An Open Letter to the new Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin

29th August 2021

YB Khairy Jamaluddin,

Health Minister,

Malaysia.

Dear YB Khairy,

Congratulations on your appointment as Health Minister which has come at a most critical time for Malaysia.

For the past year, Malaysia  lost the war against Covid-19 pandemic and has become one of the worst performing nations in the world in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.

Your challenge is to stop the escalation of daily new Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 deaths and win the war against the Covid-19 pandemic by returning  Malaysia  to the National Day month last year  when we had only daily  double-digit Covid-19 cases and single-digit Covid-19 deaths.

Today,  I received an email from a private medical practitioner, raising many questions asked not only by private medical practitioners  but also by the ordinary public.

One area which needs an overhaul is the communication strategy and there cannot be a great start to a new communication policy in the war against Covid-19 pandemic than for the new Health Minister to answer the issues swirling among private medical practitioners and the ordinary public.

The following is the email from the private medical practitioner:

1.     Of course,  the biggest issue is the old government and the same new old government’s inability to handle this infection crisis.

After 20 months, with so many models to follow, they still wallow in the mud and the whole country suffers.

Besides the case numbers (which are high and not coming down, average of 20K for the week) is the number of deaths. A seven-day average of 267 is UNACCEPTABLE.

Why are people dying like flies? Has anyone ask? Well I did.

Firstly, they lack facilities, like ventilators and now drugs. To treat critically ill people on ventilators, you need drugs. Now we hear that MOH is short of drugs. How come we are short? Some of these drugs are manufactured locally?

Then I am told that we are short of nurses to manage ICU. We have reached a state where people more than 50 years are denied ventilators if they need them. Only if you are below 50 would you be considered for ventilation, should you need one.

NOTE 50 years and above? This is terrible. That person is someone’s father, mother, uncle, grandpa etc etc etc.  This is simply unacceptable.

No wonder the public is feeling that hospital is a risky place to go. They will die  in isolation there. Many rather die at home with  their loved  ones.

I have heard of increasing number of people buying their own oxygen tanks and also oxygen concentrators. So that they can stay home and treat themselves. Many are  taking Ivermectin or that Chinese herb Liang Hua. Many are getting well at home.

2.     MOH decided that category 1 and 2 (mild covid) can be cared for as outpatients or at home quarantine. 98% of covid are mild covid so MOH says.

Home treatment is  acceptable. But how does MOH care for them? Self quarantine at home with no treatment except Panadol for fever, for an illness that can kill?

How is that person going to feel, when he is abandoned in a room by himself, with NO TREATMENT? Where is the hope that he can get better?

Even if MOH does not like Ivermectin (unlike me) at least give them some vitamin D, Vitamin C , Zinc, an antibiotic, or something so that the person clings on to hope to  keep him going.

Is that  why, because of the sense of abandonment and give up (no hope) that so many (about 1/3 deaths) are “brought in dead” or BID.

What kind of country is this that leaves people to die at home without medical help. Surely Malaysia can do better than this?

3.     This government is hedging on vaccines as a get-out strategy but vaccination alone is not the answer.

By now, about 44% of our population is fully vaccinated. We should see some flattening of cases and at least, the positive test rates should reduce to 10% (WHO recommends 5%). We are still at the 13-15% range despite 44% vaccination.

But vaccination does not protect you from re-infection. It also does not prevent you spreading the disease.

Many countries with almost 100% vaccination see cases return. Yes, the cases tend to be milder. But some re-infections were severe. So people are still asked to mask.

Vaccine passport makes little sense. We need an immunity passport. The government is on the wrong track and no one is questioning.

With this strategy of vaccine passport, it will further divide the people into the haves  and the have-nots, the “clean” and the “unclean”. Is that healthy for the country?

Sitting in any restaurant, even those vaccinated can still spread the Delta variant to the next table.

4.     Because of this Delta variant, “herd immunity” will not be achievable. The Delta variant has changed the whole equation.

The Ro for Delta is 6-7, compared to the original Wuhan strain. The experts now say that “herd  immunity”  is a myth. Great examples are UK, Israel, Iceland.

A better strategy will be to vaccinate the vulnerable, maintain hospital facilities and open up. Allow life to return. That will allow the young and healthy to get natural immunity, which is a more comprehensive form of immunity to help reach a stage when this virus is endemic and we then live with it.

Healthcare facilities can be greatly aided if MOH will get a supplementary budget to build more temporary hospitals, buy or get equipment donated and enlist medical students who have completed their medical finals, to start working as the first part of their 3-year  housemanship.

There are eager medical graduates out there waiting to start. Why not use them? Yes, they need supervision, I am sure that can be arranged. Surely you have an extra pair of hands in this crisis. That is a help. We are in a crisis. The economy is in tatters.

5.     Stopping GPs from helping with vaccination was stupid.

Lately the vaccination rates have slacked  to 270,000 from a high of 550,000 daily. I wonder whether it is because of lack of vaccines.

We have not yet reached 90% national vaccination target. No where near and we are closing down vaccination centers. Where is the justification? Unless they have run out of vaccines?

6.     I hear from the grapevine that Dengue cases are going up. Now if we are not careful, we will be faced with two crisis?

Hospital beds are full and so also ICU. Many of these background endemic diseases will begin to show up, one by one.  We have just taken too long to manage this  Covid crisis.

Regards.

Yours truly,

Lim Kit Siang

MP for Iskandar Puteri

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, 29th August 2021)

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Khairy’s greatest challenge – whether he could return Malaysia to the National Day month last year  when we had only daily  double-digit Covid-19 cases and single-digit Covid-19 deaths

We are now ranked No. 23 among nations with most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases, having overtaken the Czechia Republic yesterday, and we will breach the 1.7 million mark for cumulative total of Covid-19 cases and 16,000-mark for Covid-19 deaths today.

We must stop this relentless march of Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 deaths as we have fallen to the rock bottom of  Bloomberg’s monthly Covid Resilience Ranking of 53 economies of more than US$200 billion, from the  best ranking of 16th in January 2021 to  51st in June, 52nd in July and now 53rd in August.

We were ranked No. 89 among the nations with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases when we marked our 63rd National Day twelve months ago, but we have overtaken 66 other nations to be ranked No. 23 with one of the longest

Covid-19 waves in the world since the Sabah state general election in September last year.

This is feat we do not want or need for it denotes  infamy not glory.

For the National Day month of August last year, we had 364 Covid-19 cases and two Covid-19 deaths. For the present month of August, we are likely to have more than 630,000 Covid-19 cases and more than 7,400 deaths.

This is a phenomenal  increase by more than 17,500 times the number of Covid-19 cases and more than 3,700 times the Covid-19 deaths during the National Day month this year as compared to last year.

This is kakistocracy at its worst.

The Ismail Sabri Cabinet has been ridiculed, lampooned and universally criticised as “recycled” material, both in numbers and quality,  and nobody has any illusion or  expectation of it except for the appointment of Khairy Jamaluddin as Health Minister and the return of  the Covid-19 national vaccination portfolio  to the Health Ministry.

Khairy’s greatest challenge is whether he could return Malaysia  to the National

Day month last year  when we had only daily  double-digit Covid-19 cases and single-digit Covid-19 deaths.

The first thing Khairy has to do is to stop the escalation of daily Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 deaths.

In the 24 days since August 5 when the daily new Covid-19 cases in Malaysia passed the 20,000-mark, we have 16 days of over 20,000 new cases. In the 34 days since 26th July when the daily Covid-19 deaths exceeded the 200-mark, there were  four days when we exceeded the 300 deaths-mark and 22 days when we exceeded the 200 deaths-mark.

Are the 24,599 daily new Covid-19 cases and the 393 Covid-19  deaths the respective peaks or there will be  new peaks in the days to come?

In view of the dire situation of the Covid-19 pandemic, Khairy should have swung into action when the Cabinet was announced on Friday and not wait until the Cabinet members are sworn in by the Yang di Pertuan Agong tomorrow, as there had been  more than a quarter of a million Covid-19 cases and more than 3,000 Covid-19 deaths since Muhyiddin Yassin submitted his resignation as Prime Minister to the Yang di Pertuan Agong on 16th August 2021.

Khairy  should have  taken action to ensure that walk-in Covid-19 vaccination centres for the elderly, individuals with disabilities, people with comorbidities, teachers and those who missed their second dose should be started immediately in Johore like other states like Perak, Kedah, Penang, Sabah, Melaka, Kelantan and Sarawak as he had previously promised.

The death of  Bersatu Supreme Council member and former Deputy Minister, Lajim Ukin, former Chief Secretary, Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid and Pakatan Harapan Youth chief, Shazni Munir Mohd Ithnin because of Covid-19 demonstrate that the new coronavirus is no respector of race, religion or politics.

Winning the war against the  Covid-19 pandemic to return Malaysia to normality so that we can start work on economic and national recovery must be the unifying mission for all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or politics.

If an accord could be reached between the government-of-the-day and the Opposition to put politics aside and focus single-mindedly on winning the war against the Covid-19 pandemic, it will be most unprecedented and demonstrates that Malaysians regardless of race, religion, region or politics can unite for the nation’s stake.

I have not hidden my position that the best Prime Minister for Malaysia today is Anwar Ibrahim and not anybody else whether Muhyiddin or Ismail Sabri but I disagree with those  who believe that it is still  possible for Anwar to become the Prime Minister through the game of numbers.

I do not believe that this is practical politics. For the sake of the nation facing the existential threat of the Covid-19 pandemic, I suggest that we put all personal and political considerations aside and focus single-mindedly on reaching an understanding to win the war against the Covid-19 pandemic founded on parliamentary and institutional reforms.

Let us defer to the next general election – the 15th General Election – in 12 to 18 months’ time the important question as to which coalition should govern Malaysia and who should be the tenth Prime Minister of Malaysia.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, 29th August 2021)

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 29 August 2021, 10:39 am and is filed under
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Call on Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or politics,  to unite to win the war against Covid-19 pandemic

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

On the 63rd National Day 12 months ago, we had a cumulative total of 9,340 Covid-19 cases and 127 Covid-19 deaths.

By tomorrow’s 64th National Day, we will have close to 1.75 million Covid-19 cases and 16,500 Covid-19 deaths – a phenomenal increase of 187 times for Covid-19 cases and another phenomenal increase of 130 times for Covid-19 deaths.

We already have one of the longest Covid-19 waves in the world, lasting one whole year since the Sabah state general election last September.

We beat all ASEAN and Asian nations in the “new cases per million population” on

August 28, 2021 on the “Our World In Data” website, ten times the world average of 68.39 as Malaysia’s score is 689.43.

Can the new Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, turn the tide of defeat to victory in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic?

On the occasion of the 64th National Day, I call on all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or politics to unite to win the invisible war against the Covid-19 pandemic, as we cannot afford another 12 months of the phenomenal upsurge of Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 deaths.

At the pace of 187 times’ increase of Covid-19 cases and 130 times’ increase of

Covid-19 deaths in the last 12 months, by the 65th National Day of August 31, 2022, we will have 327 million Covid-19 cases and 2.2 million Covid-19 deaths.

We would have overshadowed the United States, the present world’s top country world with about 40 million Covid-19 cases and 655,000 Covid-19 deaths.

But 327 million Covid-19 cases in Malaysia is an impossibility as it is 10 times Malaysia’s present population of 32 million – but it presents a grim picture of the magnitude of the disastrous trajectory of the mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia in the last 12 months – especially the image of one Covid-19 death out of every 16 people in Malaysia.

