Federal government should buy up the 3.2  million doses of excess supply of  Covid-19 vaccine held by Pharmaniaga  to speed up and complete  the national immunisation rollout before 64th National Day or latest by 54th Malaysia Day  as the country is in a race of “vaccine vs Delta virus”

The MP for Tanjung Karang, Noh Omar told Parliament last  Wednesday that government-linked company Pharmaniaga had 3.2 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine  in excess supply in storage,  which has not been denied.

The Federal Government should buy up the 3.2  million doses of excess supply of  Covid-19 vaccine held by Pharmaniaga  to speed up and complete  the national immunisation rollout before 64th National Day on August 31 or latest by 54th Malaysia Day on Sept. 16  as the country is in a race of “vaccine vs Delta virus”.

In the past week, while Malaysia  was plunged into a major constitutional crisis, Malaysian policy makers had been  distracted from the change in  the character of the war against Covid-19 pandemic.

The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said the war against Covid-19 had changed because of the highly contagious Delta variant, proposing a clearer message, mandatory vaccines for health workers and a return to universal masking.

An internal CDC document said the variant, first detected in India and now dominant across the globe, is as contagious as chickenpox and far more contagious than the common cold or flu. It can be passed on even by vaccinated people, and may cause more serious disease than earlier coronavirus strains.

The document, entitled “Improving communications around vaccine breakthrough and vaccine effectiveness”, said the variant required a new approach to help the public understand the danger – including making clear that unvaccinated people were more than 10 times more likely than those who are vaccinated to become seriously ill or die.

Recommended preventative measures included making vaccines mandatory for health care professionals to protect the vulnerable and a return to universal wearing of face masks.

While vaccinated people were less likely to become infected, once they contracted such “breakthrough infections” from Delta – unlike the case with earlier variants – they might now be just as likely as the unvaccinated to pass the disease on to others.

“High viral loads suggest an increased risk of transmission and raised concern that, unlike with other variants, vaccinated people infected with Delta can transmit the virus,” CDC head Rochelle Walensky said in a statement.

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said health systems in many countries were now being overwhelmed: “Hard-won gains are in jeopardy or being lost,” he told a news conference.

The global health body’s top emergency expert Mike Ryan told reporters that vaccines were nevertheless still effective at preventing serious illness and death: “We are fighting the same virus but a virus that has become fitter.”

Even in rich countries that were among the first to roll out vaccination campaigns, cases have surged. While vaccines have so far kept death rates lower, large populations remain vulnerable, especially those who refuse vaccinesl

In Britain, where the Delta variant caused a sharp surge in infections in recent months despite one of the world’s fastest inoculation campaigns, a panel advising the government said protection from vaccines was likely to wane over time, meaning vaccination campaigns would probably last for years.

Countries in Asia, many of which avoided the worst outcomes that hit Western nations in 2020, have been particularly hard hit in recent weeks.

It is unfortunate that Malaysian policy makers were distracted from this new development in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic by a major constitutional crisis precipitated by the assertion of the de facto Law Minister, Takiyuddin Hassan in Parliament on Monday that six emergency ordinances had been revoked on July 21 although there was no Royal Assent or gazette.

Although vaccination is important, vaccination is not a silver bullet and we cannot depend on it to win the war against the Covid-19 pandemic.

It is a matter of grave concern that after five months of the national immunisation rollout, we have only fully vaccinated 20% of Malaysians with two doses.

Now that the Delta variant is upon us, I call on the Minister in charge of vaccines, Khairy Jamaluddin, to buy up the 3.2 million doses of excess supply of Covid-19 vaccines held by Pharmaniaga  to accelerate the national immunisation rollout and to aim at achieving the  administration of one  million doses of vaccines a day.

The authorities should also give Malaysians a full briefing about the role of Delta variant in the recent surges in new Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 deaths in Malaysia.

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

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 1 August 2021, 1:46 pm and is filed under
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Parliament lockdown symbolises the lack of credibility, legitimacy and abysmal  failure to bring under  control the  Covid-19 pandemic  of the Muhyiddin government

The Parliament lockdown last Thursday and on Monday symbolises the lack of credibility, legitimacy and the abysmal failure to bring under control the Covid-19 pandemic of the Muhyiddin government.

Because of its  “Sheraton Move” origins, the only redeeming feature of the illegitimate, undemocratic “backdoor” government is to bring the Covid-19 pandemic under control, which the kakistocratic backdoor government has signally failed to do.

