of you may want to ask if I am still standing here as a prime minister.”

He assured his audience he was still the Prime Minister despite Anwar Ibrahim’s noon media conference that he had the numbers to replace Muhyiddin as Prime Minister.

Suddenly, Malaysia has two Prime Ministers at one and the same time – Prime Minister in office, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Prime Minister in-waiting, Datuk Sri Anwar Ibrahim.

Muhyiddin implied that Anwar was  bluffing,  but  Muhyiddin dared not call the bluff, considering that he is  himself an illegitimate “backdoor” Prime Minister, the result of the traitorous “Sheraton Move” in February this year?

The people of Sabah will go to the polls in 36 hours time.

Let this be the sole focus of the people of Sabah until the outcome of the Sabah state general election – which we hope will end up with Shafie Apdal continuing as Sabah Chief Minister and a two-thirds majority  for Warisan Plus in the Sabah State Assembly to put an end to the “political frog” culture in Sabah and Malaysia.

Muhyiddin owes the people answer to two questions.

Firstly, why he did not come to Keningaju on Malaysia Day on September 16 as billboards had been erected declaring that he would be attending the Malaysia Day commemorative event at Batu Sumpah, Keningau as guest speaker on “Demi Mempertahankan Hak Kita”.

Secondly, whether  the Cabinet at its meeting yesterday decided that one of the agendas of the Special Committee on MA63 which he announced this week would be the Keningau Batu Sumpah and the three commitments of “Ugama Bebas Dalam Sabah”, “Tanah Tanah dalam Sabah di kuasai oleh Kerajaan Sabah” and “Adat Istiadat anak rayat Sabah dihormatkan dan dipelihara oleh Kerajaan”.

If  Muhyiddin is not prepared to answer these two questions for the people of Sabah  before Polling Day on September 26, where is the sincerity in his slogans  and photographs plastered all over  Sabah  in the state elections that he would look after Sabah’s best interests?

Muhyiddin himself does not know how long he would continue as Prime Minister, even as backdoor Prime Minister.

Political calculations are changing every minute, as what is relevant and supportable on one day may not be so relevant and supportable on another day.

For instance, PAS support for UMNO’s plan for snap general election may not as strong today when PAS realises that it could play the “kingmaker” role by supporting Bersatu in Perikatan Nasional.

Notice has gone out for the 27-day  budget meeting of Parliament from Nov.2 to December 15, 2020.

Will this parliamentary meeting be held or will Parliament  be dissolved before or after the budget meeting?

This is a question which will be decided after Saturday, pending the outcome of the Sabah state general election on September 26.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Bingkor on Thursday, September 24, 2020)

===========================

Muhyiddin kini seorang Perdana Menteri yang lebih lemah berbanding dengan semasa permulaan kempen Pilihan Raya Negeri Sabah 2020 dua minggu lalu

Dikatakan, seminggu adalah tempoh yang panjang dalam politik, tetapi Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin mendapati yang dua minggu merupakan satu tempoh yang jauh lebih panjang.

Muhyiddin kini berada di dalam satu kedudukan yang lebih lemah sebagai seorang Perdana Menteri berbanding dengan semasa permulaan kempen Pilihan Raya Negeri Sabah 2020 pada dua minggu lalu.

Muhyiddin telah meminta rakyat Sabah untuk menjadikan PRN Sabah ini sebagai satu titik perubahan untuk beliau sebagai Perdana Menteri.

Kerana inilah, dalam lawatan terkini beliau ke Sabah, melawat kawasan-kawasan yang ditandingi calon DAP di Luyang dan Likas di Kota Kinabalu semalam, Muhyiddin terpaksa menjelaskan yang beliau masih lagi Perdana Menteri.

Beliau berkata “Kamu mungkin tertanya-tanya saya berdiri sini masih Perdana Menteri lagi atau tidak”.

Beliau memberitahu hadirin yang beliau masih lagi merupakan Perdana Menteri walaupun Anwar Ibrahim telah memberitahu dalam satu sidang media tengahari semalam yang beliau kini mempunyai cukup sokongan untuk menggantikan Muhyiddin sebagai Perdana Menteri.

Tiba-tiba, nampaknya negara kita mempunyai dua Perdana Menteri serentak — Perdana Menteri yang memegang jawatan, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin dan Perdana Menteri menanti, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Muhyiddin cuba menyiratkan yang Anwar menipu mengenai mempunyai cukup sokongan ini, tetapi beliau tidak berani mencabarnya, memandangkan beliau sendiri merupakan seorang Perdana Menteri “pintu belakang” yang mendapat kuasa melalui konspirasi khianat Langkah Sheraton pada bulan Februari tahun ini.

Rakyat Sabah akan mengundi dalam tempoh 36 jam daripada sekarang.

Marilah kita semua memberikan ruang kepada rakyat Sabah untuk fokus terhadap PRN negeri mereka ini sehinggalah keputusan Pilihan Raya Negeri Sabah ini keluar — dengan harapan Shafie Apdal dapat terus menjadi Ketua Menteri Sabah dengan kemenangan majoriti dua-pertiga untuk Warisan Plus untuk menghapuskan budaya katak politik buat selama-lamanya di Sabah dan di Malaysia.

Muhyiddin perlu menjawab dua persoalan.

Pertamanya, mengapa beliau tidak hadir ke Keningau pada Hari Malaysia, 16 September yang lepas memandangkan papan tanda telah pun dinaikkan mengatakan yang beliau akan hadir sebagai penceramah jemputan mengenai “Demi Mempertahankan Hak Kita” di satu acara memperingati Batu Sumpah Keningau.

Kedua, sama ada Kabinet dalam mesyuaratnya semalam telah memutuskan untuk meletakkan Batu Sumpah Keningau dan ketiga-tiga janjinya — “Ugama Bebas Dalam Sabah”, “Tanah Tanah dalam Sabah di kuasai oleh Kerajaan Sabah” dan “Adat Istiadat anak rayat Sabah dihormatkan dan dipelihara oleh Kerajaan” — sebagai salah satu agenda utama Jawatankuasa Khas MA63 yang diumumkan beliau.

Jika Muhyiddin tidak bersedia untuk menjawab kedua persoalan ini kepada rakyat Sabah sebelum hari pengundian pada 26 September, di manakah keikhlasan slogan dan gambar-gambar kempen beliau yang bersepah-sepah di keseluruhan negeri Sabah yang cuba menunjukkan beliau peduli mengenai kepentingan Sabah?

Muhyiddin sendiri tidak tahu, berapa lama lagi beliau akan kekal sebagai Perdana Menteri pintu belakang.

Perkiraan politik sedang berubah setiap minit, apa yang relevan pada satu hari, mungkin lagi tidak relevan pada keesokan harinya.

Sebagai contoh, sokongan PAS kepada rancangan UMNO untuk berhadapan dengan pilihan raya mengejut mungkin tidak lagi kuat pada hari ini memandangkan PAS telah sedar yang mereka boleh menjadi “kingmaker” dengan menyokong Bersatu dalam Perikatan Nasional.

Notis telah dikeluarkan untuk persidangan 27 hari Parlimen bagi membahaskan Belanjawan 2021, bermula pada 2 November sehingga 15 Disember 2020.

Adakah persidangan Parlimen ini akan berlangsung, atau adakah Parlimen akan dibubarkan sebelum persidangan ini?

Inilah persoalan yang memerlukan jawapan selepas hari Sabtu ini, dan semuanya bergantung kepada keputusan Pilihan Raya Negeri Sabah pada 26 September ini.

(Kenyataan Media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Bingkor pada hari Khamis 24 September 2020)

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 24 September 2020, 7:39 am and is filed under
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Summary of the unprecedented 2020 Sabah state general election

The 2020 Sabah state general election is now coming to an end, and I provide  a summary of a dozen reasons in the unprecedented state polls on Saturday, 26th September 2020 as to why the Warisan Plus slate of candidates should be fully supported. The dozen cases are:

1,  There should not be a Sabah state general election. It as a plot gone  wrong, which engineered the “frog jumping” of 13 Sabah State Assemblymen to capture and take-over the Sabah State Government and not to hold a  Sabah state general election. But Shafie Apdal was one step ahead of the plotters and the political frogs – which is why there is a Sabah state general election. Sabah voters should prove that Shafie was for the second time ahead of the plotters in Sabah and Kuala Lumpur by solidly voting for Warisan Plus on Saturday to win with a two-thirds majority in Sabah State Assembly.

2. The unpreparedness of the  Opposition, in particular Perikatan Nasional (PN) for a Sabah state general election  – which is why the PN has no symbol and in the last-minute preparation for Sabah general election, PN could not come out with any symbol and could only use the letters of PN.

3. The most number of candidates with a total 447 candidates from 16 political parties and 56 independents vying for the 73 seats in the 16th Sabah state general  election

There are multi-cornered fights in all the seats, the lowest being three-way battles and highest with 11 candidates vying for one seat, the Bengkoka seat in the Kudat parliamentary area. Among others, there are 15 five-way battles, 26 six-way battles, 13 seven-way battles, six eight-cornered fights and three nine-cornered ones.

4. Only Warisan Plus candidates have a consistent policy approach – to form the next State Government with Shafie Apdal as the Chief Minister, not just to win a simple majority of 37 seats but a two-thirds majority of at least 49 seats to deal a fatal blow to the culture of political frogs in Sabah and Malaysia.

The Prime Minister wants Hajiji Noor as the next Sabah Chief Minster, but Sabah UMNO does not agree. The people of Sabah will not be able to raise their heads high in Malaysia or anywhere in the world for the next five years  if the foul-mouthed Bung Moktar  who is very liberal with four-letters and established a dubious reputation as a MP who made derogatory utterances about women and their dignity and role becomes the Sabah Chief Minister.

5.The most  important puppeteer in the Sabah state general election is not the Prime Minister or the respective chairman of the individual political parties in the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS)  “alliance within an alliance”, but a faceless and nameless personality  who is pulling  all  the strings directing the multitude of political frogs in Sabah.

6. The domination of Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) by leaders from Malaya like Hamzan Zainuddin, Bersatu Secretary-General and Home Minister and Azmin Ali.

7. The surrender by PBS of its sacred birthplace and political shrine, Tambunan, yielding it to STAR in a “truce” forced on PBS-STAR leaders by Malayan leaders like Hamzah Zainuddin. Ten Tambunan PB leaders and their supporters have slammed the PBS leadership for surrendering Tambunan. I myself, though not a PBS member, felt being  betrayed as I had championed Joseph Pairin and PBS inside and outside Parliament from 1984 – l986. I believe PBS leaders and members throughout Sabah should express their disgust and disagreement with the surrendering of PBS political shrine of Tambunan to STAR.

8. Sabah’s chronic poverty for 57 years although it is one of the richest states in Malaysia with rich natural resources of oil, gas, timber and others.  During the Sabah general election campaign, it was revealed that Sabah has the highest poverty rate of 19.5 per cent in 2019, with 40 per cent of the indigenous people in Sabah below the poverty line, while the national poverty rate was only 5%.