This is why three months ago, on May 22, 2021, I called on all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or politics, to unite to win the war against the Covid-19 pandemic in Parliament and the State Assemblies with five objectives: (i) national mobilisation (ii) restore public trust and confidence; (iii) a new economic stimulus package to help the poor and vulnerable; (iv) effective mass testing; and (v) accelerate national vaccination rollout.

I also suggested that in the face of the existential threat of the Covid-19 pandemic, there be no “no-confidence” motion in Parliament and the State Assemblies and that the terms of Parliament and the State Assemblies should run till May 2023 unless the Covid-19 pandemic is sooner brought under control.

Tomorrow is the bleakest and grimmest National Day in the nation’s 64-year history.

But Malaysians must demonstrate the resilience and gumption to spring back to win the war against the Covid-19 pandemic so as to be able to embark on economic and national recovery although Malaysia has just fallen to the bottom of the Bloomberg’s monthly Covid Resilience Ranking of 53 economies of more than US$200 billion.

I have a Malaysian Dream for Malaysia to become a world-class great nation which could leverage on the best values and virtues of the four great civilisations in the world – Malay/Islamic, Chinese, Indian and Western – which meet in confluence in Malaysia.

But unless the existential threat of the Covid-19 pandemic is overcome, the Malaysian Dream will have to wait.

(64th National Day Message by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, August 30, 2021)

Seruan kepada semua rakyat Malaysia, tanpa mengira kaum, agama, kawasan, mahupun latar belakang politik, untuk kita semua bersatu memenangi perang melawan wabak Covid-19 kerana kita tidak mampu untuk melalui 12 bulan lagi dengan peningkatan kes 187 kali ganda daripada 9,340 ke 1.75 juta kes dan peningkatan jumlah kematian sebanyak 130 kali ganda dari 127 kepada 16,500 kematian

Semasa sambutan Hari Kebangsaan ke-63 12 bulan yang lepas, kita mencatatkan sejumlah 9,340 kes dan 127 kematian akibat Covid-19.

Menjelang Hari Kebangsaan ke-64 esok, kita bakal mencatatkan hampir 1.75 juta kes dan 16,500 kematian akibat Covid-19 — satu peningkatan yang amat dahsyat sebanyak 187 kali ganda untuk jumlah kes terkumpul dan peningkatan sebanyak 130 kali ganda untuk jumlah kematian.

Buat masa ini, negara kita berada dalam gelombang penularan Covid-19 yang paling lama di dunia, berlanjutan selama setahun sejak daripada Pilihan Raya Negeri Sabah pada bulan September tahun lepas.

Kita telah mengalahkan semua negara Asia dan ASEAN dari ukuran “kes baharu per sejuta penduduk” pada 28 Ogos 2021 di laman web Our World in Data, mencatatkan markah 689.43, sepuluh kali ganda lebih tinggi daripada purata dunia pada 68.39.

Adakah Menteri Kesihatan baharu, Khairy Jamaluddin, boleh mengubah keadaan Covid-19 di negara kita ini?

Pada Hari Kebangsaan ke-64 ini, saya menyeru kepada semua rakyat Malaysia, tanpa mengira kaum, agama, kawasan, mahupun latar belakang politik, untuk kita semua bersatu memenangi perang melawan wabak Covid-19 kerana kita tidak mampu untuk melalui 12 bulan lagi dengan peningkatan melampau kes dan kematian akibat Covid-19.

Pada kadar peningkatan 187 dan 130 kali ganda kadar jangkitan terkumpul dan kadar kematian terkumpul dalam 12 bulan yang lepas, menjelang sambutan Hari Kebangsaan ke-65, kita akan menyaksikan 327 juta kes Covid-19 dan 2.2 juta kematian akibat wabak ini.

Kita akan meninggalkan Amerika Syarikat jauh di belakang, yang buat masa ini merupakan negara dengan jumlah kes tertinggi dengan kira-kira 40 juta kes terkumpul dan 655,000 kematian akibat Covid-19.

Namun, 327 juta kes terkumpul Covid-19 di Malaysia adalah satu perkara yang mustahil untuk berlaku, kita hanya mempunyai 32 juta orang penduduk — tetapi perkara ini masih memberikan gambaran suram mengenai betapa teruknya pengendalian Covid-19 di Malaysia dalam tempoh 12 bulan yang lepas.

Kerana inilah, tiga bulan yang lepas, pada 22 Mei 2021, saya telah menyeru semua rakyat Malaysia untuk bersatu-padu untuk menang perang melawan wabak Covid-19 di Parlimen dan Dewan-dewan Undangan Negeri dengan lima objektif: (i) mobilisasi kebangsaan; (ii) mengembalikan kepercayaan dan keyakinan rakyat; (iii) pakej rangsangan ekonomi baharu untuk membantu golongan susah dan rentan; (iv) ujian saringan besar-besaran yang berkesan; dan (v) mempercepatkan usaha vaksinasi.

Saya juga telah mencadangkan, memandangkan terdapat ancaman besar yang dibawa oleh Covid-19, tidak ada sebarang usul undi tidak percaya di Parlimen atau Dewan-dewan Undangan Negeri dan penggal sidang Parlimen dan DUN patut diteruskan sehingga bulan Mei 2023, melainkan sekiranya kita berjaya mengawal penularan Covid-19 dengan lebih awal.

Sambutan Hari Kebangsaan ke-64 esok akan menjadi sambutan Hari Kebangsaan yang paling suram dalam sejarah negara.

Tetapi kita semua perlu menunjukkan kecekalan untuk memenangi perang melawan wabak Covid-19 ini supaya kita dapat memulakan usaha pemulihan negara dan ekonomi walaupun kita baru sahaja jatuh ke tangga terbawah dalam penerbitan bulanan Carta Ketahanan Covid Bloomberg.

Saya ada satu Impian Malaysia, untuk Malaysia menjadi negara hebat bertaraf dunia yang mampu menggunakan nilai dan kelebihan daripada empat tamadun utama dunia yang bertemu di negara kita ini.

Tetapi, melainkan ancaman kepada kelangsungan kehidupan yang dibawa oleh Covid-19 dapat dipatahkan, Impian Malaysia ini perlu ditangguhkan buat sementara waktu.

(Perutusan Hari Kebangsaan ke-64 dari Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri, Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Isnin, 30 Ogos 2021)

                This entry was posted on Monday, 30 August 2021, 7:43 am and is filed under
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With the Sabri Ismail Cabinet  sworn in, can the new Health Minister  Khairy explain why despite the full national vaccination rate reaching  44.5 per cent of the population, Malaysia is still having an upsurge of daily new Covid-19 cases and deaths

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

The death of former Sabah Governor and Chief Minister, Sakaran Dandai, former Sabah Deputy Chief Minister and Bersatu Supreme Council member Lajim Ukin, former Chief Secretary, Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid and Pakatan Harapan Youth chief, Shazni Munir Mohd Ithnin and the inability of a Deputy Minister to be sworn in by the Yang di Pertuan Agong today underlined the importance of a single-minded purpose of the new Cabinet and the Malaysian people to win the war against the

Covid-19 pandemic and end the high rate of loss of lives and destruction of livelihoods and the Malaysian economy.

With the Sabri Ismail Cabinet sworn in, can the new Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin explain why despite the full national vaccination rate reaching 44.5 per cent of the population, Malaysia is still having an upsurge of daily new Covid-19 cases and deaths as to be ranked No. 6 in the world for daily new Covid-19 cases and ranked as the world’s No. 7 for daily new Covid-19 deaths yesterday?

Malaysia compares most unfavourably with France, Spain, Italy and Germany – the

European nations which had topped the world in the early phases of the Covid-19 pandemic as worst-performing nations – as their high vaccination rates have been accompanied by lower new daily Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 deaths?

Even United Kingdom has been able to have lower fatality rates despite high new daily Covid-19 cases.

Khairy should also explain why for six consecutive days, Malaysia is having more daily new Covid-19 cases than Indonesia and Philippines, despite these two countries having bigger populations.

In fact, we beat all ASEAN and Asian nations in the “new cases per million population” on August 28, 2021 on the “Our World In Data” website, and we are ten times the world average of 68.39 as Malaysia’s score is 689.43.

When will Khairy announce a new policy based on science and data, adopt an “all-of-government” and “whole-of-nation” strategy and approach involving a total mobilisation of Malaysians and end the “Dua Darjat” mentality which I had been advocating for the past 20 months?

When will Malaysians begin to see the result in turning the tide of defeat in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic – whether in September or which month?

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, August 30, 2021)

Selepas Kabinet Ismail Sabri selesai mengangkat sumpah jawatan hari ini, bolehkah Menteri Kesihatan yang baharu, Khairy menjelaskan mengapa meskipun kadar vaksinasi kebangsaan mencapai 44.5 peratus populasi, Malaysia masih mencatatkan lonjakan kes harian baharu Covid-19 dan kes kematian akibat wabak itu

Pemergian mantan Yang di-Pertua dan Ketua Menteri Sabah, Sakaran Dandai; mantan Timbalan Ketua Menteri Sabah dan Ahli Jawatankuasa Tertinggi Bersatu, Lajim Ukin; mantan Ketua Setiausaha Negara, Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid dan Ketua Pemuda Pakatan Harapan, Shazni Munir Mohd Ithnin serta peristiwa seorang Timbalan Menteri tidak dapat mengangkat sumpah jawatan di hadapan Yang di-Pertuan Agong hari ini, seharusnya membuka mata barisan ahli Kabinet yang baharu dan rakyat Malaysia tentang kepentingan untuk memberikan tumpuan tunggal terhadap kemenangan dalam perang melawan wabak Covid-19 selain mengakhiri peningkatan berterusan angka kematian dan kemusnahan terhadap mata pencarian rakyat Malaysia serta ekonomi negara yang disebabkan oleh penularan wabak berkenaan.

Selepas Kabinet Ismail Sabri selesai mengangkat sumpah jawatan hari ini, bolehkah Menteri Kesihatan yang baharu, Khairy Jamaluddin menjelaskan mengapa meskipun kadar vaksinasi kebangsaan mencapai 44.5 peratus populasi, Malaysia masih mencatatkan lonjakan kes harian baharu Covid-19 dan kematian akibat wabak itu kerana semalam kita ditempatkan di kedudukan ke-6 di dunia untuk kes harian baharu Covid-19 dan berada di kedudukan ke-7 di dunia untuk kes kematian harian Covid-19?

Jika dibandingkan Malaysia dengan negara-negara seperti Perancis, Sepanyol, Itali dan Jerman — negara-negara eropah yang pada awalnya menunjukkan prestasi yang buruk — negara-negara tersebut kini mencatatkan kadar kes harian baharu Covid-19 dan kes kematian akibat wabak itu lebih rendah sejajar dengan peningkatan kadar pemberian vaksin.

Malah, United Kingdom juga telah berjaya menurunkan kadar kematian meskipun mencatatkan kes harian baharu Covid-19 yang tinggi.

Khairy juga perlu menjelaskan mengapa untuk enam hari berturut-turut, Malaysia merekodkan kes harian baharu Covid-19 lebih tinggi berbanding Indonesia dan Filipina, meskipun kedua-dua negara untuk mempunyai jumlah penduduk yang lebih ramai.