9. Placing the Keningau Batu Sumpah and  its three pledges of “Ugama Bebas Dalam Sabah”, “Tanah Tanah dalam Sabah di kuasai oleh Kerajaan Sabah” and “Adat Istiadat anak rayat Sabah dihormatkan dan dipelihara oleh Kerajaan” on the agenda of the Special Committee on Malaysia Agreement 1963 chaired by the Prime Minister.

10. Muhyiddin has given Sabah state general election a national significance, concerning his  own political survival as Prime Minister coupled with the media conference by Anwar Ibrahim yesterday that he has the numbers to become Prime Minister and outst Muhyiddin.

11.  Removal of Sabah and Malaysia among the countries on top of the world’s list where there is serious problem of  corruption and money-laundering

12.Former Chief Justice Richard Malanjun’s call to Sabahans to vote Warisan Plus for a New Sabah and a New Malaysia, where there is unity, inclusivity and the upholding of the five principles of Rukun Negara.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang providing a summary of the 2020 Sabah state general election in Kota Kinabalu on Thursday, 24th September 2020)

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 24 September 2020, 5:54 pm and is filed under
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A Sabah state general election that will decide not only who will be the Chief Minister of Sabah, but the future of the Prime Minister of Malaysia

The voters of Sabah go to the polls today to decide not only who will be the Chief Minister of Sabah but the future of the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

No Prime Minister has campaigned so hard in the Sabah state general election as Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

He never visited Sabah in his  first six months of office as the illegitimate eighth Prime  Minister of Malaysia.

But for the Sabah state general election, he visited Sabah four times, the first time before state election campaign on 29 and 30th August and  thrice during election campaign from Sept. 12 to 26.

In the process, Muhyiddin has turned the Sabah state general election into a national one, especially after Anwar Ibrahim’s media conference that the illegitimate Muhyiddin government has fallen as he (Anwar) had the numbers to become  Prime Minister.

A strange thing happened in the Sabah state general election – Muhyiddin did not have the support of all the political parties in his backdoor government.

This is most poignant and conspicuous with  the absence of the UMNO President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and the Sabah Barisan Nasional Chairman Bung Moktar Radin at the  grand finale ceramah of Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) at Kampung Sendil, Petagas on Thursday nightl

Muhyiddin wants Hajiji Noor to be Sabah Chief Minister if Shafie Apdal is toppled, but UMNO wants its Sabah Chairman, Bung Moktar for the post.

The bickering, conflicts and contradictions in GRS “alliance within an alliance” continued from Nomination Day to Polling Day, despite  the truce between  PBS and STAR brokered by the Bersatu Secretary-General and Home Minister, Hamzah Zainuddin but  who was reduced to pleading  to the GRS parties “alliance within an alliance” on  the eve of Polling Day to stay focussed  on resolving their clashes over 15 seats.

But the “truce” forced on PBS and Star, which compelled PBS to surrender its sacred birthplace of Tambunan, which gained celebrity in 1984 in a by-election standing to oppression from a repressive and cruel State Government was a great disaster.

It marked the rise and fall of PBS and the  extent PBS was prepared to go to sacrifice its political shrine of Tambunan to another party just for the sake of winning a few seats!

One UMNO MP  after another has come out to say they will not support Anwar as Prime Minister reiterating “No to Anwar! No  to DAP”!.

I was mystified why these UMNO leaders had such intense antipathy for DAP – but now I can understand, for the DAP stands as a mirror to their  corruption, kleptocracy and kakistocracy

That is why they are prepared to go to extreme lengths to persecute DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng on trumped-up corruption charges, for they would then be able tell the  people that DAP leaders are no different from UMNO leaders in their corruption and abuses of power.

My final advice to Sabah voters: Save Sabah Save Malaysia! Save Malaysia Save Sabah!

The future of Sabah and Malaysia are intertwined and inseparable.

As Shafie Apdal said in billboards all over Sabah: “In God We Trust, Unite We Must!”

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kota Kinbalu on Sabah state general election Polling Day on Saturday, September 26 2020)

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 26 September 2020, 7:20 am and is filed under
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Surprising that MACC is surprised that it has a public perception problem about its independence and professionalism

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

Today the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) celebrates the  53rd anniversary of its establishment and one of its greatest challenges remains the  public confidence problem that it is not independent and unable to discharge its duties professionally without “outside” interference.

What is  surprising is  that the MACC is surprised that it has a public perception problem about its independence and professionalism, as evidenced by the comments of its Chief Commissioner, Azam Baki.

Evidence of public perception and lack of public confidence that MACC has  independence and professionalism are quite galore, but the following ten instances will suffice for clarification by Azam:

1.	The absence of the Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin himself  to grace the 53rd anniversary celebration of MACC.

2.	The toppling of the 22-month  Pakatan Harapan Government committed to combat corruption and kleptocracy by a backdoor Perikatan Nasional government without these commitments, and even worse, depending on a political party whose top leadership are vying with each other on the number and size of corruption charges in the courts and on the other hand, by  another party which believes that it is a religious duty to vote for corrupt leaders provided they are from one’s own faith.

3.	The biggest Cabinet in history with the  largest number of  Ministers and Deputy Ministers and the appointment of politicians to GLCs, GLICS and state-sponsored agencies – setting the country on the trajectory of a kleptocracy and kakistocracy.

4.	A Cabinet conflicted by the issues of corruption and kleptocracy – with an   MACC trying to co-exist with government leaders who have no commitment to public integrity, to the extent that they do not believe in the existence of a 1MDB scandal, regarded worldwide as one of the biggest financial scandal in the world. Who will swallow who?

5.	How can Malaysia become corruption free or have a zero tolerance for corruption when the fragile “backdoor” government can be held to ransom by six MPs who are facing serious  corruption charges in the courts?

6.	Dismal record to fight corruption and money politics in the recently-held Sabah state general election, especially no action on  the report by Bersih against the Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for using corrupt practices in the Sabah election campaign when he (the PM)  presented mock cheques for more than RM60 million in Beaufort, Sabah.

7.	Inability to resolve the 11-year-old murder of Teoh Beng Hock by MACC officers at the Selangor MACC premises.

8.	Failure to prosecute anyone for the five-year  RM70 million MARA corruption scandal in Australia.

9.	Malaysia joining the international ranks of a “high-risk money laundering destination”.

10.	What would  Azam expect of Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2020 which would be released next January? Would there be an improvement on the  TI CPI 2019, which ranked Malaysia No. 51, with a score of 53, registering a single-year improvement six points for the TI CPI score and 10 placings in TI CPI ranking? Or will there be a “significant decline” if the score is lower than three points?

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Thursday, 1st October 2020)

=======================

Mengejutkan apabila SPRM sendiri terkejut yang badan tersebut mempunyai masalah persepsi awam terhadap kebebasan dan professionalismenya

Hari ini, Suruhanjaya Pencegarahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) meraikan ulang tahun ke-53 penubuhan badan tersebut, dan salah satu cabaran utama yang masih membelenggu badan tersebut adalah masalah kekurangan keyakinan awam terhadap kebebasan dan kebolehan badan tersebut untuk melaksanakan tugasnya secara profesional tanpa sebarang gangguan daripada “pihak luar”.

Namun, apa yang mengejutkan adalah apabila SPRM sendiri kelihatan terkejut mengenai perkara ini seperti yang dikatakan oleh Pengerusinya, Azam Baki.

Bukti-bukti yang menunjukkan kekurangan keyakinan awam terhadap kebebasan dan kebolehan SPRM untuk melaksanakan tanggungjawabnya dengan profesional ini banyak, tetapi sepuluh perkara berikut sepatutnya memadai untuk menjelaskan perkara ini kepada Azam:

1.	Ketiadaan Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin sendiri semasa sambutan ulang tahun ke-53 SPRM ini.

2.	Penumbangan kerajaan Pakatan Harapan yang berusia 22 bulan yang komited terhadap usaha-usaha membanteras rasuah dan kleptokrasi oleh sebuah kerajaan pintu belakang Perikatan Nasional yang tidak berpegang kepada komitmen ini. Malah lebih buruk lagi, kerajaan ini kini bergantung kepada sokongan sebuah parti politik yang mana para pemimpinnya bersaing memegang rekod kesalahan rasuah terbanyak dan sebuah lagi parti politik yang percaya yang seseorang itu perlu dipilih sebagai pemimpin walaupun korup, asalkan mereka percaya kepada agama yang sama.

3.	Kabinet terbesar dalam sejarah, dengan jumlah Menteri dan Timbalan Menteri yang paling ramai, berserta dengan pelantikan politik ke dalam syarikat-syarikat (GLC, GLIC) dan agensi-agensi milik kerajaan — meletakkan negara kita ke arah sebuah kakistokrasi.

4.	Sebuah Kabinet yang dibelenggu dengan masalah rasuah dan kleptokrasi — dengan sebuah badan SPRM yang cuba untuk wujud bersama dengan pemimpin negara yang tidak mempunyai komitmen terhadap integriti awam, sehingga mereka tidak percaya kepada kewujudan skandal 1MDB yang dilihat di seluruh dunia sebagai skandal kewangan terbesar.

5.	Bagaimanakah Malaysia boleh menjadi bebas daripada rasuah dan mempunyai sifar toleransi kepada rasuah, jika kerajaan hari ini boleh diperas ugut sebegitu sahaja oleh enam orang Ahli Parlimen yang sedang berhadapan pertuduhan rasuah yang berat di mahkamah?

6.	Rekod memalukan dalam melawan rasuah dan politik wang dalam Pilihan Raya Negeri Sabah yang baru sahaja berlangsung beberapa hari yang lepas. Terutamanya laporan oleh Bersih terhadap Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin yang telah mengamalkan perbuatan korup semasa pilihan raya ini dengan menyerahkan cek yang bernilai RM60 juta di Beaufort, Sabah.

7.	Kegagalan selepas 11 tahun, untuk menyelesaikan kes pembunuhan Teoh Beng Hock oleh pegawai SPRM di premis SPRM Selangor.

8.	Kegagalan untuk mendakwa sebarang pesalah dalam skandal RM70 juta MARA di Australia.

9.	Malaysia kini menyertai senarai “destinasi berisiko tinggi pengubahan wang haram”.

10.	Apakah jangkaan Azam mengenai kedudukan negara kita dalam Indeks Persepsi Rasuah Transparency International (TI-CPI) 2020 yang akan diterbitkan pada bulan Januari tahun hadapan? Adakah akan terdapat penambahbaikan berbanding dengan kedudukan negara kita pada tempat ke-51 dengan markah 53 dalam TI-CPI 2019 — yang mencatatkan peningkatan enam mata dan sepuluh kedudukan berbanding dengan kedudukan tahun sebelumnya? Atau adakah kedudukan tahun depan akan merosot teruk jika markah ini turun lebih daripada tiga mata?

(Kenyataan Media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Gelang Patah pada hari Khamis, 1 Oktober 2020)

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Noor Hisham says Malaysia probably experiencing a “new wave” of Covid 19 cases – but is it a second wave or a third wave?