Bukan itu sahaja, kita turut menewaskan semua negara ASEAN dan Asia untuk “kes baharu persejuta penduduk” pada 28 Ogos 2021 seperti yang disiarkan dalam laman web “Our World In Data. Kita menerima markah sebanyak 689.43, iaitu 10 kali ganda kadar purata dunia sebanyak 68.39.

Bilakah Khairy akan mengumumkan sebuah dasar baharu yang berlandaskan data dan sains, selain menerapkan pendekatan dan strategi “keseluruhan kerajaan” dan “keseluruhan negara” yang melibatkan mobilasi seluruh rakyat Malaysia selain mengakhiri mentaliti “Dua Darjat” yang telah disuarakan saya sejak 20 bulan lalu?

Bilakah rakyat Malaysia akan dapat melihat kekalahan dalam peperangan melawan wabak ini akhirnya bertukar menjadi suatu kemenangan — adakah dalam bulan September atau bila?

(Kenyataan Media (2) oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Isnin, 30 Ogos 2021)

                This entry was posted on Monday, 30 August 2021, 2:38 pm and is filed under
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Call for a more liberal and open-minded administration which is more conscious  of the constitutional principles of  good governance, the rule of law  and  human rights

Malaysians  need a government which is more liberal and  open-minded and more conscious of the constitutional principles of  good governance, the rule of law and human rights.

For this reason, following on the reversal of the Registrar of Societies (ROS) decision in declaring UMNO’s decision to postpone its party election invalid, the new Prime Minister should allow the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA) to be registered and operate.

The Registrar of Societies should not interfere with the fundamental right of Malaysians to  freedom of association as provided by Article 10 of the Malaysian

Constitution.

The new Prime Minister should go one step further – to withdraw prosecution of all those who had protested against the government’s failure to bring the Covid-19 pandemic under control.

The new government should also  be mindful of Malaysia’s 18-rung drop on Reporters Without Border’s (RSF) annual press freedom index 2021– with Malaysia dropping the most out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index.

Ranked 119, Malaysia is sandwiched between the Republic of Congo and Nigeria.

Malaysia’s best ranking was in 2020 (101 out of 180 countries ranked) while the worst ranking was in 2014 and 2015 (147).

Malaysia’s press freedom situation improved dramatically after the 2018 elections, but things have gone in reverse since the Pakatan Harapan government was toppled in 22 months by the Sheraton Move conspiracy bringing in a backdoor, undemocratic and illegitimate Prime Minister.

The new Prime Minister should end the more authoritarian rule in 2020 with  prosecutions, police searches, expulsions (of journalists and a whistleblower) and flagrant violations of the confidentiality of journalists’ sources.

Is this within the purview of the new Prime Minister?

(Media Statement (3) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, August 31, 2021)

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 31 August 2021, 8:58 am and is filed under
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Confidence Motion on the new Prime Minister should be the first item of parliamentary business on Sept. 14

Just before midnight, I received an email from the Dewan Rakyat secretary Nizam Mydin Bacha Mydin on the one-week delay in the  September meeting of Parliament starting on September 13 instead of on Sept. 6, 2021.

But  a glaring omission is the absence of a confidence motion on the new Prime Minister in the parliamentary order of business.

In view of the political and constitutional circumstances in the appointment of Ismail Sabri as the ninth Prime Minister of Malaysia, a confidence motion on the new Prime Minister should be the first item of parliamentary business on September 14, 2021.

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, 31st August 2021)

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Khairy should do what Indonesia has done to  reduce the daily new Covid-19 cases from the peak of 56,757 cases  on 15th July to low   four-digit of 5,436 cases yesterday

I will be more modest in my expectations and not as ambitious as the new Prime Minister, Ismail Sabri, who said in his maiden National Day address last night that he hoped that the celebrations this year will be the last under the cloud of Covid-19 pandemic.

I do not expect Covid-19 pandemic to disappear next National Day in 12 months’ time but I do expect Malaysia to turn the tide of  defeat in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic and end probably the longest year-long Covid-19 wave in the world which started last September during the Sabah state general election and  to gain control of the Covid-19 pandemic situation.

This is not an impossible task and I expect the new Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin to do what Indonesia had achieved to  reduce the daily new Covid-19 cases from the peak of 56,757 cases on 15th July to low  four-digit figure of 5,426 cases yesterday.

On 15th July, Malaysia had 13,215 daily new Covid-19 cases and yesterday, it had risen to 19,268 cases – an unfavourable comparison between Malaysia and Indonesia.

I googled the question “When will Covid-19 pandemic end” and I found an article which said:

“This article updates our perspectives on when the coronavirus pandemic will end to reflect the latest information on vaccine rollout, variants of concern, and disease progression.

“Among high-income countries, cases caused by the Delta variant reversed the transition toward normalcy first in the United Kingdom, during June and July of 2021, and subsequently in the United States and elsewhere.

“Our own analysis supports the view of others that the Delta variant has effectively moved overall herd immunity out of reach in most countries for the time being.

“The United Kingdom’s experience nevertheless suggests that once a country has weathered a wave of Delta-driven cases, it may be able to resume the transition toward normalcy.

“Beyond that, a more realistic epidemiological endpoint might arrive not when herd immunity is achieved but when COVID-19 can be managed as an endemic disease. The biggest overall risk would likely then be the emergence of a significant new variant.”

My hope for the 65th National Day in 12 months’ time is that we turned the tide of defeat in the 20-month war against the Covid-19 pandemic and getting back to normalcy so that we can embark on plans for economic and national recovery.

On the 63rd National Day 12 months ago, we had a cumulative total of 9,340 Covid-19 cases and 127 Covid-19 deaths.

On our  64th National Day today, we will have close to 1.75 million Covid-19 cases and 16,500 Covid-19 deaths – a phenomenal increase of 187 times for Covid-19 cases and another phenomenal increase of 130 times for Covid-19 deaths.

This is why in my 64th National Day message yesterday, I said:

“On the occasion of the 64th National Day, I call on all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or politics to unite to win the invisible war against the Covid-19 pandemic, as we cannot afford another 12 months of the phenomenal upsurge of Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 deaths.

“At the pace of 187 times’ increase of Covid-19 cases and 130 times’ increase of Covid-19 deaths in the last 12 months, by the 65th National Day of August 31, 2022, we will have 327 million Covid-19 cases and 2.2 million Covid-19 deaths.

“We would have overshadowed the United States, the present world’s top country world with about 40 million Covid-19 cases and 655,000 Covid-19 deaths.

“But 327 million Covid-19 cases in Malaysia is an impossibility as it is 10 times Malaysia’s present population of 32 million – but it presents a grim picture of the magnitude of the disastrous trajectory of the mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia in the last 12 months – especially the image of one Covid-19 death out of every 16 people in Malaysia.”

But the worst in the Covid-19 pandemic is still to come as we have not reached the peak of daily new Covid-19 cases.

At a webinar in Kota Kinabalu over the weekend, a local consultant cardiologist Dr. Liew Houng Bang  said the worst is yet to come and predicted that daily case numbers may double and peak in Sabah state in three more weeks.

He said that looking at Sabah’s current  Covid-19 trend, the percentage of caseload increase week to week since mid July had been so exponential that the surge it had predicted is expected to worsen, and sooner than expected.

The said the  current 3,000 per day on average in Sabah is  alarming in the  context of Sabah’s cases are higher than the national daily incidence at 82 cases per 100,000 population, compared to the Malaysia’s 69 case per 100,000.

Sabah  has been recording unprecedented numbers to that of 20,983 Covid cases last week, 25 per cent more than the previous week, and nearly five times more than it had in the third week of July which was 4,497 cases.

He said it was a conservative estimate to project a 25 per cent increase per week in the next few weeks, and  by mid September there could be  6,000 cases per day on average.

A sobering  thought as to what are the likely Covid-10 figures when we mark the 58th Malaysia Day on September 16, 2021.

This is why the new Health Minister  Khairy Jamaluddin  must  tell Malaysians whether a new policy based on science and data will be introduced, that at long last there will be  an “all-of-government” and  “whole-of-nation” strategy and approach involving a total mobilisation of Malaysians  and an  end to  the “Dua Darjat” mentality.

Malaysians are entitled to know when they can  begin to see  results in  turning the tide of defeat in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic – whether in September or which month?

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, 31st August 2021)

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Thava’s murder will be a test case of the new Prime Minister Ismail Sabri’s commitment to the rule of law and an end to the  Dua Darjat double-standards in Malaysia

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

Security guard Thava Sagayam’s murder will be a test case of the new Prime Minister Ismail Sabri’s commitment to the rule of law and an end to the Dua Darjat double-standards in Malaysia.

It is most proper for the police to reclassify Thava’s assault case to murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code following his death on Aug 27.

A Kota Bharu Bersatu branch leader who had assaulted the 64-year-old Thava who had served as a security guard at a condominium in Ipoh was in January charged under Section 335 of the Penal Code for causing grievous hurt to Thava.

The accused attacked Thava, including hitting him with a table, after he refused to allow the former’s child from using the swimming pool which was closed at the time.

The attack left Thava unconscious. He died eight months later.

I agree with the DAP National Vice Chairman and MP for Ipoh Barat M. Kulasegaran that there must be justice for Thava’s death.

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, 1st September 2021)

Kes pembunuhan Thava akan menjadi salah satu lagi ujian kepada komitmen Perdana Menteri baharu, Ismail Sabri, terhadap kedaulatan undang-undang dan penamatan sistem Dua Darjat di Malaysia

Kes pembunuhan pengawal keselamatan, Thava Segayam akan menjadi salah satu lagi ujian kepada komitmen Perdana Menteri baharu, Ismail Sabri, terhadap kedaulatan undang-undang dan penamatan sistem Dua Darjat di Malaysia.

Tindakan pihak Polis yang mengkategorikan semula kes ini di bawah Seksyen 302 Kanun Keseksaan selepas kematian beliau pada 27 Ogos memang berpatutan.

Seorang Ketua Cawangan Bersatu Kota Bharu yang telah menyerang Thava yang berusia 64 tahun yang berkhidmat sebagai pengawal keselamatan di sebuah kondominium di Ipoh telah didakwa sebelum ini pada bulan Januari di bawah Seksyen 355 Kanun Keseksaan kerana mencederakan Thava.

Tertuduh telah menyerang Thava, termasuklah dengan memukul beliau dengan sebuah meja, selepas beliau enggan membenarkan anak tertuduh untuk menggunakan kolam renang kondominium yang ditutup semasa itu.

Serangan tersebut menyebabkan Thava hilang kesedaran. Beliau meninggal dunia lapan bulan kemudian.

Saya bersetuju dengan Naib Pengerusi Kebangsaan DAP merangkap Ahli Parlimen Ipoh Barat, M. Kulasegaran, yang perlunya ada keadilan untuk kematian Thava ini.

(Kenyataan Media (2) oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Rabu, 1 September 2021)

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Where is the 100-day plan to ensure that the 65th National Day on August 31, 2022 Malaysia   will not be under the cloud of Covid-19 pandemic?

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

In his maiden National Day address, the ninth Prime Minister, Ismail Sabri said he hoped the National Day celebrations this year will be the last under the cloud of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Two question arises: Firstly, where is the 100-day plan to ensure that the 65th National Day on August 31, 2022 will not be under the cloud of Covid-19 pandemic.

There are many aspects of the policy, strategy and approach in the 20-month war against Covid-19 pandemic that must be revamped and one is the communication policy.