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Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said yesterday that Malaysia was probably experiencing a “new wave” as Covid-19 case numbers continued to climb
 [1]
.

He said at yesterday’s press conference: “If we look at the chart, we have an increase in cases lately. That probably is the beginning of a new wave.”

New Covid-19 case numbers reported yesterday hit 260 – the highest registered number of new cases since June 4.

But is Malaysia facing a second wave or a third wave?

Irresponsible Perikatan Nasional (PN) Ministers have been claiming that there would have been more Covid-19 cases and deaths in Malaysia under a Pakatan Harapan Government.

Actually, the truth is the opposite.

Under the Pakatan Harapan Minister of Health, Dzulkefly Ahmad, before the infamous Sheraton Move on February 23, 2020 and before the second wave of Covid-19 attacked the country, Malaysia had a good and great record in fighting Covid-19.

Before the Sheraton Move, Malaysia had a cumulative total of 21 Covid-19 cases on Feb. 15 and no death and for eleven days from February 16 – 26, there was only one new case, bringing the cumulative total to 22 cases,

Malaysia’s Covid-19 record at the time (under Pakatan Harapan government) was among the best in ASEAN, even better than Thailand.

Thailand for instance had a cumulative total of 35 cases on Feb. 15 and an cumulative total of 40 cases on Feb. 26 – in both instances higher than Malaysia.

The second wave of Covid-19 outbreak in Malaysia started under the Perikatan Nasional Government, with Malaysia overtaking Thailand on March 4, registering a cumulative total of 50 cases as compared to Thailand’s 43 case.

When the PN Cabinet was formed on March 7, there was a cumulative total of 93 cases, 10 daily case increase and no death as compared to Thailand’s cumulative total of 50 cases, two daily new infections and one death on the same day.

When the second wave of Covid-19 cases in Malaysia reached its peak on April 3, 2020 it registered a cumulative total of 3,333 cases and 53 deaths as compared to Thailand’s cumulative total of 1,978 Covid-19 cases and 19 Covid-19 deaths.

The gap has widened since then and with Malaysia currently registering a cumulative total of 11,484 cases and a total of 136 deaths as compared to Thailand’s 3,575 total cumulative cases and total of 59 deaths.

Under the first wave of Covid-19 pandemic under the Pakatan Harapan government, Malaysia had better Covid-19 statistics than Thailand, which had over twice Malaysia’s population.

But under the second wave of the Covid-19 outbreak, which happened under the Perikatan Nasional Government, the situation had been severely reversed and Malaysia has now a cumulative total of 11,484 cases and 136 deaths as compared to Thailand’s cumulative total of 3,575 cases and 59 deaths.

The Deputy Health Minister Noor Azmi Ghazali had admitted to The Malaysian Insight in an interview on 27th July 2020 that Malaysia was currently experiencing a second wave of Covid-19 infections.

He said: “What we have been undergoing since March until today is actually the second wave.”

He said Malaysia experienced a brief first wave at the end of January with the first batch of patients who had come from China, the epicentre of the outbreak.

He said the second wave started in March, the same month the government imposed the movement control order. The restrictions were successful in curbing the spread of the virus so that the government could “flatten the curve”, he said.

It is important that politicians in the Perikatan Nasional government should not undermine the professional excellence of the public service particularly in the case of the Director-General of Health, Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah – who has rightly been honoured by being conferred a Tan Sri for his outstanding leadership in the fight against the Covid-19.

If we compare with the United States and some other countries in South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Middle East, we had done well – but going by the record of Dzulkefly as Health Minister and Pakatan Harapan Government, it is likely that the Pakatan Harapan would have done better than the Perikatan Nasional Government.

It is possible that with Dzulkefly and a Pakatan Harapan government, without the Sheraton Move, we would have a better record than Thailand in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic as we have halve the population of Thailand if we had avoided a second wave brought about by a backdoor and illegitimate government.

 As a result of the Sheraton Move and a backdoor government, while the world worries about a second wave of the Covid 19 pandemic, we are worrying about a third wave!

LIM KIT SIANG

[1] Malaysiakini, “Another 4 clusters, new Covid-19 cases reach second-highest level ever”, 1 October 2020, https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/544819

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Friday, October 2, 2020)

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Noor Hisham mengatakan yang negara kita sedang berhadapan dengan “gelombang baharu” penularan kes Covid-19 — adakah ini gelombang kedua ataupun ketiga kita?

Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan, Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah semalam telah mengatakan yang negara kita sedang berhadapan dengan “gelombang baharu” penularan wabak Covid-19 memandangkan jumlah kes baharu terus-menerus meningkat [1].

Beliau berkata dalam satu sidang media semalam: “Jika kita melihat pada carta, kita mendapati peningkatan kes kebelakangan ini. Ini mungkin permulaan satu gelombang baharu.”

Jumlah kes baharu yang dilaporkan semalam telah mencecah tahap 260 kes — jumlah tertinggi yang dicatatkan sejak daripada 4 Jun.

Tetapi, adakah Malaysia sedang berhadapan dengan gelombang kedua ataupun yang ketiga?

Para Menteri Perikatan Nasional yang tidak bertanggungjawab sering mendakwa yang negara kita akan berhadapan dengan lebih banyak jangkitan dan kematian akibat Covid-19 di bawah pentadbiran Pakatan Harapan.

Namun, kebenarannya amatlah berbeza.

Di bawah Menteri Kesihatan Pakatan Harapan, Dzulkefly Ahmad, sebelum berlakunya Langkah Sheraton pada 23 Februari 2020 dan sebelum negara kita dilanda oleh gelombang kedua wabak Covid-19 ini, Malaysia mempunyai rekod yang baik dalam menguruskan wabak ini.

Sebelum Langkah Sheraton, Malaysia mencatatkan sejumlah 21 kes Covid-19 terkumpul dengan sifar kematian setakat 15 Februari, dengan hanya satu kes baharu di antara 16 ke 26 Februari yang membawa jumlah terkumpul kes positif kepada 22 kes.

Rekod Malaysia semasa itu (di bawah pentadbiran kerajaan Pakatan Harapan) adalah antara yang terbaik di ASEAN, lebih baik daripada situasi di Thailand.

Pada waktu tersebut, Thailand mencatatkan 35 kes positif pada 15 Februari, dan sejumlah 40 kes terkumpul pada 26 Februari — mengatasi jumlah kes di Malaysia pada kedua-dua tarikh.

Gelombang kedua wabak Covid-19 bermula di bawah pemerintahan kerajaan Perikatan Nasional, dengan jumlah kes dalam negara kita mengatasi rekod Thailand buat pertama kalinya pada 4 Mac dengan 50 kes berbanding dengan 43 kes di Thailand.

Semasa Kabinet PN dibentuk pada 7 Mac, negara kita mencatatkan sejumlah 93 kes, dengan 10 kes baharu dan sifar kematian, manakala Thailand pula mencatatkan sejumlah 50 kes, dua kes baharu, dan satu kematian pada hari yang sama.

Semasa gelombang kedua wabak Covid-19 ini memuncak di Malaysia pada 3 April 2020, wabak ini telah menjangkiti 3,333 orang dan mengorbankan 53 nyawa, berbanding dengan 1,978 jangkitan dan 19 kematian di Thailand.

Jurang ini terus membesar sejak daripada hari tersebut, kini Malaysia mencatatkan sejumlah 11,484 kes dengan 136 kematian berbanding dengan 3,575 kes dan 59 kematian di Thailand.

Semasa gelombang pertama wabak Covid-19 yang berlaku di bawah pentadbiran Pakatan Harapan, negara kita mencatatkan rekod yang lebih baik berbanding dengan Thailand yang mempunyai dua kali lebih ramai penduduk berbanding dengan Malaysia.

Namun, dalam gelombang kedua wabak ini yang berlaku di bawah pemerintahan Perikatan Nasional, situasi ini telah terbalik dan Malaysia kini mencatatkan sejumlah 11,484 kes dengan 136 kematian berbanding dengan 3,575 kes dan 59 kematian di Thailand.

Timbalan Menteri Kesihatan, Noor Azmi Ghazali, pernah mengakui dalam satu wawancara dengan The Malaysian Insight pada 27 Julai 2020 yang negara kita sedang menghadapi gelombang kedua wabak Covid-19 ini.

Beliau berkata: “Apa yang kita sedang hadapi sejak bulan Mac sehingga hari ini adalah gelombang kedua.”

Beliau mengatakan yang Malaysia berhadapan dengan gelombang pertama yang agak kecil pada akhir bulan Januari dalam kalangan pesakit daripada China yang pada masa tersebut merupakan pusat penularan utama wabak ini.

Beliau berkata yang gelombang kedua ini bermula pada bulan Mac, dalam bulan yang sama di mana kerajaan mula melaksanakan Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan. Sekatan pergerakan ini berjaya dalam mengekang penularan wabak ini lantas membolehkan kerajaan untuk “meratakan lekuk” penularan wabak ini, kata beliau lagi.

Ahli-ahli politik dalam Perikatan Nasional tidak boleh terus melemahkan kebolehan dan profesionalisme sektor perkhidmatan awam negara, terutamanya pimpinan Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan, Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah — yang telah dianugerahkan Tan Sri sebagai perhargaan kepada kepimpinan beliau dalam memimpin negara kita melawan wabak Covid-19.

Jika dibandingkan dengan negara seperti Amerika Syarikat dan negara-negara lain di Amerika Selatan, Eropah, Asia, Afrika, dan Timur Tengah, kita telah berjaya — tetapi jika dilihat dengan rekod Dzulkefly sebagai Menteri Kesihatan bersama dengan kerajaan Pakatan Harapan, besar kemungkinannya yang Pakatan Harapan dapat memberikan hasil yang lebih baik berbanding dengan kerajaan Perikatan Nasional.

Mungkin, dengan pimpinan Dzulkefly dan kerajaan Pakatan Harapan, tanpa berlakunya Langkah Sheraton, kita akan mempunyai rekod yang lebih baik berbanding dengan Thailand dalam melawan wabak Covid-19, memandangkan jumlah penduduk di Malaysia adalah kira-kira setengah jumlah penduduk di Thailand, jika kita berjaya mengelakkan daripada berlakunya gelombang kedua di bawah sebuah kerajaan pintu belakang.

Akibat Langkah Sheraton dan kerajaan pintu belakang ini, sedangkan seluruh dunia sedang risau mengenai gelombang kedua penularan wabak Covid-19, kita perlu merisaukan mengenai penularan gelombang ketiga!

(Kenyataan Media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Gelang Patah pada hari Jumaat, 2 Oktober 2020)

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Does Noor Hisham’s advice to those returning from Sabah general election campaign to complete 14-day home quarantine even if tested negative for Covid  apply to the Prime Minister?

The Director-General of Health, Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah has advised all those returning from Sabah general election campaign to Peninsular Malaysia to complete 14-day home quarantine even if they are tested negative for Covid-19.

Does this advice  apply to the Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who this morning chaired a special National Security Council meeting on Covid-19 in Putrajaya?