I have asked the new Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin many questions about the government’s handling of the war against Covid-19 in the last few days, and I am still waiting for the answers – whether he could return Malaysia in the next 12 months to the 63rd National Day when the country had only double-digit Covid-19 cases and single-digit Covid-19 deaths, why there is an upsurge in Malaysia’s Covid-19 caseload although there is an increasing vaccination rate in the country and why Malaysia is losing out to Indonesia in the last two weeks in having more daily new Covid-19 cases, for instance 20,891 new Covid-19 cases in Malaysia yesterday as compared to Indonesia’s 10,534 cases.

Secondly, Ismail does not seem to realise that it is not within Malaysia’s capability to determine whether the 65th National Day will be marked under a cloud of the Covid-19 pandemic, because this depends on two factors: Malaysia’s performance in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic and the global performance.

Unfortunately, Malaysia’s performance in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic in the last one year had been a catastrophic one, with Malaysia emerging as one of the worst performing nations in the world as illustrated by the following four examples:

(i) Malaysia overtaking 66 countries in having the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases to be ranked No. 23, when we were ranked No. 89 twelve months ago;

(ii) falling to the bottom of the Bloomber’s monthly Covid Resilience Ranking of 53 economies of more than US$200 billion;

(iii) beating all ASEAN nations in both “total confirmed cases per million population” and “new daily cases per million population” on the “Our World in Data” website; and

(iv) Yesterday being the world’s No. 7th nation in daily new Covid-19 cases and No. 9 in daily new Covid-19 deaths.

On the 63rd National Day 12 months ago, we had a cumulative total of 9,340 Covid-19 cases and 127 Covid-19 deaths.

On our 64th National Day yesterday, we had 1,746,254 million Covid-19 cases and 16,664 Covid-19 deaths – a phenomenal increase of 187 times for Covid-19 cases and another phenomenal increase of 131 times for Covid-19 deaths.

At the pace of 187 times’ increase of Covid-19 cases and 131 times’ increase of Covid-19 deaths, by the 65th National Day of August 31, 2022 in the next 12 months, we will have 327 million Covid-19 cases and 2.2 million Covid-19 deaths.

We would have overshadowed the United States, the present world’s top country world with over 40 million Covid-19 cases and 657,520 Caovid-19 deaths.

But 327 million Covid-19 cases in Malaysia is an impossibility as it is 10 times Malaysia’s present population of 32 million – but it presents a grim picture of the magnitude of the disastrous trajectory of the mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia in the last 12 months – especially the image of one Covid-19 death out of every 16 people in Malaysia.

The global performance of the war against Covid-19 pandemic is beyond Malaysia’s ability to influence.

A top epidemiologist, Larry Brilliant, who was part of the World Health Organisation (WHO) team to helped eradicate smallpox, does not think that the Covid-19 pandemic is coming to an end soon.

Although 39.5% of the world population has received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, only 1.7 per cent of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose.

At the current pace of administering 41 million doses of vaccine a day, the goal of high levels of global immunity remains a long way off.

The war against the Covid-19 pandemic cannot be won by an individual or a nation going solo, as nobody is safe until all are safe.

This global vaccination progress is now under threat with new coronavirus strains, led by the highly transmissible Delta variant, which is estimated to be a thousand times more potent – and this week there are reports of a new Covid variant in South Africa which was first detected in May but has since spread to seven other countries spanning Africa, Europe, Asia and Oceania raising questions whether it could be super-spreader.

This has developed into a life-and-death contest between vaccine and virus in the world..

Although Malaysia cannot influence the global aspects of the Covid-19 pandemic, we must not become one of the world’s worst-performing nations in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic – and this bring us back to the 100-day plan to gain control of the war against the Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, 1st September 2021)

Di manakah rancangan 100 hari untuk memastikan sambutan Hari Kebangsaan ke-65 pada 31 Ogos 2022 tidak lagi diselubungi wabak Covid-19?

Semasa menyampaikan perutusan Hari Kebangsaan, Perdana Menteri ke-9, Ismail Sabri berkata beliau berharap sambutan Hari Kebangsaan pada tahun ini akan menjadi yang terakhir negara kita diselubungi wabak Covid-19.

Dua persoalan timbul: Pertama, di manakah pelan 100 hari untuk memastikan sambutan Hari Kebangsaan ke-65 pada 31 Ogos 2022 tidak lagi diselubungi wabak Covid-19?

Terdapat banyak aspek berkaitan dasar, strategi dan pendekatan dalam perang melawan wabak Covid-19 selama 20 bulan yang harus diperbaharui dan salah satunya adalah dasar berkaitan komunikasi.

Saya telah mengajukan beberapa soalan kepada Menteri Kesihatan baharu, Khairy Jamaluddin antaranya tentang cara kerajaan mengemudi perang melawan Covid-19 sejak beberapa hari lalu, dan sehingga kini saya masih menantikan jawapan daripada beliau — sama ada beliau boleh mengembalikan Malaysia dalam tempoh 12 bulan akan datang kepada situasi semasa sambutan Hari Kebangsaan ke-63 di mana negara ini hanya merekodkan kes Covid-19 dua angka dan satu angka kes kematian akibat wabak ini, mengapa terdapat lonjakan dalam kes Covid-19 di Malaysia meskipun kadar vaksinasi meningkat dan mengapa Malaysia tewas kepada Indonesia sejak dua minggu lalu dengan merekodkan lebih banyak kes harian baharu Covid-19, sebagai contoh; kes baharu Covid-19 di Malaysia semalam adalah sebanyak 20,891 berbanding Indonesia (10,534).

Kedua, Ismail seolah-olah tidak sedar yang ia bukanlah dalam lingkungan kemampuan Malaysia untuk menentukan sama ada kita akan menyambut Hari Kebangsaan ke-65 dalam keadaan yang masih diselubungi wabak Covid-19, kerana keadaan itu bergantung kepada dua faktor: Prestasi Malaysia dalam perang melawan wabak Covid-19 dan juga prestasi global.

Malangnya, prestasi Malaysia dalam perang melawan wabak Covid-19 dalam tempoh setahun lalu amat bercelaru, dengan Malaysia menjadi salah satu negara dengan prestasi terburuk seperti yang dapat dilihat dalam empat contoh berikut:

(i) Malaysia memintas 66 negara dengan memiliki jumlah terkumpul kes Covid-19 tertinggi untuk berada di kedudukan ke-23, sedangkan kita berada di kedudukan ke-89 pada 12 bulan yang lalu;

(ii) Berada di kedudukan tercorot dalam carta ketahanan Covid-19 (Covid Resilience Ranking) Bloomberg daripada 54 negara dengan nilai ekonomi melebihi AS$200 bilion;

(iii) Menewaskan semua negara ASEAN untuk kedua-dua kategori iaitu “jumlah kes persejuta penduduk” dan “kes harian baharu persejuta penduduk” seperti disiarkan di laman web “Our World in Data; dan

(iv) Semalam, menjadi negara ke-7 dengan kes harian baharu Covid-19 tertinggi dan negara ke-9 dengan kes kematian harian baharu tertinggi.

Pada sambutan Hari Kebangsaan ke-63 pada 12 bulan yang lalu, kita mempunyai jumlah terkumpul kes Covid-19 sebanyak 9,340 dengan jumlah keseluruhan kes kematian akibat wabak ini sebanyak 127.

Pada sambutan Hari Kebangsaan ke-64 semalam, kita mempunyai 1,746,254 juta kes Covid-19 dan 16,664 kematian — peningkatan yang amat dahsyat, sebanyak 187 kali ganda untuk jumlah kes terkumpul dan peningkatan sebanyak 130 kali ganda untuk jumlah kematian.

Pada kadar peningkatan 187 dan 130 kali ganda kadar jangkitan terkumpul dan kadar kematian terkumpul dalam 12 bulan yang lepas, menjelang sambutan Hari Kebangsaan ke-65, kita akan menyaksikan 327 juta kes Covid-19 dan 2.2 juta kematian akibat wabak ini.

Kita akan meninggalkan Amerika Syarikat jauh di belakang, yang buat masa ini merupakan negara dengan jumlah kes tertinggi dengan kira-kira 40 juta kes terkumpul dan 657,520 kematian akibat Covid-19.

Namun, 327 juta kes terkumpul Covid-19 di Malaysia adalah satu perkara yang mustahil untuk berlaku, kita hanya mempunyai 32 juta orang penduduk — tetapi perkara ini masih memberikan gambaran suram mengenai betapa teruknya pengendalian Covid-19 di Malaysia dalam tempoh 12 bulan yang lepas — lebih-lebih lagi gambaran satu daripada 16 orang di Malaysia terkorban akibat Covid-19.

Prestasi Malaysia dalam menangani perang melawan Covid-19 begitu teruk untuk meninggalkan sebarang kesan yang ketara terhadap tahap prestasi di peringkat global.

Pakar epidemiologi, Larry Brilliant, yang merupakan sebahagian pasukan Pertubuhan Kesihatan Sedunia yang membantu membasmi penyakit cacar, tidak berkongsi pendapat yang mengatakan bahawa pandemik Covid-19 akan berakhir tidak lama lagi.

Meskipun 39.5% populasi dunia telah menerima sekurang-kurangnya satu dos vaksin Covid-19, hanya 1.7 peratus individu di negara pendapatan rendah telah menerima sekurang-kurangnya satu dos.

Mengikut kadar semasa pemberian 41 juta does vaksin sehari, matlamat untuk mencapai tahap imuniti kelompok yang tinggi dilihat masih jauh untuk dicapai.

Perang melawan wabak Covid-19 tidak boleh dimenangi oleh seseorang individu atau sesebuah negara secara bersendirian, kerana tiada yang selamat sehinggalah semua terselamat.

Kemajuan vaksinasi global kini terancam dengan kemunculan strain baharu coronavirus — varian Delta yang lebih mudah merebak, yang dianggarkan 1,000 kali lebih kuat — dan dalam minggu ini terdapat laporan tentang kemunculan varian baharu Covid di Afrika Selatan yang mana pertama kali dikesan pada bulan Mei, tetapi sehingga kini telah merebak di tujuh negara lain di rantau Afrika, Eropah, Asia dan Oceania sekaligus membangkitkan persoalan sama ada ia akan menjadi penyebar utama atau super-spreader.

Perkara ini telah berkembang menjadi semacam persaingan hidup dan mati antara vaksin dan virus-virus di dunia…

Meskipun Malaysia tidak dapat meninggalkan kesan positif terhadap prestasi global dalam menangani wabak Covid-19, kita tidak harus menjadi salah sebuah negara di dunia dengan prestasi terburuk dalam perang melawan pandemik Covid-19 — dan kerana itulah pelan 100 hari untuk menguasai perang melawan pandemik Covid-19 harus menjadi perkara paling penting untuk diusahakan.

(Kenyataan media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Rabu, 1 September 2021)

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Khairy has to address the problem of escalating daily new cases and record-high deaths in the midst of increasing vaccination rates

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

Khairy Jamaluddin, has started on the right note as the new Health Minister, promising to be transparent and to provide more detailed Covid-19 data to the public while addressing several pressing problems and initiatives to intensify the Covid-19 operations by allocating more vaccines, manpower and medical equipment to five states – Sabah, Johor, Kedah, Penang, and Kelantan – which are recording a rapid rise in daily Covid-19 cases.

However, there is one urgent problem which Khairy has omitted in his maiden media conference as Health Minister – the escalating daily new Covid-19 cases and record-high deaths in the midst of increasing vaccination rates.

Yesterday, Malaysia recorded 18,762 daily new Covid-19 cases and 278 Covid-19 deaths.

There are no signs of a falling trend in the escalating daily new Covid-19 cases and record-high deaths since June 15, when the National Recovery Plan was announced, when there were 5,419 daily new Covid-19 cases and 101 Covid-19 deaths, with the cumulative total of 667,976 Covid-19 cases and 4,069 Covid-19 deaths.

This would mean that since the announcement of the National Recovery Plan on June 15, 2021, Covid-19 cases had increased 2.64 times while Covid-19 deaths had increased 4.2 times.

Daily new Covid-19 cases passed the 20,000-mark on August 5.

Since then, there had been 18 days with daily new cases over 20,000 (reaching a peak of 24,599 on 26th August), six days from 19,000-20,000 and two days each from 18,000-19,000 and 17,000-18,000 cases.

Are new Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 deaths in Malaysia rising or falling?

Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 deaths are on the very high side but we are unable to say whether they are now rising or falling.

In view of the incubation period for Covid-19 is thought to extend to 14 days, it is only fair to wait for 14 days before any judgment is made of Khairy’s takeover of the Health Ministry with the attendant new policy, strategy and approach in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic.

We are likely to overtake two other nations, Iraq and Netherlands, to be ranked No. 21 among nations with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases when we mark our 58th Malaysia Day on 16th September 2021.

We will pass the 17,000-mark for Covid-19 deaths today and will pass the 20,000-mark on our 58th Malaysia Day.

Will the end of the month see Malaysia on a trajectory of decline both for daily new

Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 deaths?

We will give Khairy one month for his first test as the new Health Minister.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, 2nd September 2021)

Khairy perlu mengatasi masalah kes yang terus meningkat dan angka kematian akibat Covid-19 yang sering memecah rekod walaupun dengan kadar vaksinasi yang sedang meningkat

Khairy Jamaluddin telah bermula dengan cara yang tepat sebagai seorang Menteri Kesihatan dengan berjanji untuk menjadi lebih telus, memberikan maklumat Covid-19 yang lebih terperinci kepada orang ramai, dan memulakan inisiatif untuk meningkatkan operasi Covid-19 dengan memperuntukan lebih banyak vaksin, tenaga kerja, dan peralatan perubatan ke lima negeri — Sabah, Johor, Kedah, Pulau Pinang, dan Kelantan — yang sedang mencatatkan peningkatan mendadak kes Covid-19.

Namun begitu, terdapat satu perkara mendesak yang tidak disebut oleh Khairy dalam sidang media pertama beliau sebagai Menteri Kesihatan — kadar kes baharu dan kematian harian akibat Covid-19 yang tinggi walaupun dengan kadar vaksinasi yang sudah tinggi dalam negara.

Semalam, negara kita mencatatkan 18,762 kes baharu dan 278 kematian akibat Covid-19.

Masih belum ada tanda-tanda tren penurunan peningkatan kes harian dan kematian sejak dari pengumuman Pelan Pemulihan Negara pada 15 Jun, di mana negara kita mencatatkan 5,419 kes, 101 kematian akibat Covid-19, 667,976 kes terkumpul dan 4,069 kematian terkumpul akibat Covid-19.

Perkara ini bermakna, sejak pengumuman Pelan Pemulihan Negara, kes Covid-19 telah meningkat 2.64 kali ganda dan kematian pula meningkat 4.2 kali ganda.

Angka harian kes Covid-19 melepasi paras 20,000 kes pada 5 Ogos.

Sejak daripada hari tersebut, terdapat 18 hari dengan jumlah kes melebihi paras 20,000 kes (mencecah kemuncak 24,599 kes pada 26 Ogos), enam hari dengan kes di antara 19,000 ke 20,000, dan dua hari masing-masing untuk 18,000 ke 19,000 dan 17,000 ke 18,000 kes.

Adakah angka kes baharu dan kematian akibat Covid-19 sedang meningkat atau menurun?

Angka-angka ini tinggi, tetapi kita tidak dapat memastikan sama ada ia sedang meningkat atau menurun.

Memandangkan terdapat tempoh inkubasi 14 hari untuk Covid-19, hanya adil untuk kita menunggu 14 hari sebelum menilai Khairy sebagai Menteri Kesihatan dengan dasar, strategi, dan pedekatan baharu dalam memerangi wabak Covid-19.

Kita berkemungkinan akan mengatasi dua lagi negara, Iraq dan Belanda, dengan lebih banyak kes terkumpul di tempat ke-21 apabila kita meraikan Hari Malaysia ke-58 pada 16 September 2021.

Adakah kita akan melepasi paras 17,000 kematian hari ini dan melepasi paras 20,000 kematian pada Hari Malaysia ke-58?

Adakah Malaysia akan berada dalam hala tuju penurunan kes dan kadar kematian akibat Covid-19 dalam penghujung bulan ini?

Kita berikan Khairy satu bulan sebagai Menteri Kesihatan baharu.

(Kenyataan media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Khamis, 2 September 2021)

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Prospects are bright for a confidence-supply-reform accord between the government and opposition to single-mindedly gain control of the Covid-19 pandemic with parliamentary and institutional reforms

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

From the comments of two Ministers, the Home Minister Hamzah Zainuddin who is also the Bersatu secretary-general, and the Foreign Minister, Saifuddin Abdullah, prospects are bright for a confidence-supply-reform accord between the government and the opposition to single-mindedly gain control of the Covid-19 pandemic with parliamentary and institutional reforms.

Hamzah said Bersatu is agreeable to such an understanding between the government and the opposition to create a “new political landscape” that would bring stability to the country.

It would also enable all political parties to abide by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s decree for politicians to work together and manage the Covid-19 pandemic as a united team.

Saifuddin called for a political ceasefire between the government and the opposition to ensure that Malaysia is able to focus on containing the Covid-19 pandemic and reviving the economy.

He said: “During this cooling-off period, we need to reset the system. We have complained about so many things, so I strongly believe that we need to reset the system, which will entail all kinds of works.

“I would like, in particular, for the parliamentarians to adhere to the royal decree so that we could reduce the political disputes.”

I support the idea of a confidence-supply-reform understanding between the government and opposition.

In fact, more than two months ago on June 17, I mooted as a matter of personal opinion the idea of a political moratorium to focus single-mindedly on one national priority – to win the war against the Covid-19 pandemic and to ensure that the Covid-19 fatalities in Malaysia do not exceed 5,000 deaths.

I was responding to the special Conference of Rulers meeting a day earlier and I said the Rulers’ special meeting should be an occasion for the country to make a new start in the war against Covid-19 pandemic, which had caused devastating consequences to the life, economy and society of Malaysians, registering a cumulative total of 673,025 Covid-19 cases and 4,142 Covid-19 deaths at the time.

I called for a political moratorium so that the country could single-mindedly overcome the “existential threat” posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

I also called for parliamentary reform and a “new vision” of the role that can be played by Parliament and the various parliamentary select committees to win the war against the Covid-19 pandemic.

I had said: “Malaysians do not want any constitutional crisis in any form but a single-minded focus by every Malaysian, whether in the Executive or the Legislatures, to win the war against the Covid-19 pandemic – and this must remain the nation’s single-minded focus whether it takes one or two years.

“Let Malaysians show the world that we can win the war against the Covid-19 pandemic and that we have the wartime mentality to unite against a common foe in the Covid-19 pandemic which is killing Malaysians every day and threatening to destroy the very fabric of the Malaysian nation.”

The idea of a political moratorium to face the existential threat of the Covid-19 pandemic was ahead of the times on June `17, and we have now a cumulative total of 1,765,666 Covid-19 cases and 16,942 Covid-19 deaths.

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, 2nd September 2021)

Harapan kian cerah untuk melihat persetujuan antara kerajaan dan pembangkang bagi melaksanakan perjanjian sokongan dan perbekalan (CSA) supaya tumpuan tidak berbelah bahagi dapat diberikan dalam usaha membendung wabak Covid-19 menerusi pembaharuan institusi dan Parlimen

Berdasarkan kenyataan dua Menteri iaitu Menteri Dalam Negeri, Hamzah Zainuddin yang juga merupakan setiausaha agung Bersatu dan Menteri Luar Negeri, Saifuddin Abdullah, harapan kian cerah untuk melihat persetujuan antara kerajaan dan pembangkang bagi melaksanakan perjanjian sokongan dan perbekalan (CSA) supaya tumpuan tidak berbelah bahagi dapat diberikan dalam usaha membendung wabak Covid-19 menerusi pembaharuan institusi dan Parlimen

Hamzah berkata, Bersatu dijangka bersetuju sekiranya kerajaan melaksanakan CSA antara parti politik dalam negara ini bagi mewujudkan sebuah “landskap baru politik” yang mampu membawa kestabilan kepada negara.

Ini juga bagi membolehkan semua parti-parti politik untuk menjujung titah Yang di-Pertuan Agong yang menitahkan agar semua ahli politik bekerjasama dan menguruskan wabak Covid-19 sebagai satu pasukan.

Saifuddin menyeru gencatan politik antara kerajaan dan pembangkang untuk memastikan Malaysia dapat menumpukan perhatian membendung wabak Covid-19 dan menghidupkan kembali ekonomi.

Katanya: “Waktu bertenang ini juga perlu untuk kita buat penetapan semula selepas kita mengadu dengan pelbagai perkara. Saya secara peribadi merasakan bahawa kita perlu set semula sistem, di mana ia mampu menyelesaikan banyak perkara.”

“Ia juga selaras dengan titah Yang di-Pertuan Agong supaya Ahli Dewan Rakyat mengurangkan pergeseran dan pertelingkahan politik.”

Saya menyokong idea persefahaman CSA antara kerajaan dan pembangkang.

Malah, sejak lebih dua bulan yang lalu, pada 17 Jun, telah saya mencadangkan supaya moratorium politik dilaksanakan untuk memberikan tumpuan tidak berbelah bahagi terhadap usaha bagi memenangi perang melawan wabak Covid-19 serta memastikan kes kematian akibat Covid-19 di Malaysia tidak melepasi paras 5,000.

Kenyataan itu merupakan maklum balas saya terhadap mesyuarat khas Majlis Raja-Raja Melayu yang berlangsung sehari sebelum itu. Saya juga menyatakan bahawa mesyuarat tersebut telah membuka jalan untuk negara merintis permulaan baharu dalam perang melawan wabak Covid-19, yang mana telah meninggalkan kesan yang maha dahsyat terhadap kehidupan, ekonomi dan masyarakat di Malaysia, dengan jumlah terkumpul kes Covid-19 ketika itu dicatatkan sebanyak 673,025 sementara 4,1412 orang pula telah terkorban akibat wabak itu.

Saya menyeru pelaksanaan moratorium politik supaya negara dapat memberikan tumpuan tunggal untuk mengatasi “ancaman eksistensial” akibat daripada penularan wabak Covid-19.

Saya juga menyeru pembaharuan Parlimen dan visi baharu berhubung peranan yang boleh dimainkan oleh Parlimen dan Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Parlimen untuk memenangi peperangan melawan wabak Covid-19.