Does it apply to all Ministers and Deputy Ministers, as well as all Perikatan Nasional and Barisan Nasional leaders who had campaigned in Sabah?

Let me declare that I have been tested negative for Covid 19 on my return from Sabah but am undergoing home quarantine for 14 days.

(Media Comment by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Saturday, 3rd October 2020)

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 3 October 2020, 2:34 pm and is filed under
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The Original Sin of Malaysia’s Covid 19 crisis was the Sheraton Move toppling the Pakatan Harapan Government, sparking the Second and Third Waves which have  caused  136 unnecessary deaths

Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah seems to be right that Malaysia is facing the “the beginning of a new wave” with the country recording 287 new Covid-19 infections yesterday, making it the country’s highest daily increase throughout the pandemic so far.

Six months ago, I suggested the establishment of a Covid-19 Pandemic Study Centre to learn from the successes and mistakes of other nations and to ensure that Malaysia does not lead the world in using the pandemic to emasculate and marginalise Parliament and human rights.

But we seem to be unable to learn from the success of other nations in the combat against Covid-19.

This is the unavoidable conclusion when we read China promoting “revenge travel” to boost the country’s economy after the Covid lockdowns.

The British daily, the Guardian, reported:

“Millions of Chinese people are travelling across the country in a bout of ‘revenge tourism’ after almost a year of quarantines, lockdowns and restrictions on their movement.

“China’s ministry of culture and tourism expects around 550 million people will make trips within the country during an eight-day public holiday marking the mid-autumn festival and China’s national day.

“Photos posted on social media on Tuesday, the first day of the national holiday, showed tourist spots crowded with visitors, and train stations busy with harried passengers…

“Officials are keen to encourage this pent-up demand, described by state media as ‘revenge tourism’ or ‘revenge travel’ during the annual public holiday known as Golden Week, traditionally a prime time for travel and spending.

“Spending during the next eight days will be a key indicator of China’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The state-run newspaper Economic Information Daily described this year’s holiday as a ‘critical battle’ for the tourism industry. Commentators say it marks the beginning of ‘revenge spending’ by Chinese consumers.”

China was able to encourage “revenge travel” because it had contained Covid-19, with no new locally transmitted cases in almost two months,  although Chinese officials anticipate the volume of domestic tourism for this year’s Golden Week to  fall short of last year, when almost 800 million people travelled across the country.

But the world provides another  example of the abysmal  failure of a superpower  to battle the Covid-19 pandemic, when the United States President, Donald Trump and the First Lady was tested positive for Covid-19, after claiming “it will disappear”, telling journalists he was downplaying it deliberately, failing to develop a national testing strategy, refusing to wear a face mask for months, floating the idea of injecting patients with bleach and  insisting to one of his many crowded campaign rallies that “it affects virtually nobody”.

The United States is a disaster as far as Covid-19 pandemic is concerned.  It has recorded more deaths than any other country in the pandemic, registering 213,524 deaths out of more than a million who had died of the disease, with the US recording  7.5 million cases out of a global total of nearly 35 million cases.

The true death toll and number of cases are likely to be significantly higher due to differing definitions and testing rates, delays and suspected underreporting.

Why is Malaysia unable to learn from the best lessons in the world in the battle against Covid-19 epidemic.

While the Covid-19 pandemic is an once-in-a-century global catastrophe, the  Original Sin of Malaysia’s Covid 19 catastrophe  was the Sheraton Move toppling the Pakatan Harapan Government in February this year,  sparking the Second and

Third Waves which have   caused  136 unnecessary deaths.

Myth makers claim that the Muhyiddin government had passed its greatest test in the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin himself  said that while the Covid-19 pandemic is unprecedented in Malaysia and across the world, but with the tenacity of the government, the support of frontliners, civil servants and volunteers, and the people’s discipline, the nation was up to the challenge.

This is not the truth. The Covid-19 pandemic  had in fact provided the Muhyiddin government an opportunity to hide its weaknesses and internal contradictions.

But thanks to the frontliners and to  Malaysians who rallied behind the government because of   the enormity of a Covid-19 disaster, we have emerged quite well by international  standards despite the unnecessary deaths of 136 people and infection of over 11,000 people.

The Muhyiddin government had at first mishandled the Covid-19 pandemic, causing a second wave of Covid-19 outbreak in March, which reached its peak on April 3.

If not for the Sheraton Move, there would not be a second wave of the Covid-19 outbreak and lockdown of the country – no MCO, CMCO, RMCO!

Now all Malaysians must unite and be disciplined to ensure that  any third wave of Covid-19 pandemic will be the shortest possible.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Saturday, 3rd October 2020)

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 3 October 2020, 10:56 am and is filed under
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Call on Cabinet on Wednesday to pass a special allocation to fight the Covid-19 third wave

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

The Cabinet on Wednesday should pass a special allocation to fight the Covid-19 third wave.

With another 317 new Covid-10 cases yesterday, the second straight day in a row where the number of new infections recorded has been the highest in the country to date, there are now 1,735 active Covid-19 cases nationwide.

The Sungai Buloh Hospital is gearing up for another Covid-19 wave to be a “full Covid-19” hospital again  and the Director-General of Health, Dr.  Noor Hisham Abdullah has been drumming home the message to the frontliners to be prepared for a new battle.

In his official Twitter last night, Dr Noor Hisham told the frontliners:  “To all our frontliners we have a huge battle ahead of us. Our country depends on us despite many sleepless nights and chronic fatigue, wipe your tears, chin up, eyes forward, let’s flatten the curve again”.

Dr. Noor’s war-cry to the frontliners to flatten the curve once  again should be taken as a war-cry to all Malaysians to fight  the highly infectious virus.

There is greater awareness and knowledge among Malaysians about the Covid-19 pandemic when faced with  the third wave of Covid-19 than when they were confronted with the first and second waves of Covid-19 in the past nine months.

This is why there is widespread and intense public anger against political leaders who should be  setting  an example of following the SOP to fight Covid-19 but are instead violating them with impunity.

This is why the  public are quick “on the draw”  complaining about  those wearing a pink wristband but appear at public places like the case of a man spotted wearing a pink wristband at a restaurant in Rawang yesterday.

In the last nine months, the  world offers a variety of lessons in the Covid-19 pandemic.

Let us in Malaysia learn the best lessons instead of practising the worst ones, and the worst example was undoubtedly set by the US President Donald Trump who was yesterday tested positive for Covid-19.

The  government must  ensure public trust and confidence so that the government and the people can fight the Covid-19 pandemic as one united solid force instead of a disunited situation where the people doubt the sincerity and trustworthiness of the government.

This why Ministers, deputy  Ministers and political leaders should not set the bad example of preaching one thing in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic but doing the very opposite, and why the case of the Plantation Industries and Commodities  Minister Khairuddin Aman Razali who violated the Covid-19 quarantine SOP on his return from Turkey on July 7 should not continue to drag out without a conclusion.

How is the Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, to expect the  people to comply with the Covid-19 SOP when VIPs like Minister Khairuddin can violate  it with impunity?

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Sunday, 4th October 2020)

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Seruan supaya Kabinet meluluskan peruntukan khas untuk melawan gelombang ketiga wabak Covid-19 pada mesyuarat hari Rabu ini

Mesyuarat Kabinet pada hari Rabu ini perlu meluluskan peruntukan khas untuk melawan gelombang ketiga wabak Covid-19.

Semalam, rekod baharu dicatatkan dengan 317 kes jangkitan baharu, memecahkan rekod tertinggi sehari sebelumnya, lantas membawa jumlah kes aktif dalam negara kepada 1,735 kes.

Hospital Sungai Buloh sedang bersiap-sedia untuk berhadapan dengan satu lagi gelombang jangkitan Covid-19 sebagai sebuah “hospital Covid-19 sahaja” dan Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan, Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah juga telah membunyikan semboyan untuk para petugas barisan hadapan untuk bersedia dengan satu lagi peperangan melawan wabak ini.

Dalam laman Twitter beliau semalam, Dr Noor Hisham telah memberitahu para petugas barisan hadapan, diterjemahkan: “Kepada semua para petugas barisan hadapan, kita mempunyai perjuangan yang besar yang sedang menanti kita. Seluruh negara bergantung kepada kita walaupun selepas melalui malam demi malam yang tanpa tidur dan dengan keletihan, lapkan air mata anda, bertabah, marilah kita mendatarkan lekuk penularan ini semula”.

Seruan Dr Noor kepada para petugas barisan hadapan ini perlu didengari oleh semua rakyat Malaysia juga, untuk kita semua bersama-sama melawan penularan wabak ini.

Kini, rakyat Malaysia mempunyai kesedaran yang lebih tinggi dalam berhadapan dengan gelombang ketiga penularan wabak ini, berbanding dengan semasa kita berhadapan dengan gelombang pertama dah kedua penularan wabak ini sembilan bulan yang lepas.

Kerana inilah terdapat perasaan marah dalam kalangan rakyat terhadap para ahli politik yang telah melanggari SOP melawan wabak ini sedangkan mereka sepatutnya menjadi contoh tauladan yang baik kepada rakyat.

Dalam tempoh sembilan bulan yang lalu, banyak pengajaran dapat dipelajari mengenai wabak Covid-19 ini.

Marilah kita di Malaysia terus mempelajari dan meneladani perbuatan yang baik, dan meninggalkan semua yang buruk, seperti mana contoh terburuk yang ditunjukkan oleh Presiden AS Donald Trump yang semalam telah disahkan dijangkiti wabak Covid-19.

Kerajaan perlu memastikan yang rakyat percaya dan yakin dengan kebolehan kerajaan untuk melawan wabak ini, bagi membolehkan kita semua bersatu-padu bersama untuk melawan wabak ini dan bukannya berpecah belah dengan rakyat berasa tidak yakin dan ragu-ragu dengan tindakan kerajaan.

Kerana inilah Menteri, Timbalan Menteri, dan para pemimpin politik tidak boleh membuat contoh tauladan yang buruk, di mana mereka menyuruh rakyat untuk berbuat satu perkara sedangkan mereka sendiri membuat perkara yang bertentangan, dan kerana ini jugalah, kes di mana Menteri Perusahaan Perladangan dan Industri, Khairuddin Aman Razali yang telah mencabuli SOP kuarantin Covid-19 sejurus selepas pulang daripada Turki pada 7 Julai lalu perlu dimuktamadkan dengan sewajarnya.

Bagaimanakah Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, mahu memastikan rakyat jelata semua mematuhi SOP Covid-19 sedangkan orang-orang kenamaan seperti menteri beliau sendiri, Khairuddin, boleh melanggari SOP ini tanpa sebarang hukuman?

(Kenyataan Media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Gelang Patah pada hari Ahad 4 Oktober 2020)

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 4 October 2020, 4:11 pm and is filed under
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Why is the Muhyiddin government continuing to  undermine public confidence and trust which detract from efforts to unite all Malaysians in an all-out-war against the Covid-19 pandemic?

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

When I wrote in my media statement on March 20, 2020, that “Global news about the Covid-19 pandemic continues to be bleak and ominous”, nobody had expected that after more than six months, global  news about the Covid-19 pandemic would be many times more bleak and ominous.

At that time, Italy reached a new milestone when its deaths linked to the virus soared to 3,405, exceeding the toll of 3,248 deaths in China, where  the virus first broke out.

The spread of Covid-19 in Italy had been swift and terrifying, even after the country imposed strict limits on people’s movements. As the death toll rose, traditional funeral services were outlawed as part of the national restrictions against gatherings.

On March 20, Italy tallied 902 deaths in the previous  two days alone – at that time an unimaginable figure.  Italy had at  the time a cumulative total of   41,035 coronavirus cases, while China had 80,996 cases and the  world cumulative total of Covid-19 cases stood at 234,130.

More than six months later, these figures are nothing compared to the astronomical numbers both in cases and deaths which are being chalked up by some countries.

The global  cumulative total of Covid-19 infection now exceed 35 million cases – or more than 150 times the global cumulative total of Covid-19 infections on March 20 – and the global total fatalities stand at 1,041,823 or more than 114 times the global fatalities on March 20, which recorded  9,112 deaths.

In the United States, Covid 19 pandemic infections have recorded over 7.6 million cases and  claimed more than 214,000 lives, with daily increase of over 43,000 Covid 19 infections  and 739 deaths going by  the past week’s average.

These are awesome  numbers. How many Covid-19 infections and fatalities will be recorded before the Covid-19  pandemic becomes history?

Although Malaysia has done comparatively well in the international arena in the invisible war against Covid-19, having receded from top 18th country in the world to No.96  in terms of having the most number of Covid-19 confirmed cases and the ranking of No. 33 to No. 101 in terms Covid-19 deaths, we must not  take things for granted.

It is most ironic that the three world leaders who mocked the gravity of the coronavirus pandemic are leading the three countries which top the world in the number of daily Covid-19 confirmed deaths, viz President Donald Trump’s United States which is the top No. 1 country with 7.64 million cases and 214,611 fatalities, and  he himself and his wife, and several top aides,  were just tested positive for Covid-19 presenting the United States with an unprecedented constitutional crisis; President Jair Bolsonaro’s Brazil with over 4.9 million Covid-19 cases and over 146,000 fatalities; and President Lopex Obrador’s Mexico with over 761,000  cases and  a death toll of over 79,000 fatalities.

We must however never lose sight  of the fact that Malaysia should and could  have done better, as there is no reason why we should lag behind Thailand, which has now a  cumulative total of 3,590 cases and 59 fatalities, as compared to Malaysia’s cumulative total of 12,381 cases and 127 fatalities – as Thailand as double Malaysia’s population.

This is why Malaysians must ask the  Muhyiddin government  why it is  continuing to  undermine public confidence and trust which detract from efforts to unite all Malaysians in an all-out-war against the Covid-19 pandemic?

The Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yasshin chaired a special National Security Council meeting on Covid 19 on Saturday, but  conspicuously missing was  the Penang Chief Minister and the   Mentri Besars of Selangor and Negri Sembilan.

I  asked the Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow why he did not attend, and  he said he was  not invited to the special NSC Meeting on Covid 19 last Saturday.

I can still remember the furore and the  Chief  Secretary to the Government, Zuki Ali, apologising for the exclusion of Pakatan Harapan State leaders  from the first special meeting chaired by  Muhyiddin after he became the Prime Minister.

Why has  the Perikatan Nasional Government decided to play politics again, instead of showing an example of uniting all Malaysians regardless party politics in the face of a third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic?

The outstanding issue for Malaysians remains the mystery as to why a straightforward case like the non-compliance with the Covid-19 quarantine  SOP by the Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister should take such an unbelievable length of time, made worse by the police seemingly playing the same record over and over again that the case is undergoing thorough investigation.

I call on the Prime Minister to impress on the Cabinet on Wednesday the importance of restoring public trust and confidence in the war against the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia. Will he and can he do so?

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Monday, 5th October 2020)

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Mengapakah kerajaan Muhyiddin terus-menerus merendahkan kepercayaan dan keyakinan rakyat terhadapnya yang akan mengganggu usaha-usaha untuk menyatupadukan rakyat dalam melawan wabak Covid-19?

Semasa saya menulis kenyataan media saya pada 20 Mac 2020 yang “Perkembangan pandemik Covid-19 di peringkat antarabangsa secara terus-menerus menjadi semakin suram dan tidak menyenangkan”, tidak ada sesiapa yang menjangkakan yang perkembangan ini akan bertambah buruk, enam bulan kemudian.

Semasa itu, Itali telah mencatatkan rekod baharu dengan 3,405 kematian akibat Covid-19, mengatasi 3,248 kematian di China di mana virus tersebut mula muncul.

Penularan wabak ini di Itali berlaku pada kadar yang sangat pantas dan mengerikan, walaupun selepas negara tersebut melaksanakan sekatan pergerakan. Dengan peningkatan jumlah kematian, upacara pengebumian tradisional terpaksa diharamkan memandangkan terdapat sekatan daripada sebarang perhimpunan.

Pada 20 Mac, Itali mencatatkan 902 kematian dalam tempoh dua hari sebelum itu sahaja — satu angka yang tidak dapat dibayangkan ketika itu. Pada masa tersebut, Itali mencatatkan sejumlah 41,035 kes terkumpul, manakala China mencatatkan 80,996 kes terkumpul, dan sejumlah 234,130 kes dicatatkan di seluruh dunia.

Lebih daripada enam bulan kemudian, angka ini kelihatan kecil jika dibandingkan dengan angka jangkitan dan kematian semasa yang dicatatkan oleh sesetengah negara.

Jumlah jangkitan terkumpul di seluruh dunia kini melepasi paras 35 juta jangkitan — lebih 150 kali ganda jumlah jangkitan di seluruh dunia pada 20 Mac — manakala wabak ini telah mengorbankan 1,041,823 nyawa di seluruh dunia, lebih dari 114 kali ganda jumlah korban nyawa pada 20 Mac yang mencatatkan 9,112 kematian.

Di Amerika Syarikat, wabak Covid-19 ini telah menjangkiti lebih daripada 7.6 juta orang dan meragut lebih daripada 214,000 nyawa, dengan peningkatan harian lebih daripada 43,000 kes dan 739 kematian sehari mengikut purata minggu lepas.

Angka-angka ini sangatlah besar. Berapa ramaikah lagi yang akan dijangkiti dan menjadi korban sebelum wabak ini akan hanya menjadi sejarah?

Walaupun Malaysia boleh dikatakan sebagai berjaya dalam melawan wabak ini, dengan berjaya mengubah kedudukan negara kita, daripada negara ke-18 dengan jumlah kes tertinggi ke tempat ke-96, dan daripada tempat ke-33 dengan jumlah korban nyawa tertinggi kepada tempat ke-101, kita tidak boleh leka dengan wabak ini.

Apa yang ironinya, tiga pemimpin utama dunia yang tidak mengambil serius mengenai wabak ini kini memimpin ketiga-tiga negara yang mencatatkan kadar kematian tertinggi, mereka adalah, Donald Trump, Presiden Amerika Syarikat yang kini berada di tempat pertama dengan 7.46 juta kes dan 214,611 kematian, di mana beliau, isteri beliau, dan beberapa pegawai tinggi beliau didapati positif dengan jangkitan Covid-19; Jair Bolsonaro, Presiden Brazil, yang kini mencatatkan lebih daripada 4.9 juta kes Covid-19 dengan lebih daripada 146,000 kematian; dan Lopex Obrador, Presiden Mexico, yang kini berhadapan dengan 761,000 kes dan lebih daripada 79,000 kematian.

Kita tidak boleh lupa bahawa negara kita sepatutnya berada dalam keadaan yang lebih baik, kerana kita tidak mempunyai sebarang sebab untuk berada di belakang Thailand, yang kini hanya mencatatkan sebanyak 3,590 kes dan 59 kematian — berbanding dengan 12,381 kes positif dan 127 kematian di Malaysia — memandangkan Thailand mempunyai lebih daripada dua kali ganda jumlah penduduk di Malaysia.

Kerana inilah rakyat Malaysia perlu bertanya kepada kerajaan Muhyiddin, mengapakah kerajaan Muhyiddin terus-menerus merendahkan kepercayaan dan keyakinan rakyat terhadapnya yang akan mengganggu usaha-usaha untuk menyatupadukan rakyat dalam melawan wabak Covid-19?

Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin telah mempengerusikan satu mesyuarat khas Majlis Keselamatan Negara berkenaan Covid-19 pada hari Sabtu lepas, namun begitu, dengan jelas sekali, Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang dan Menteri Besar Selangor dan Negeri Sembilan tidak ada dalam mesyuarat ini.

Saya bertanyakan kepada Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang, Chow Kon Yeow, mengapa beliau tidak menghadiri mesyuarat ini dan beliau menjawab yang beliau tidak dijemput untuk menghadiri mesyuarat khas Majlis Keselamatan Negara berkaitan Covid-19 ini.

Saya masih lagi ingat kegelisahan yang kemudiannya disusuli dengan permohonan maaf daripada Ketua Setiausaha Negara, Zuki Ali, kerana tidak menjemput pemimpin negeri Pakatan Harapan ke mesyuarat khas pertama yang dipengerusikan oleh Muhyiddin selepas beliau menjadi Perdana Menteri.

Mengapakah kerajaan Perikatan Nasional memutuskan untuk bermain politik lagi, dan bukannya menunjukkan tauladan untuk menyatukan semua rakyat Malaysia, tanpa mengira parti politik dalam usaha melawan gelombang ketiga wabak Covid-19 ini?

Isu berbangkit yang kekal menjadi misteri sehingga hari ini adalah mengapa kes mudah seperti pengingkaran SOP Kuarantin Covid-19 oleh Menteri Industri Perladangan dan Komoditi mengambil masa yang amat lama, dengan pihak Polis mengulangi jawapan yang sama, mengatakan kes ini masih dibawah siasatan.

Saya seru Perdana Menteri untuk menekankan kepada Kabinet, mengenai kepentingan untuk mengembalikan kepercayaan dan keyakinan rakyat kepada kerajaan dalam usaha melawan gelombang ketiga penularan wabak Covid-19 di Malaysia. Adakah beliau akan dan mampu berbuat demikian?

(Kenyataan Media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Gelang Patah pada hari Isnin, 5 Oktober 2020)

                This entry was posted on Monday, 5 October 2020, 4:23 pm and is filed under
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Ministers’ Cluster joins White House Cluster to highlight the need for government leaders to be examples to inspire national unity and resolve to fight the war against Covid 19 pandemic and not the opposite

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

Malaysia has joined the United States with Covid-19 infections invading the top precincts of government – with our Ministers’ Cluster joining the White House Cluster to illustrate the hazards of high office.

In Malaysia, the Cabinet has been affected with one Minister confirmed as down with Covid-19 infection and five Ministers  in quarantine including  the Prime Minister himself undergoing a 14-day home quarantine as directed by  Home Surveillance Order (HSO) issued by the Health Ministry.