Saya berkata: “Rakyat Malaysia tidak ingin melihat krisis perlembagaan berlaku dalam apa jua bentuk, tetapi mahu setiap rakyat Malaysia, termasuk yang berjawatan dalam Eksekutif dan Badan Perundangan untuk tetap fokus dalam mencapai matlamat untuk memenangi peperangan melawan pandemik Covid-19 – dan ini harus menjadi fokus utama negara, tidak kira dalam tempoh setahun atau dua tahun.

“Benarkan semua rakyat Malaysia untuk menunjukkan kepada dunia bahawa kita mampu memenangi peperangan melawan pandemik Covid-19 dan kita mempunyai mentaliti seolah-olah negara sedang berperang serta bersatu menentang musuh bersama yang membunuh rakyat Malaysia setiap hari dan mengancam untuk memusnahkan fabrik sosial masyarakat Malaysia.”

Idea moratorium politik yang diajukan saya pada 17 Jun itu mungkin terlalu terkedepan, namun lihatlah kini, situasi telah bertambah buruk dan kita telah mengumpulkan 1,765,666 kes Covid-19 dan 16,942 orang telah terkorban akibat wabak berkenaan.

(Kenyataan Media (2) oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Khamis, 2 September 2021)

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Can Khairy explain why for 16 consecutive days, Indonesia has reduced its daily new Covid-19 cases to less than that of Malaysia — to even less than half like yesterday’s 8,955 cases to Malaysia’s 20,988 cases?

(
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Can the new Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, explain why for 16 consecutive days, Indonesia has reduced its daily new Covid-19 cases to less than that of Malaysia — to even less than half like yesterday’s 8,955 cases to Malaysia’s 20,988 cases?

This is not fault-finding but to find ways to improve our handling of the Covid-19 pandemic so as to win the war against it instead of being one of the worst-performing nations in the world in the Covid-19 pandemic in the past year.

According to Our World in Data website on Sept. 1, we are the worst performing country in ASEAN, whether in macro in micro numbers, whether in (i) total and daily cases per million population or (ii) total and daily deaths per million population. This is clear from the following tables:

(i)

Country

Total cases per mil ppl

New cases per mil ppl

Malaysia

53,850.55

572.43

Indonesia

14,836.13

37.40

Philippines

18,046.02

126.95

Myanmar

7,346.64

61.27

Thailand

17,354.39

131.88

Vietnam

4,823.63

116.45

Singapore

11,497.99

30.36

Brunei

6,472.92

328.40

Laos

2,071.86

21.42

(ii)

Country

Total deaths per mil ppl

New deaths per mil ppl

Malaysia

516.90

8.48

Indonesia

483.70

2.36

Philippines

301.97

0.77

Myanmar

282.63

1.84

Thailand

169.28

3.60

Vietnam

120.89

8.19

Singapore

9.33

0.00

Brunei

24.91

4.53

Laos

1.90

0.00

At the present pace of infection and death, we will break the 1.8 million-mark for cumulative total of Covid-19 cases today and we will break the two million-mark for cumulative total of Covid-19 cases and break the 20,000-mark for Covid-19 deaths when we celebrate our 58th Malaysia Day on September 16, 2021.

We will have overtaken another two countries, Iraq and Netherlands, to be ranked No. 21 among countries with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases, joining 20 other countries with over two million Covid-19 cases.

This is an infamy we must overcome as these are unimaginable numbers for Malaysia when the Covid-19 pandemic started 20 months ago.

For months, I have called on the government to distance itself from its blind faith in “total lockdowns” and to open up businesses in keeping with “Live with Covid” instead of “Zero Covid” objective and to use targeted lockdowns instead of total lockdowns.

I have also called for of an “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” policy, strategy and approach to win the war against the Covid-19 pandemic.

I had glad that this “Live with Covid” policy is now the government policy, as the Prime Minister, Ismail Sabri has himself said yesterday that “everybody must be ready to live with Covid-19” — but it must be on our own terms.

We cannot allow a situation where Covid-19 cases are raging and there is a high fatality rate — as in Malaysia now, with 21,988 daily new cases yesterday and 249 Covid-19 deaths.

Furthermore, Malaysia does not want the infamy of having the longest

Covid-19 wave in the world, as the present wave started from the Sabah state general election in September last year.

The greatest test for Khairy as the new Health Minister is whether he can return Malaysia firstly to before the emergency on Jan. 11, when we had 2,021 daily new Covid-19 cases and four Covid-19 deaths; and secondly, to the 57th Malaysia Day a year ago on Sept. 16, 2020 when we had 21 daily new cases and zero death.

Khairy evaded my question on the escalating daily new Covid-19 cases and record-high deaths in the midst of increasing vaccination rates by asking me to look at hospitalisation numbers from Covid-19.

Khairy had missed my point altogether.

I was not disputing the effectiveness of vaccination to reduce the risk of severe infection and complications, but warning of the fallacy of solely dependent on vaccination to win the war against Covid-19 pandemic, as illustrated by the experience of other countries.

The national vaccination rollout is too slow and should be ramped up but this alone will not win the war against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, September 3, 2021

Bolehkah Khairy menjelaskan mengapa untuk 16 hari berturut-turut, Indonesia berjaya menurunkan kes baharu Covid-19 negara tersebut berbanding Malaysia — sehingga berkurangan lebih daripada separuh seperti angka 8,955 kes di Indonesia semalam berbanding dengan 20,998 kes di Malaysia?

Bolehkah Menteri Kesihatan baharu, Khairy Jamaluddin, menjelaskan mengapa untuk 16 hari berturut-turut, Indonesia berjaya menurunkan kes baharu Covid-19 negara tersebut berbanding Malaysia — sehingga berkurangan lebih daripada separuh seperti angka 8,955 kes di Indonesia semalam berbanding dengan 20,998 kes di Malaysia?

Ini bukanlah cubaan untuk mencari kesalahan tetapi sebaliknya, untuk mencari cara menambah baik cara kita mengendalikan wabak Covid-19 supaya kita boleh menang melawan wabak ini daripada terus menjadi salah satu negara dengan prestasi terburuk di dunia dalam tahun yang lepas.

Menurut laman web Our World in Data pada 1 September, kita masih merupakan negara dengan prestasi paling buruk di ASEAN, sama ada dari segi angka makro atau mikro, sama ada dari (i) jumlah kes keseluruhan atau kes sehari per sejuta penduduk atau (ii) jumlah kematian dan kematian per sejuta penduduk. Angka-angka ini dapat dilihat jelas seperti berikut:

(i)

Negara

Jumlah kes per sejuta penduduk

Kes baru per sejuta penduduk

Malaysia

53,850.55

572.43

Indonesia

14,836.13

37.40

Filipina

18,046.02

126.95

Myanmar

7,346.64

61.27

Thailand

17,354.39

131.88

Vietnam

4,823.63

116.45

Singapura

11,497.99

30.36

Brunei

6,472.92

328.40

Laos

2,071.86

21.42

(ii)

Negara

Jumlah kematian per sejuta penduduk

Kematian baru per sejuta penduduk

Malaysia

516.90

8.48

Indonesia

483.70

2.36

Filipina

301.97

0.77

Myanmar

282.63

1.84

Thailand

169.28

3.60

Vietnam

120.89

8.19

Singapura

9.33

0.00

Brunei

24.91

4.53

Laos

1.90

0.00

Pada kadar semasa jangkitan dan kematian akibat wabak ini, kita akan melepasi paras 1.8 juta kes terkumpul hari ini dan kita akan melepasi paras dua juta kes terkumpul dan 20,000 kematian akibat Covid-19 pada sambutan Hari Malaysia ke-58 pada 16 September 2021.

Kita akan mengatasi dua lagi negara, Iraq dan Belanda, untuk berada di tempat ke-21 dengan jumlah kes terkumpul tertinggi, menyertai 20 negara lain dengan lebih dua juta kes Covid-19.

Perkara ini adalah satu perkara yang memalukan dan tidak pernah dibayangkan 20 bulan yang lepas semasa wabak ini mula tular.

Selama berbulan-bulan, saya telah menyeru supaya strategi, pendekatan, dan dasar yang melibatkan “keseluruhan kerajaan” dan “keseluruhan masyarakat” digunakan untuk memenangi perang melawan wabak Covid-19.

Saya lega apa bila dasar “Hidup Bersama Covid” kini menjadi dasar kerajaan, memandangkan Perdana Menteri Ismail Sabri sendiri telah mengatakan semalam yang “semua orang perlu bersedia untuk hidup bersama dengan Covid-19” — tetapi kita mestilah hidup dengan Covid dengan cara dan syarat kita.

Kita tidak boleh biarkan satu situasi di negara kita di mana kes Covid-19 terus meningkat dengan kadar kematian yang tinggi — seperti yang disaksikan sekarang dengan 21,988 kes baharu semalam dan 249 kematian akibat Covid.

Tambah lagi, kita tidak mahu Malaysia nama Malaysia dicalarkan sebagai negara dengan gelombang penularan Covid-19 terpanjang di dunia, memandangkan gelombang yang sedang bermula di negara kita ini bermula daripada Pilihan Raya Negeri Sabah pada bulan September tahun lepas.

Ujian terbesar untuk Khairy sebagai Menteri Kesihatan baharu adalah sama ada beliau boleh mengembalikan keadaan di negara kita seperti semasa sebelum darurat diisytiharkan pada 11 Januari semasa kita mencatatkan 2,021 kes harian dan empat kematian; dan kemudiannya kepada keadaan seperti semasa Hari Malaysia ke-57 setahun lepas apabila kita mencatatkan 21 kes baharu dengan sifar kematian.

Khairy tidak menjawab persoalan saya mengenai peningkatan jumlah kes dan kematian walaupun dengan kadar vaksinasi yang tinggi dengan meminta saya melihat kepada kadar hospitalisasi akibat Covid-19.

Khairy tidak faham apa yang cuba disampaikan.

Saya tidak menafikan keberkesanan vaksin untuk mengurangkan risiko jangkitan dan komplikasi serius, tetapi saya hanya ingin memberikan amaran mengenai bahaya bergantung sepenuhnya kepada vaksinasi untuk memenangi perang melawan Covid-19, seperti yang kini dapat dilihat daripada pengalaman negara-negara lain.

Program Vaksinasi Kebangsaan ini bergerak terlalu perlahan dan perlu dipercepatkan, tetapi perkara ini sahaja tidak akan membawa kemenangan dalam perang melawan Covid-19.

Kenyataan media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Jumaat, 3 September 2021

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Four reasons why Khairy should not be complacent about ability to turn  the tide of defeat in the 20-month  war against Covid-19 pandemic and ending the world’s longest Covid-19 wave since last September

There are at least four reasons why the new Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin should not be complacent about the ability to  turn the  tide of defeat in the 20-month war against the Covid-19 pandemic and ending what is probably the world’s  longest Covid wave since last September.

I want Khairy to succeed just as all Malaysians want to  see Malaysia win the war against the Covid-19 pandemic and live down our infamy for the past year as one of the worst-performing nations in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic with the unacceptable high number of Covid-19 cases and deaths.

But this is no easy task as testified by the four following events:

Firstly, we are the world’s top No. 8 in daily new Covid-19 cases with 19,378 new Covid-19 cases yesterday after the USA (182,107 new cases), India (42,346), United Kingdom (42,076), Iran (27,621), Brazil (25,348). Turkey (22,857) and Philippines (20,310).