In Washington, US President Donald Trump returned from the Walter Reed National Medical Military Centre  to the White House,  which has become a centre for contagion partly because of disregard for mitigation measures, to peel off his mask to convert his still-ongoing disease into a show of strength. However, despite his  longstanding practice of denying the pandemic’s severity and downplaying its risks,  there are more than 200,000 Americans dead and 7.5 millions Americans infected as well as  over a dozen of Trump’s top aides tested positive for Covid-19.

Although Trump is not the first government leader to be tested positive for Covid 19 – others include  Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson – what should be the lesson of Covid-19 infection in high government places.

Whether it is the Ministers’ Cluster or the  White House Cluster, it should  be   the need for top government leaders to be examples to inspire national unity and resolve to fight the war against the coronavirus in the Covid 19 pandemic and not the opposite.

Despite our political differences, I pray that all Ministers and political leaders whatever their party affiliation and undergoing treatment or quarantine will be healthy and safe.

Malaysia is now facing the challenge  of  the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic although we should be have been spared the onslaughts of its second wave as well as third wave.

There has been a spike in Covid-19 cases following Sabah’s 16th state general  election on Sept 26 – reaching an all-time high since the outbreak first started in Malaysia early this year.

Yesterday, a whopping 432 new cases were reported, on Sunday (Oct 4) 293, Saturday (Oct 3) 317 and Friday (Oct 2) 287 bringing the cumulative total to 12,813 cases.

The current active caseload numbers 2,336 and the number of patients who require intensive care has increased to 32, up from eight last Monday.

The Untied States should have  provided world leadership in the war against the coronavirus in the Covid-19 pandemic but it  is quite a catastrophe, being the country with the most number of infections and deaths, registering a cumulative total  of 7,679,644 cases and 215,032 fatalities.

Although we have done fairly well in bringing the second wave of the Covid-19 outbreak under control, we are now facing a new challenging of  the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

We are listed No. 31 in Asia among  countries for cumulative total number of Covid-19 cases, but we should always be conscious that we should and could  have done better than other  Asian countries which have larger populations like  Thailand, which is listed No. 37 and Vietnam which is listed No. 41.

In the United Nations today, the World Health Organisation has estimated that roughly  one in 10 people may have been infected with the coronavirus, leaving the vast majority of the world’s population vulnerable to the Covid-19 disease it causes.

This is a mind-boggling figure as it would mean that 780 million people are  infected with Covid-19 as the world population is 7.8 billion – a far cry from the recorded Covid-19 estimate.

According the worldometer website, the current data for the cumulative  total of Covid-19 infections worldwide stands at 35,701,674 with 1,045,953 fatalities, and the top five  countries in terms of total cumulative Covid-19 infections (and fatalities)– very different from the Top Five in the early period of the pandemic – are as follows:

Country   –    Total Cases – Total Deaths

1.     United States   –       7,679,644    –   215,032

2.     India                  –          6,685,082   –     103,600

3.     Brazil                  –        4,940,499     –   146,773

4.     Russia                   –      1,225,889       –   21,475

5.     Colombia                  –     862,158     –     26,844

The government must urgently restore public trust and confidence in the war against Covid-19 virus and government leaders must stop exhorting the people to comply with the Covid-19 SOP while  they themselves are not prepared to comply.

As someone wrote today: “We would have failed in our national duty of patriotism if we let irresponsible leaders escape without being held accountable.”

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Tuesday 6th October 2020)

==========================

Kluster Menteri menyertai Kluster White House menunjukkan keperluan untuk para pemimpin kerajaan menjadi tauladan yang baik kepada rakyat bagi membolehkan negara kita bersatu padu dalam melawan penularan wabak Covid-19

Malaysia baru sahaja menyertai Amerika Syarikat dengan merekodkan jangkitan Covid-19 dalam kalangan pimpinan tertinggi kerajaan — dengan Kluster Menteri kita, yang kini bersama dengan Kluster White House dalam menunjukkan risiko jawatan tinggi.

Di Malaysia, Kabinet telah terkesan apabila seorang Menteri disahkan dijangkiti Covid-19 dengan lima orang menteri, termasuklah Perdana Menteri sendiri terpaksa menjalani kuarantin di bawah Perintah Pengawasan dan Pemerhatian dari Rumah Kediaman (HSO) di bawha arahan Kementerian Kesihatan.

Di Washington, Presiden AS, Donald Trump telah kembali daripada Pusat Rawatan Tentera Kebangsaan Walter Reed ke White House — yang baru-baru ini menjadi pusat penularan wabak Covid-19 akibat tidak meremehkan langkah-langkah pencegahan — dalam satu cubaan untuk menunjukkan kekuatan beliau. Namun begitu, walaupun setelah sekian lama menafikan keseriusan wabak ini, terdapat lebih daripada 200,000 rakyat Amerika yang telah terkorban akibat Covid-19, dengan lebih daripada 7.5 juta yang dijangkiti, bersama-sama dengan lebih satu dozen pegawai tinggi Trump juga disahkan positif.

Walaupun Trump bukanlah pemimpin dunia pertama yang dijangkiti Covid-19 — Presiden Brazil Jair Bolsonaro dan Perdana Menteri United Kingdom Boris Johnson juga telah dijangkiti wabak ini — apakah pengajaran yang boleh kita dapatkan daripada jangkitan Covid-19 dalam kalangan pimpinan tertinggi sebuah negara.

Sama ada Kluster Menteri mahupun Kluster White House, keutamaan pemimpin kerajaan seharusnya berfokus kepada memastikan wujudnya perpaduan dan azam nasional untuk melawan wabak Covid-19, bukan sebaliknya.

Walaupun berbeza fahaman politik, saya mendoakan semua menteri dan pemimpin politik yang, tidak kira daripada mana-mana parti sekalipun, sihat dan selamat.

Negara kita sedang berhadapan dengan cabaran gelombang ketiga penularan wabak Covid-19, walaupun kita sepatutnya tidak perlu berhadapan dengan gelombang kedua wabak ini sekalipun, apatah lagi gelombang ketiga.

Terdapat peningkatan kes-kes Covid-19 sejurus selepas Pilihan Raya Negeri Sabah yang ke-16 pada 26 September — yang kini mencatatkan rekod tertinggi baharu sejak kes ini mula dikesan dalam negara pada awal tahun ini.

Semalam, sejumlah 432 kes baharu telah dilaporkan, pada hari Ahad (4 Oktober) 293 kes, Sabtu (3 Oktober) 317, dan Jumaat (2 Oktober) 287, membawa kepada sejumlah 12,813 kes terkumpul.

Jumlah kes aktif semasa adalah 2,336 dan jumlah pesakit yang memerlukan rawatan rapi telah meningkat kepada 32, berbanding dengan lapan pada hari Isnin lepas.

Amerika Syarikat sepatutnya menunjukkan kepimpinan dalam melawan wabak koronavirus ini tetapi negara tersebut berada dalam bencana, dengan mencatatkan jumlah jangkitan dan kematian yang tertinggi di seluruh dunia, 7,679,644 kes dan 215,032 kematian.

Walaupun kita telah berjaya mengawal gelombang kedua penularan wabak Covid-19 ini, kita kini berhadapan dengan cabaran yang dibawa oleh gelombang ketiga pula.

Kita berada di tempat ke-31 di Asia, dari segi jumlah kes Covid-19 terkumpul. Tetapi kita perlu sentiasa beringat yang kita sepatutnya berada pada kedudukan yang lebih baik berbanding dengan negara-negara yang mempunyai lebih ramai penduduk, seperti Thailand yang berada di kedudukan ke-37 dan Vietnam yang berada di kedudukan ke-41.

Di Pertubuhan Bangsa-bangsa Bersatu hari ini, Kesatuan Kesihatan Sedunia (WHO) menjangkakan yang kira-kira seorang dalam sepuluh orang mungkin telah dijangkiti oleh koronavirus ini, mendedahkan sejumlah besar populasi dunia kepada risiko jangkitan Covid-19.

Angka ini amatlah merisaukan, memandangkan perkara ini bermakna hampir 780 juta orang telah dijangkiti wabak ini, 10 peratus daripada populasi dunia sebanyak 7.8 bilion orang — jumlah yang sangat berbeza dengan jangkaan semasa Covid-19.

Menurut laman web Worldometer, data terkini jumlah kes terkumpul di seluruh dunia semasa adalah 35,701,674 kes dengan 1,045,953 kematian, dan lima negara dengan jumlah kes tertinggi (satu senarai yang sangat berbeza berbanding dengan waktu wabak ini mula menular) adalah seperti berikut:

Negar-a		Jumlah Kes	– Jumlah Kematian

1.	Amerika Syarikat –	7,679,644 –	215,032

2.	India 		–	6,685,082 –	103,600

3.	Brazil 		–	4,940,499 –	146,773

4. 	Rusia 		–	1,225,889 –	21,475

5. 	Colombia 	–	862,158 –	26,844

Pihak kerajaan perlu segera mengembalikan keyakinan dan kepercayaan rakyat dalam usaha melawan wabak Covid-19 ini dan pemimpin kerajaan juga perlu mematuhi SOP Covid-19 yang mereka telah kenakan kepada rakyat.

Seperti yang dituliskan oleh seseorang semalam: “Kita akan gagal dalam menjalankan kewajipan patriotisme kita jika kita membiarkan pemimpin yang tidak bertanggungjawab melarikan diri tanpa dipertanggungjawabkan.”

(Kenyataan Media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Gelang Patah pada hari Selasa, 6 Oktober 2020)

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 6 October 2020, 2:16 pm and is filed under
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Muhyiddin’s assurance that there would be “no double standards” over Covid-19 SOP would be more convincing if he had explained what has happened to the long-standing breach of quarantine SOP by the Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister on July 7

The Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddih Yassin’s  assurance in his Facebook live address that there would be “no double standards” over Covid-19 SOP would be convincing  if he had explained what has happened to the long-standing breach of quarantine SOP by the Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Khairuddin Aman Razali on his return from Turkey on July 7.

Malaysians are still waiting for the Prime Minister to show leadership and example in Khairuddin’s case.

How long must Malaysians wait?

(Media Comment by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Tuesday, October 6, 2020)

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 6 October 2020, 7:26 pm and is filed under
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Muhyiddin must have attracted record viewership in his live Facebook address yesterday, but it was the worst live speech he had made since becoming “backdoor” Prime Minister on March 1

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

The Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin must have attracted record viewership in his live Facebook address yesterday, but it was the worst live speech he had made since becoming “backdoor” Prime Minister on March 1.

Adverse, anxious and  angry reactions were immediate on the social media when he referred to himself as “Abah” and jokingly  threatened to “use the cane” if people won’t comply with the government’s SOP to curb the disease – as it was as plain as day that he was guilty of “double standards” while proclaiming that there would be “no double standards” over the Covid-19 SOP.

Public anger was palpable as a one-year told child was reported dead from Covid-19, the youngest to die from the outbreak in the country.