For the 17th  consecutive day, we have more daily new Covid-19 cases than Indonesia, which has more than eight times’ Malaysia’s population. In fact, in seven of the past 17 days, Indonesia had less than half of Malaysia’s daily new Covid-19 cases although it has a higher number of Covid-19 deaths.

Secondly, we are the world’s top No. 7 in daily Covid-19 deaths with 330 deaths yesterday, after the USA (1,511), Russia (799), Brazil (749), Indonesia (574), Iran (561) and India (561).

Thirdly, we broke the 1.8 million-mark for cumulative total of Covid-19 cases today, and likely to break the two million mark for Covid-19 cases and the 20,000-mark for Covid-19 deaths before the 58th Malaysia Day anniversary on Sept. 16, 2021.

Fourthly, the decision to  drop  plans to move RISE, one of Asia’s largest tech conferences, from Hong Kong to Malaysia in 2022  because of the serious coronavirus outbreak in the country. The annual RISE conference brings together CEOs, start-ups and investors and has already been held in Hong Kong for five years.

Khairy’s immediate challenge as the new Health Minister is to bring down the high daily number of Covid-19 cases and deaths.

He does not have 100 days but must show results by the end of the month whether he could institute a new policy, strategy and approach in the war against Covid-19 pandemic that can set Malaysia on a downward curve of daily  Covid-19 cases and deaths.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, 4th September 2021)

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Is Ismail Sabri going to disregard  the decree of the Yang di Pertuan Agong in one of his first acts in Parliament on Sept. 14?

The Attorney-General Idris Harun should not stray into the political minefield but should keep strictly to his role as  legal adviser of the government

His statements that a vote of confidence is not necessary as the Yang di Pertuan

Agong had already appointed Ismail Sabri as Prime Minister and that a vote of confidence would undermine the Yang di Pertuan Agong’s power are all politics and no law.

Nobody doubts that the  Yang di Pertuan Agong’s appointment of Ismail Sabri as the ninth Prime Minister is fully in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

Is Ismail Sabri afraid that his majority of 114 MPs has disappeared in less than a month and that he could not get a majority of at least 111 Members of Parliament to vote in support of a vote of confidence in him as Prime Minister when Parliament meets on Sept. 14?

Let me remind the Prime Minister and the Attorney-General of the decree of the yang di Pertuan Agong in the statement of Istana Negara of August 18, 2021, which states:

“Seri Paduka Baginda turut menegaskah bahawa Perdana Menteri yang telah dilantik oleh Baginda menurut 40(2)(a) dan 43(2)(a) Perlembagaan Persekutuan hendaklah secepat mungkin mengemukakan usul undi percaya di Dewan Rakyat untuk mengabsahkan beliau mendapat kepercayaan majority ahli Dewan Rakyat.”

With such a royal decree, the Attorney-General’s contention that “If the appointment of a new prime minister still needs legitimacy from anyone besides His Majesty, this means His Majesty’s sole discretion can be overruled by others” collapses.

The question now is whether Ismail Sabri going to disregard  the decree of the Yang di Pertuan Agong in one of his first acts as the ninth Prime Minister of Malaysia  when Parliament  meets on Sept. 14?

It should be noted that both the third Prime Minister, Hussein Onn, and the fifth Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi sought a  vote of confidence from the majority of MPs in their first acts in Parliament.

Why is Ismail Sabri afraid to prove that he has the confidence of the majority of MPs when  Parliament meets on  September 14, 2021?

(Media Comment by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on

Saturday, September 4, 2021)

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Ismail Sabri’s tweet “Nobody is above the law” reinforced confidence that the new Prime Minister will uphold the rule of law and good governance principles as well as brightened prospects of confidence-supply-reform agreement between the government and opposition

The new Prime Minister, Ismail Sabri’s tweet that “Nobody is above the law” reinforced confidence that the new Prime Minister will uphold the rule of law and good governance principles as well as brightened the prospects of a confidence-supply-reform agreement between the government and opposition.

Ismail’s tweet was  in reply to  DAP MP for Ipoh Barat, M.Kula Segaran and thanking the former Minister for his concern over the death of security guard, Thava Sagayam, who was assaulted at a condominium in Ipoh last December  for refusing to allow the use of the condominium’s swimming pool, which was closed.

Thava Sagayam was left unconscious and is said to have suffered a brain injury.

He died eight months later, on August 27, due to complications believed to have arisen from the injuries sustained in the assault.

I had said that Thava’s case will be a test of the new Prime Minister’s commitment to the rule of law and an end to the Dua Darjat double-standards in the country.

If Ismail follows through with his tweet, he will have passed this test.

But Ismail has a second test  with regard to the landmark decision by the Sarawak High Court in Kuching ordering the government and Election Commission (EC) to extend the vote to those aged 18 years old by the end of the year.

Ismail should not appeal the decision as he  with ten  other  Ministers and four

Deputy Ministers of the present Cabinet took part in the parliamentary debate on June 16, 2009 to amend the Malaysian Constitution to lower the voting age to 18 years and on automatic registration of voters, making the important  point that automatic registration of voters should not be delayed.

If the Election Commission cannot implement  automatic registration of voters after 30 months, then it needs a new Chairman who is more competent and IT-savvy.

Surely, we cannot have a situation where the Prime Minister, Ministers and Deputy Ministers can say one thing in Parliament just two years ago when they were in Opposition  and cleanly forget about them when they are in government.

Ismail Sabri should go through what he said as Parliamentary Opposition Leader during the parliamentary debate on the constitutional amendment to lower the voting age to 18 years and make sure that his government is true and loyal to his speech.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang on Saturday, 4th September 2021)

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Ismail Sabri himself may not have 100-days to prove his worth as Prime Minister

When  announcing his Cabinet on August 27, the ninth Prime Minister, Ismail Sabri said all Ministers had been given 100 days to prove their initial performance, stressing that he wanted his Cabinet to focus on having a high-performance work culture and each ministry must prove their initial performance within the first 100 days.

But more than half of Ismail Sabri’s “recycled” Cabinet are back in their old Ministries.

Can everyone of these 17 Ministers who have been given back their old portfolios able to tell Parliament when it reconvenes in a week’s time how he or she  can do differently in 100 days what they had failed to do in 17 months?

But Ismail Sabri himself may not have 100 days to prove his worth as the ninth Prime Minister, especially with his litany of errors in recent days – the re-appointment of the three special envoys,  PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang (Middle East), Progressive Democratic Party president Tiong King Sing (China) and Sarawak United People’s Party Deputy President   Richard Riot (East Asia); the appointment of Muhyiddin Yassin as Chairman of the National Recovery Council and his reluctance to have a vote of confidence motion in Parliament as the first item of parliamentary business on Sept. 14, 2021.

In fact, Sept. 14 may prove to be Ismail Sabri’s Rubicon as the ninth Prime Minister as Malaysians may not be prepared to suspend judgment on him after that date.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021)

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The Covid-19 pandemic statistics in the first week of the  Sabri Ismail Cabinet are still grim and bleak

The Covid-19 pandemic statistics in the first week of the Sabri Ismail Cabinet are still grim and bleak.

Yesterday, there were 362 Covid-19 deaths, the second highest since the 393 Covid-19 deaths reported on 26th August and we set a new record of Brought-in-Dead (BID) cases  with 104 BID  Covid-19 deaths yesterday.

In the last ten days, there were four days where we had daily Covid-19 deaths exceeding 300 ranging from  330 to 393 Covid-19 deaths while the other six days ranged  from 249 to 295 Covid-19 deaths.

This is an  inordinately high fatality rate  and I am glad that the new Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin has said that among his priorities in his First Hundred Days are  to bring down the number of serious Covid-19 cases and Brought-in-Dead (BID) cases.

But Malaysians would expect results not after Khairy’s Hundred Days in early December but see a downward curve in Covid-19 deaths latest by the end of  this month, as Malaysia cannot afford to lose another  20,000 lives in the Hundred Days to the new coronavirus  – as in August alone, over 7,600 people died because of  Covid-19.

BID Covid-19 deaths must be a top priority concern for it has reached triple-digit figures.

A high-level expert task force from both the public and private health  sector  should be formed to resolve  both the problem of high Covid-19 death rate and the high BID Covid-19 death cases.

Khairy had promised to be transparent and to provide more detailed Covid-19 data to the public.

He can start by giving a state-by-state breakdown of the  daily BID Covid-19 death cases and to  target the reduction of  BID cases to daily single-digit figures by the end of  his First Hundred Days as the new Health Minister.

Khairy should consider getting  the co-operation of  the armed forces to build field hospitals in states where there is a high number of Covid-19 deaths and BID Covid-19 deaths, such as Selangor, Johore, Penang and Sabah.

Khairy should also explain why the national immunisation rollout is slowing down, as in the last week, the daily vaccination dosage is below 400,000 doses although it reached half-a-million doses for a few days in August.

In fact, on 31st August, it went as low as 261,768 doses of vaccine.

Is this because we are running out of vaccines although the government repeatedly say we have bought  more than enough vaccines?

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, 5th September 2021)

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 5 September 2021, 2:46 pm and is filed under
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Ismail Sabri has seriously jeopardised  the possibility of reaching a historic confidence-supply-reform agreement between the government and the opposition

I had never expected that I would on the same day  praised the Prime Minister and later to castigate the Prime Minister.

This was what happened on Saturday.

I had on Saturday morning  praised the ninth Prime Minister, Ismail Sabri, for his tweet “Nobody is above the law” in connection with the death of security guard Thava Sagayam,  who was assaulted at a condominium in Ipoh last December for refusing to allow the use of the condominium’s swimming pool which was closed, and said it “reinforced confidence that the Prime Minister will uphold the rule of law and good governance principles as well  as brightened prospects of confidence-supply-reform agreement between the government and the opposition”.

But on the same evening, I castigated Ismail Sabri and asked the new Prime Minister whether he was going to disregard the decree of the Yang di Pertuan Agong in having a motion of confidence on him as Prime Minister when Parliament reconvenes on Sept. 14  while commenting on the Attorney-General Idris Harun’s bizarre statement that a vote of confidence would undermine the Yang di Pertuan Agong’s power.

This was  the latest  serious misjudgement in a litany of mistakes that Ismail Sabri had made after becoming the ninth Prime Minister.

In one day, the Prime Minister has changed from enhancing  to jeopardising the possibility of a political breakthrough in Parliament with the government and opposition reaching a historic confidence-supply-reform accord  and ushering a political ceasefire for the next 12-18 months until the 15th General Election so that everyone, whether government, opposition or the people, can focus single-mindedly on winning the losing war against the Covid-19 pandemic while carrying out parliamentary and institutional reforms.

The Yang di Pertuan Agong had decreed on August 18 that the new prime minister must seek a vote of confidence in Parliament  as soon as possible to determine his legitimacy, that  MPs should  work together to focus on the Covid-19 response and economic recovery and that “the winner does not win everything while the loser does not lose everything”.

It would be most unfortunate that it is the new Prime Minister who is jeopardising the government and the opposition reaching a confidence-supply-reform understanding in accordance  with the decree of the Yang di Pertuan Agong.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, September 6, 2021)

                This entry was posted on Monday, 6 September 2021, 8:03 am and is filed under
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Warning bells should be sounding that we are on the wrong track in the war against Covid-19 pandemic  as a week after the new government, we are not only having more  daily new Covid-19  cases than Indonesia,  we are having more daily  Covid-19 deaths than India

Warning signals should be sounding that we are on the wrong track in the war against Covid-19 pandemic as a week after the new government, as we are not only having more daily new Covid-19 cases than Indonesia, we are having more daily Covid-19 deaths than India.