I agree with the Director-General of Health, Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah that Malaysians should  not let frontliners’ efforts go to waste and come together to fight the common enemy rather than “continue to cry over the spilled milk over and over again”.

But what is done about the “spilled milk” is a gauge as to whether the government is going to learn from its mistakes and begin to deal with its trust deficit in the country and start to  be inspirational examples to unite all Malaysians in an all-out war against the Covid-19 virus.

It is a blessing that we do not have a Donald Trump as Prime Minister, who  staged a reckless departure from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center yesterday, telling his followers the virus that dangerously deprived him of oxygen and hospitalized him for 72 hours was nothing to fear before peeling off his mask  on the White House balcony. This has led one correspondent to comment: “Not only did he (Trump)  not fear Covid-19, but he didn’t fear passing it on everyone in his vicinity. That’s not bravery, it’s sociopathy.”

It is somewhat tragic that the only person in the government whom the people trust on the Covid-19 issue is the Health Director-General, who had to soldier on to conduct live press conference from home while under quarantine – as  the Health Minister had delivered a self knockout  with his unimaginable utterings after being sworn in as Minister in March.

Noor Hisham wrote in his Facebook:

“Where do we want to be? We need to decide either to come together, be united and be stronger to fight the common enemy or continue to cry over the spilled milk over and over again when the numbers are increasing. Our frontliners are already on the ground with their sweat and tears.”

Dr Noor Hisham also noted that as Malaysia enters its 10th month since the first Covid-19 case was registered here, “controlling large-scale community transmission is the country’s top priority”.

“We need strong solidarity and unity, together we can better fight against this common enemy.”

Noor Hisham is right, especially at a time when there is an exponential surge of Covid-19 cases nationwide, with the country recording a new record-high of 691 cases yesterday,  bringing the country to 2,936 Covid-19 patients under treatment – the worst level since April 5, when there were 2,595 active cases.

But Malaysians have a right to expect better performances from our Ministers, although the Cabinet has now  been immobilized by Covid-19 pandemic.

Muhyidden must impress on his Ministers the urgency to restore public trust and confidence in the war against Covid-19 virus and government leaders must stop exhorting the people to comply with the Covid-19 SOP while they themselves are not prepared to comply.

As a first step, Muhyiddin should ensure that the Chief Minister and Mentri-Menteri  Besar of  Pakatan Harapan states of Penang, Selangor and Negri Sembilan are not excluded in the next meeting of the National Security Council meeting on Covid-19!

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Wednesday, October 7, 2020)

=========================

Muhyiddin pastinya telah berjaya menarik jumlah penonton tertinggi dalam Perutusan Khas melalui Facebook beliau semalam, tetapi perutusan beliau semalam adalah perutusan terburuk yang pernah beliau buat sejak menjadi Perdana Menteri “pintu belakang” pada 1 Mac

Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin pastinya berjaya menarik jumlah penonton tertinggi dalam Perutusan Khas melalui Facebook beliau semalam, tetapi perutusan beliau semalam adalah perutusan terburuk yang pernah beliau buat sejak menjadi Perdana Menteri “pintu belakang” pada 1 Mac.

Reaksi negatif, cemas, dan marah membanjiri media sosial selepas beliau menggelarkan diri beliau sebagai “Abah” dan secara berseloroh mengugut untuk “menggunakan rotan” jika rakyat tidak mematuhi SOP kerajaan untuk mengekang penularan wabak Covid-19 — kerana rakyat dapat melihat dengan jelas, layanan berbeza yang diamalkan kerajaan beliau dalam melaksanakan SOP ini sedangkan beliau baru sahaja mendakwa yang kerajaan tidak memberikan layanan berbeza kepada mana-mana orang.

Kemarahan rakyat ini dapat difahami, memandangkan seorang kanak-kanak yang berusia setahun baru sahaja dilaporkan menjadi korban terkini wabak ini, mangsa termuda Covid-19 dalam negara kita.

Saya bersetuju dengan Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan, Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, yang rakyat Malaysia tidak boleh mensia-siakan usaha para petugas barisan hadapan dan kita semua harus bersatu padu untuk melawan wabak ini dan tidak terus “menangisi nasi yang telah menjadi bubur”.

Tetapi apa yang dilakukan terhadap “bubur” ini akan menjadi kayu ukur terhadap kesediaan kerajaan untuk belajar daripada kesilapannya dan mula menguruskan defisit kepercayaan yang dihadapi mereka dalam negara serta menjadi tauladan yang baik untuk menyatu padukan rakyat dalam melawan wabak Covid-19.

Syukurlah kita tidak mempunyai Donald Trump sebagai Perdana Menteri kita. Beliau telah meninggalkan Pusat Rawatan Ketenteraan Walter Reed semalam, memberitahu para pengikut beliau yang virus — yang telah menyekat pernafasan beliau dan memerlukan beliau dihospitalkan selama 72 jam — ini tidak perlu ditakuti sebelum mencabut topeng muka beliau di balkoni White House. Perkara ini telah membuatkan seorang wartawan mengatakan: “Bukan sahaja beliau tidak takut dengan Covid-19, tetapi beliau tidak takut untuk menyebarkannya kepada orang lain di sekitar beliau. Ini bukan keberanian, ini adalah sosiopati.”

Agak tragik apabila satu-satunya orang yang dipercayai ramai dalam kerajaan berkenaan dengan isu Covid-19 ini adalah Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan, yang terpaksa terus menjalankan tugas beliau dan melakukan sidang media secara langsung daripada rumah beliau semasa menjalani kuarantin — memandangkan Menteri Kesihatan kita telah memusnahkan kredibiliti beliau sejurus selepas mengangkat sumpah sebagai menteri pada bulan Mac lalu.

Noor Hisham menulis di Facebook, diterjemahkan:

“Di manakah kita mahu berada? Kita perlu memilih, sama ada kita mahu bersama, bersatu padu, dan menjadi lebih kuat untuk melawan musuh bersama kita, ataupun untuk terus berterusan menangisi susu yang telah pun tumpah sedangkan angkanya terus meningkat. Para petugas barisan hadapan kita telah berada di lapangan, dengan keringat dan air mata.”

Dr Noor Hisham juga telah mengatakan, dalam Malaysia memasuki bulan kesepuluh sejak kes pertama Covid-19 dicatatkan, “mengawal penularan berskala besar dalam komuniti menjadi keutamaan semasa negara”.

“Kita perlukan semangat solidariti dan perpaduan yang kuat, bersama, kita boleh melawan musuh ini.”

Noor Hisham tepat, terutamanya semasa negara kita berhadapan dengan peningkatan mendadak kes Covid-19 di seluruh negara, dengan negara kita mencatatkan rekod baharu 691 kes semalam, membawa jumlah kes aktif di dalam negara kepada 2,936 kes — keadaan terburuk sejak 5 April di mana kita berhadapan dengan 2,595 kes aktif.

Tetapi, rakyat Malaysia berhak untuk menuntut prestasi yang lebih baik daripada para menteri kita, walaupun Kabinet kini telah dilumpuhkan oleh wabak ini.

Muhyiddin harus menggerakkan menteri beliau untuk segera mengembalikan kepercayaan dan keyakinan rakyat kepada kerajaan untuk melawan virus Covid-19 dan pemimpin kerajaan harus berhenti berhenti mengamalkan sikap menasihati rakyat mematuhi SOP Covid-19 sambil melanggarinya.

Sebagai langkah pertama, Muhyiddin perlu memastikan Ketua Menteri dan Menteri-menteri Besar daripada negeri-negeri Pakatan Harapan, Pulau Pinang, Selangor, dan Negeri Sembilan tidak dikecualikan lagi dalam mesyuarat Majlis Keselamatan Negara berkenaan Covid-19 yang akan datang!

(Kenyataan Media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Gelang Patah pada hari Rabu, 7 Oktober 2020)

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 7 October 2020, 8:43 am and is filed under
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Support for proposal by Andrew Khoo  that in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, a Warisan candidate should take the seat uncontested

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

I support the proposal by the Co-Chairman of the Bar Council’s Constitutional Law Committee Andrew Khoo who urged political parties to stay out of the coming Batu Sapi polls and allow a Warisan candidate to take the seat uncontested for the sake of the health and safety of the electorate in the constituency, which is located in Sandakan, as well as for the sake of the people  of Sabah and Malaysia.

The Bar Council’s constitutional law committee co-chair said a Warisan candidate winning uncontested would preserve the status quo in Parliament.

Khoo said politicians from both sides of the divide should put aside their differences to show they care about the Covid-19 surge currently faced by the rakyat.

“By not contesting the seat, it will do away with the need for campaigning and voting, and will very likely help prevent the spread of Covid-19.

“This will also be one way that Malaysians, and Sabahans in particular, can honour the life and work of the late Liew Vui Keong, and all that he contributed to our nation.”

I fully agree with Andrew Khoo as the just-concluded Sabah state general election had caused  a third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia  and turned Sabah into a hotspot state, whose borders would be  fully closed  from October 12 to Oct. 25 with travel allowed only under special circumstances.

The second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic was caused by the Sheraton Move resulting in a backdoor national  government in March while the third wave was caused by backdoor politicians masterminding the downfall of the Sabah government by engineering the dropping of all 46 corruption charges against a former Sabah Chief Minister and the frog-jumping of 13 Sabah State Assembly members.

Let Malaysia show the world that political leaders in Malaysia are capable of learning from the mistakes of the past and can be inspirational examples to rally the people regardless of party politics in a single-minded effort to win the war against the Covid-19 virus by agreeing to allow the Warisan candidate to win the Batu Sapi by-election uncontested.

The ball is now in the court of Perikatan Nasional, Barisan Nasional and PBS.

(Media Comment by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Wednesday, October 7, 2020)

===========================

Sokongan terhadap cadangan Andrew Khoo, memandangkan keadaan semasa penularan wabak Covid-19, calon Warisan patut diberi laluan untuk menang tanpa bertanding

Saya menyokong cadangan daripada Pengerusi Bersama Jawatankuasa Undang-undang Perlembagaan Majlis Peguam, Andrew Khoo, yang menggesa parti politik untuk tidak bertanding dalam pilihan raya kecil Batu Sapi dan memberikan laluan kepada seorang calon Warisan untuk menang tanpa bertanding dalam PRK tersebut demi kesihatan dan keselamatan para pengundi di kawasan tersebut yang berada di Sandakan, dan juga demi kesihatan dan keselamatan rakyat Sabah dan Malaysia.

Pengerusi Bersama Jawatankuasa Undang-undang Perlembagaan tersebut mengatakan kemenangan tanpa bertanding calon Warisan dalam PRK tersebut akan mengekalkan status quo sedia ada dalam Parlimen.

Khoo berkata, ahli politik daripada kedua belah pihak patut meletakkan perbezaan mereka buat sementara waktu untuk menunjukkan yang mereka peduli dengan peningkatan mendadak kes Covid-19 yang dihadapi rakyat.

“Dengan tidak bertanding di kerusi tersebut, tidak perlulah berlakunya kempen dan pengundian, yang besar kemungkinannya akan membantu menghalang penularan Covid-19.

“Ini juga boleh menjadi satu cara untuk rakyat Malaysia, terutamanya yang berada di Sabah, untuk memberikan penghormatan kepada kehidupan dan segala usaha dan sumbangan mendiang Liew Vui Keong kepada negara.”

Saya bersetuju sepenuhnya dengan Andrew Khoo memandangkan pilihan raya negeri Sabah yang baru sahaja berlangsung telah memulakan gelombang ketiga penularan Covid-19 di Malaysia dan menjadikan Sabah sebuah negeri utama yang terkesan, sehinggakan sempadan Sabah terpaksa ditutup antara 12 Oktober sehingga 25 Oktober, di mana perjalanan hanya dibenarkan atas sebab-sebab mustahak sahaja.

Gelombang kedua Covid-19 telah disebabkan oleh Langkah Sheraton yang membawa kepada penubuhan kerajaan pintu belakang pada bulan Mac lalu, manakala gelombang ketiga pula disebabkan oleh ahli politik pintu belakang yang cuba membawa kepada kejatuhan kerajaan negeri Sabah yang telah merekayasa pengguguran kesemua 46 kes pertuduhan rasuah terhadap mantan Ketua Menteri Sabah dan pelompatan 13 Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri Sabah.

Marilah kita tunjukkan kepada seluruh dunia, yang pemimpin politik di Malaysia juga mampu untuk belajar daripada kesilapan masa lalu dan boleh menjadi inspirasi serta tauladan baik untuk menggerakkan semua rakyat, tanpa mengira latar belakang parti politik, kepada usaha memenangi peperangan melawan wabak Covid-19, dengan bersetuju untuk memberikan laluan kepada seorang calon daripada Warisan untuk menang tanpa bertanding dalam pilihan raya kecil Batu Sapi.

Bola kini berada di dalam gelanggang Perikatan Nasional, Barisan Nasional, dan PBS.

(Komen Media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Gelang Patah pada hari Rabu, 7 Oktober 2020)

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 7 October 2020, 12:14 pm and is filed under
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First item of business  for the 27-day budget meeting of Parliament starting on Nov. 2 is to set up an Opposition-headed Parliamentary Select Committee on Covid-19  to monitor the public health, economic and nation building crisis of Covid-19

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

Two months ago during the last parliamentary meeting, I asked whether the Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and  the Health Minister, Dr. Adham Baba whether they will give top priority to ensure that a Parliamentary Select Committee on Covid-19 would be set up to monitor the public heath, economic and nation-building crisis of Covid-19.

It is a serious dereliction of duty by both the Prime Minister and the Health Minister that this has not been done, resulting in a leadership vacuum to inspire public trust and confidence to rally all Malaysians, regardless of political affiliation, to wage a single-minded war against the Covid-19 virus for the public health wellbeing of the country, as well as to ensure a sustainable bounce-back of the Malaysian economy after the ravages of over seven months of the Covid-19 pandemic.  Even more important, to ensure that the process of nation-building is given top priority.

At that time, the cumulative global total of Covid-19 infections had just passed the 20 million mark.

Today, the cumulative global total has increased by leaps and bounds and has recorded nearly 36.4 million cases and over one million fatalities.

Today, global statistics of Covid-19 pandemic established another grim record, when the global  daily increase of Covid-19 cases registered an all-time high of 343,517 cases.

When the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Covid-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020, there were more than 118,000 Covid-19 cases in 114 countries, and 4,291 people have lost their lives.

Yesterday’s global daily increase was nearly  three times the global total of Covid-19 cases when WHO declared Covid-19 as a pandemic seven months ago – when it killed 4,291 people as compared to the present fatality of  1,060,427 people.

In the United Nations two days ago, the World Health Organisation  estimated that roughly one in 10 people may have been infected with the coronavirus, leaving the vast majority of the world’s population vulnerable to the Covid-19 disease it causes.

This is a mind-boggling figure as it would mean that 780 million people are infected with Covid-19 as the world population is 7.8 billion – which is a far cry from the recorded Covid-19 estimate.

Countries all over the world are worried about a second wave of the Covid-19 epidemic, except the United States which has not emerged from its first wave of the Covid-19 epidemic although it leads the world with 7.8 million cases and over 216,000 fatalities.

We in Malaysia are in the thick of a third wave caused by the Sabah state general election with three-digit infections for the last 11 days except one  since the Polling Day – the result of the negligence and irresponsibility of backdoor conspirators who wanted to  illegally seize power in the Sabah State.

As a result, Malaysia Day on Sept. 16 had  the dubious honour of breaking the 10,000-mark for Covid-19 cases in Malaysia, as on that day, the cumulative total of Covid-19 cases stood at 10,147 cases with  128 deaths.

During the 14-day Sabah state general election from Sep. 12 – Sept. 26, the cumulative total of  Covid-19 cases increased by over 900 cases, and the number of Covid-19 cases from Sabah general election Nomination Day on Sept. 12 to now is an sharp increase of 4,125 cases and 13 deaths!

It must be a top priority for Malaysia in facing the “once-in-a-century” health crisis that the leadership vacuum is filled so that there can be inspirational examples to the people to unite, regardless of politics, race, religion, class, gender or age to fight and win the war against the Covid-19 virus.

The question is whether the Prime Minister and the Health Minister will agree that the first item of business  for the 27-day budget meeting of Parliament starting on Nov. 2 is to set up an Opposition-headed Parliamentary Select Committee on Covid-19 for MPs to monitor the public health, economic and nation building crisis of Covid-19.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Thursday, 8th October 2020)

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Pembentukan sebuah Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Parlimen berkenaan dengan Covid-19 yang dipengerusikan oleh Ahli Parlimen pembangkang perlu menjadi agenda pertama persidangan Dewan Rakyat selama 27 hari yang akan berlangsung bermula 2 November ini untuk membolehkan penelitian isu-isu kesihatan awam, ekonomi, dan pembinaan negara dalam berhadapan dengan krisis Covid-19

Dalam persidangan Dewan Rakyat dua bulan lepas, saya telah menanyakan sama ada Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin dan Menteri Kesihatan, Dr Adham Baba sama ada mereka bersedia untuk menjadikan pembentukan sebuah Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Covid-19 sebagai agenda utama bagi membolehkan pemantauan perkembangan semasa isu kesihatan awam, ekonomi, dan pembinaan negara yang terjejas akibat wabak Covid-19.

Kegagalan Perdana Menteri dan Menteri Kesihatan dalam melaksanakan perkara ini adalah satu pengabaian tugas yang serius, yang kemudiannya menyebabkan berlakunya kelompongan dalam kepimpinan negara dan ketiadaan kepercayaan serta keyakinan rakyat daripada pelbagai latar belakang parti politik untuk bersatu padu melawan wabak Covid-19. Kegagalan ini membantutkan usaha menjaga kesihatan awam rakyat dan juga usaha-usaha untuk melonjakkan semula ekonomi negara secara mampan selepas terjejas teruk selama tujuh bulan akibat wabak Covid-19. Lebih penting lagi, untuk memastikan proses pembinaan negara dapat diberikan keutamaan tertinggi.

Pada masa itu, jumlah kes terkumpul jangkitan Covid-19 berada di paras 20 juta kes.

Hari ini, jumlah kes terkumpul telah meningkat berkali ganda kepada 36.4 juta kes terkumpul, dengan lebih daripada sejuta kematian.

Pada hari ini juga, statistik global Covid-19 telah melakarkan satu lagi rekod baharu, dengan peningkatan harian tertinggi sebanyak 343,517 kes.

Semasa Kesatuan Kesihatan Sedunia (WHO) mengumumkan Covid-19 sebagai satu pandemik pada 11 Mac 2020, lebih daripada 118,000 kes Covid-19 dicatatkan di 114 buah negara, dengan 4,291 korban nyawa.

Semalam, jumlah peningkatan harian sahaja sudah hampir tiga kali ganda jumlah kes Covid-19 semasa wabak ini dikategorikan sebagai pandemik tujuh bulan lalu — di mana virus ini mengorbankan 4,291 nyawa, berbanding dengan 1,060,427 setakat semalam.

Di Pertubuhan Bangsa-bangsa Bersatu hari ini, Kesatuan Kesihatan Sedunia (WHO) menjangkakan yang kira-kira seorang dalam sepuluh orang mungkin telah dijangkiti oleh koronavirus ini, mendedahkan sejumlah besar populasi dunia kepada risiko jangkitan Covid-19.

Angka ini amatlah merisaukan, memandangkan perkara ini bermakna hampir 780 juta orang telah dijangkiti wabak ini, 10 peratus daripada populasi dunia sebanyak 7.8 bilion orang — jumlah yang sangat berbeza dengan jangkaan semasa Covid-19.

Negara-negara di seluruh dunia sedang bimbang dengan kemungkinan gelombang kedua wabak Covid-19, kecuali Amerika Syarikat yang masih lagi belum keluar daripada gelombang pertama penularan wabak ini walaupun negara tersebut sedang mendahului dengan 7.8 juta kes dan lebih daripada 216,000 kematian.

Manakala kita di Malaysia pula sedang berhadapan dengan gelombang ketiga penularan wabak ini, yang disebabkan oleh Pilihan Raya Negeri Sabah, dengan peningkatan harian tiga angka untuk 11 hari yang lalu kecuali sehari selepas berlangsungnya hari pengundian — hasil kelalaian tidak bertanggungjawab akibat konspirasi golongan yang tidak bertanggungjawab yang cuba merampas kerajaan negeri Sabah.

Hasilnya, negara kita melepasi paras 10,000 kes pada hari Malaysia, dengan 10,147 kes dan 128 kematian.

Sepanjang 14 hari tempoh berkempen PRN Sabah yang bermula pada 12 September sehingga 26 September, jumlah terkumpul kes Covid-19 meningkat sebanyak 900 kes, dan jumlah kes Covid-19 sejak hari penamaan calon PRN Sabah sehingga hari ini telah mencatatkan peningkatan mendadak dengan 4,125 kes dan 13 kematian.

Pemulihan terhadap kelompongan dalam kepimpinan negara perlu menjadi keutamaan kerajaan bagi memberikan inspirasi kepada rakyat untuk bersatu padu, tanpa mengira latar belakang politik, kaum, agama, kelas, jantina, mahupun umur, untuk melawan dan memenangi peperangan melawan wabak Covid-19.

Persoalannya, adakah Perdana Menteri dan Menteri Kesihatan bersedia untuk bersetuju yang agenda pertama persidangan Dewan Rakyat selama 27 hari yang akan datang ini adalah penubuhan sebuah Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Covid-19 yang dipengerusikan oleh Ahli Parlimen pembangkang, untuk mengikuti perkembangan terkini isu-isu kesihatan awam, ekonomi, dan pembinaan negara dalam menghadapi cabaran Covid-19.

(Kenyataan Media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Gelang Patah pada hari Khamis, 8 Oktober 2020)

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 8 October 2020, 12:04 pm and is filed under
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