Indonesia has more than eight times the population of Malaysia, yet for nineteen consecutive days, Malaysia is having more daily Covid-19 cases than Malaysia. Yesterday, we had 20,396 Covid-19 cases and Indonesia has 5,403 cases – about a quarter of that of Malaysia.

What is completely unacceptable is that we are also losing out to India in daily

Covid-19 deaths. India as over 42 times’ population that of Malaysia, yet for the second day, there are more daily Covid-19 deaths in Malaysia than in India?

Yesterday, there were 336 Covid-19 deaths in Malaysia but India had 218 Covid-19 deaths. The day before, 363 people in Malaysia died of Covid-19 but India’s daily toll was 120.

On May 6, India reached its peak of daily Covid-19 deaths when 414,422 people died of the new coronavirus that day. Now, it has been reduced to 217 deaths, which is 0.05% of its peak of 414,422 Covid-19 deaths.

Malaysia reached its peak of daily Covid-19 fatality with 393 Covid-19 deaths on 26th August and since then we have been ranging between 249 to 363 daily Covid-19 deaths, uncertain whether we are to reach new peak or begin a descent of daily Covid-19 deaths.

Why are we doing so poorly in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic, even losing out to Indonesia and India.

Our World in Data website documented that for September 4, 2021, the total Covid-19 cases per million population for the three countries are: Indonesia 14,921.08, India 23,674.79 and Malaysia 55,663.54. The daily Covid-19 cases per million population were: Indonesia 24.34, India 30.69 and Malaysia 581.43.

Data for Covid-19 deaths per million population are no better. For total Covid-19 deaths per million population, the data are Indonesia 490.19, India 316.15 and Malaysia 545.61. For daily Covid-19 deaths per million population, the data are Indonesia 1.95; India 0.22 and Malaysia 11.04.

The new Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin should convene a urgent meeting of experts in the public and private health sectors over the high Covid-19 death rates, especially Brought-in-Dead cases, which reached a peak of 107 out of 336 Covid-19 deaths yesterday.

This is the fourth day that Malaysia has recorded triple-digit figures for Brought-in-Dead Covid-19 deaths and this trend should be halted immediately.

Khairy had promised to be transparent and to provide more detailed Covid-19 data to the public.

He can start by giving a state-by-state breakdown of the daily BID Covid-19 death cases and to target the reduction of BID cases to daily single-digit figures by the end of his First Hundred Days as the new Health Minister.

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, Sept. 6, 2021)

Kita patut bimbang bahawa kita berada dalam arah yang salah dalam perang melawan wabak Covid-19 memandangkan seminggu selepas mempunyai kerajaan baharu, kita bukan sahaja mencatatkan lebih banyak kes berbanding Indonesia, tetapi kita juga mencatatkan lebih kematian akibat Covid-19 berbanding dengan India

Kita patut bimbang bahawa kita berada dalam arah yang salah dalam perang melawan wabak Covid-19 memandangkan seminggu selepas mempunyai kerajaan baharu, kita bukan sahaja mencatatkan lebih banyak kes berbanding Indonesia, tetapi kita juga mencatatkan lebih kematian akibat Covid-19 berbanding dengan India.

Indonesia mempunyai lapan kali ganda lebih ramai jumlah penduduk berbanding Malaysia, namun untuk sembilan belas hari berturut-turut, Malaysia mencatatkan lebih banyak kes Covid-19 setiap hari berbanding Indonesia. Semalam, kita mencatatkan 20,396 kes Covid-19 sedangkan Indonesia mencatatkan hanya 5,403 kes — kira-kira satu perempat dari jumlah kes di Malaysia.

Apa yang lagi tidak boleh diterima adalah apabila kita juga mencatatkan lebih banyak kematian akibat Covid-19 berbanding dengan India. India mempunyai 42 kali ganda lebih ramai penduduk berbanding dengan negara kita, tetapi untuk hari kedua, kita mencatatkan lebih banyak kematian akibat Covid-19 berbanding dengan negara tersebut.

Semalam, terdapat 336 kematian akibat Covid-19 di Malaysia, India mencatatkan 218 kematian akibat Covid-19. Sehari sebelumnya, 363 orang di Malaysia meninggal dunia akibat Covid-19 tetapi jumlah korban harian India adalah 120 orang.

Pada 6 Mei, India mencapai puncak kematian Covid-19 harian apabila 414,422 orang meninggal dunia akibat wabak tersebut pada hari itu. Sekarang, angka ini telah menurun kepada 217 kematian, yang merupakan 0.05% dari kemuncak 414,422 kematian sebelum ini.

Malaysia mencapai puncak kematian Covid-19 harian dengan 393 kematian akibat Covid-19 pada 26 Ogos dan sejak itu kita berada di antara 249 hingga 363 kematian akibat Covid-19 setiap hari, tidak pasti sama ada kita akan mencapai puncak baru atau memulakan penurunan harian kematian akibat Covid19.

Mengapakah pengalaman kita dalam berhadapan dengan Covid-19 ini sebegitu buruk sekali, malah lebih teruk berbanding dengan Indonesia dan India?

Laman web Our World in Data mencatatkan bahawa untuk 4 September 2021, jumlah kes Covid-19 per sejuta penduduk untuk ketiga negara adalah: Indonesia 14,921.08, India 23,674.79 dan Malaysia 55,663.54. Kes harian Covid-19 per sejuta penduduk pula adalah: Indonesia 24.34, India 30.69 dan Malaysia 581.43.

Data untuk kematian akibat Covid-19 per sejuta penduduk juga tidaklah lebih baik. Per sejuta penduduk, Indonesia mencatatkan 490.19 kematian, India 316.15 kematian dan Malaysia 545.61 kematian. Untuk kematian baharu akibat Covid-19 per sejuta penduduk, Indonesia mencatatkan 1.95 kematian, India 0.22 kematian, dan Malaysia 11.04 kematian.

Menteri Kesihatan baharu, Khairy Jamaluddin perlu mengadakan pertemuan segera pakar-pakar kesihatan dari sektor kesihatan awam dan swasta untuk mengatasi angka kematian akibat Covid-19 yang tinggi ini, terutamanya kadar kematian di luar hospital (Brought-in-dead atau BID), yang mencecah kemuncak 107 kes daripada 336 kematian semalam.

Semalam adalah hari keempat negara kita mencatatkan kadar BID tiga angka dan perkara ini perlu dihentikan segera.

Khairy telah berjanji untuk bersikap telus dan memberikan data Covid-19 yang lebih terperinci kepada orang ramai.

Beliau boleh mula dengan memberikan pecahan kadar BID setiap hari mengikut negeri dan mensasarkan kadar BID dalam julat satu angka menjelang seratus hari pertama beliau sebagai Menteri Kesihatan.

(Kenyataan Media (2) oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Isnin, 6 September 2021)

                This entry was posted on Monday, 6 September 2021, 9:36 am and is filed under
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How many corpses are in the hospitals which are not recorded by Ministry of Health Covid-19 data because awaiting Covid-19 tests?

(Versi BM)

The new Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, said in Kota Kinabalu yesterday that he would get new data on the high Covid-19 deaths, including the high

Brought-in-Dead (BID) Covid-19 deaths, when he made further announcements and explanations on the matter tomorrow.

Khairy should explain how many corpses are in the hospitals, giving state-by-state figures, which are not recorded in the Ministry of Health data on Covid-19 because they are awaiting Covid-19 tests.

Khairy should also announce new policies and strategies to reduce the high Covid-19 deaths and high BID Covid-18 deaths as new regulations requiring the hospitalisation of those with comorbidities like obesity, hypertension, diabetes, stroke and cancers and the construction of more field hospitals by the armed forces.

Since Khairy was sworn in as Health Minister on 30th August, there had been 681 BID Covid-19 deaths, comprising the following:

August 30 – 53

August 31 – 98

Sept.1 – 65

Sept. 2 – 80

Sept. 3 – 93

Sept. 4 -104

Sept. 5 -107

Sept. 6 – 81

If these numbers do not reflect the actual number of fresh deaths that occur within 24 hours, as he said in Kota Kinabalu yesterday that the numbers are sometimes piled up over several days as the authorities need time to confirm the cause of death, Khairy should give Malaysians details of the true position.

BID Covid-19 deaths, which were in the low twenties in the first week of August, began to reach high double-digit figures from August 8 onwards, and since then, there had been four days when BID Covid-19 deaths were in triple-digit figures.

In the month of August, there were more than 1,500 BID Covid-19 deaths.

How many BID Covid-19 deaths will there be in September?

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, September 7, 2021)

Berapa banyak lagikah jenazah di hospital yang belum direkodkan oleh Kementerian Kesihatan kerana menunggu ujian saringan Covid-19?

Menteri Kesihatan baharu, Khairy Jamaluddin, di Kota Kinabalu telah mengatakan semalam yang beliau akan mendapatkan data baharu mengenai kadar kematian akibat Covid-19 yang tinggi, termasuk maklumat mengenai kadar kematian yang dibawa ke hospital (BID) yang tinggi dalam pengumuman dan penjelasan mengenai perkara itu esok.

Khairy perlu menjelaskan, berapa banyakkah jenazah, mengikut negeri, yang masih belum didaftarkan oleh Kementerian Kesihatan kerana menunggu giliran untuk menjalani ujian saringan Covid-19.

Khairy juga perlu mengumumkan dasar dan strategi baharu untuk menurunkan kadar kematian dan kadar BID akibat Covid-19 yang tinggi, seperti peraturan baharu untuk memerlukan mereka yang mempunyai komorbiditi seperti obesiti, darah tinggi, diabetes, strok, dan kanser untuk dimasukkan ke hospital dan pembinaan lebih banyak hospital lapangan oleh pihak tentera.

Sejak Khairy mengangkat sumpah sebagai Menteri Kesihatan pada 30 Ogos, terdapat 681 kes kematian yang dibawa ke hospital akibat Covid-19, seperti berikut:

30 Ogos – 53

31 Ogos – 98

1 September – 65

2 September – 80

3 September – 93

4 September – 104

5 September – 107

6 September – 81

Sekiranya angka ini tidak menggambarkan kadar kematian sebenar dalam tempoh 24 jam penerbitan angka ini, seperti yang dikatakan Khairy semalam di Kota Kinabalu, di mana angka ini kadang-kala terkumpul selama beberapa hari kerana pihak berkuasa memerlukan masa untuk mengesahkan punca kematian, Khairy perlulah memberikan rakyat Malaysia maklumat mengenai keadaan sebenar perkara ini.

Kadar kematian dibawa ke hospital akibat Covid-19 yang berada dalam julat dua puluh angka pada minggu pertama bulan Ogos, mula mencecah julat tinggi dua angka mulai 8 Ogos, dan semenjak itu, terdapat empat hari di mana kadar BID ini berada dalam julat tiga angka.

Dalam bulan Ogos sahaja, terdapat lebih daripada 1,500 kematian dibawa ke hospital akibat Covid-19.

Berapa banyak lagi BID akan dicatatkan pada bulan September?

(Kenyataan Media (2) oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Selasa, 7 September 2021)

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 7 September 2021, 2:55 pm and is filed under
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