When Covid-19 pandemic started under the Pakatan Harapan government last year, there were only 22 Covid-19 cases and zero death when the Pakatan Harapan government was toppled on February 24, 2020.

When the Emergency was proclaimed on January 11, there were 235,992 total Covid-19 cases and a total of 551 Covid-19 deaths. At the end of the Emergency on July 31,2021, the cumulative total of  Covid-19 cases broke the 1.1 million-mark and  increased five times to 1,113,272 cases while the cumulative total of Covid-19 deaths broke the 9,000-mark and increased 16 times to  9,024 Covid-19 deaths.

If the Covid-19 data on January 10, 2021  were justification for the declaration of an emergency, then the Covid-19 data on July 31 would have provided many more times  justification for an extension of Emergency.

But the fact that Covid-19 cases increased five times and Covid-19 deaths increased 16 times prove that the declaration of emergency was neither science nor data based but politically-motivated.

The five-day Parliament special meeting was supposed to be the occasion for the drafting of  a new war policy and  strategy against the Covid-19 pandemic which is truly “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society”  and not just in lip-service, but it was a disaster right from the beginning, with the  Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Parlaiment), Takiyuddin Hassan, with the approval of the Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, misleading Parliament and the nation  with the assertion  that six Emergency Ordinances had been revoked on July 21 when there had been no Royal Assent or gazette.

As a result, Parliament and the nation were distracted from a debate on:

(i)               the need to distance   from the National Recovery Plan  with its  blind faith in “total lockdowns” and to open up all businesses in keeping with “Live with Covid” instead of “Zero Covid” objective, with  targeted lockdowns only in extreme circumstances; and

(ii)             Avert the calamitous figures of 1.5 million Covid-19 cases and over 15,000 Covid-19 deaths when Malaysia celebrates the 64th National Day on August 31 and two million Covid-19 cases and nearly 20,000 Covid-19 deaths on the 58th Malaysia Day on Sept. 16, 2021.

Instead, Parliament and the nation were for the whole week engrossed with a major constitutional crisis in-the-making instead of the worsening Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia.

This is the height of irresponsibility and criminality.

It is time for everyone to re-focus on the Covid-19 pandemic, which is creating global havoc with latest Delta variant to the Covid-19 virus.

The Parliament lockdown on Monday is not only contradictory to the need for a new war policy and strategy to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, based on “Living with Covid” instead of “Zero Covid”, but a gross abuse of power putting the interests of the “backdoor” government ahead of the lives and interests of the Malaysian people and nation.

It is  symbolic of the lack of credibility and legitimacy, and the failure to bring the

Covid-19 pandemic under control the Covid-19 pandemic, of the Muhyiddin government.

I call on the Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, to lift the Parliament lockdown tomorrow to allow Members of  Parliament to address the worsening Covid-19 pandemic as well as a major constitutional crisis in the Dewan Rakyat and not to use the Covid-19 pandemic as an excuse to shut down parliamentary democracy in Malaysia.

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

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Noor Hisham’s statement about superspreader event in Parliament  most unfortunate  – where is the evidence?

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

The statement by the Health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah yesterday that a superspreader event is possible if the special parliamentary sitting proceeds is most unfortunate.

Where is the evidence? Is it just to frighten the MPs?

Let Noor Hisham prove that his statement was based on medical facts.

There were 11 cases out of 1,183 staff. If all 1,183 were tested, then the positivity rate is about 1% which is nowhere near superspreader status.

The other justification for superspreader possibility is a new variant? Were genomic studies done? If so what are the results.

The Parliament proceeding of fully vaccinated MPs should continue. The Prime Minister is fully vaccinated. Why is he not coming to Parliament to answer all the questions the country is asking?

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

Kenyataan Noor Hisham mengenai kejadian ‘superspreader’ di Parlimen amatlah malang sekali — di manakah buktinya?

Kenyataan daripada Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan, Noor Hisham Abdullah, semalam yang mengatakan bahawa kejadian ‘superspreader’ yang boleh menjangkitkan rmaai orang dengan Covid-19 berkemungkinan berlaku sekiranya sidang khas Parlimen diteruskan amatlah malang sekali.

Di manakah buktinya? Atau adakah kenyataan ini hanya untuk menakut-nakutkan Ahli-ahli Parlimen?

Noor Hisham perlu membuktikan kenyataan beliau ini dengan fakta perubatan.

Terdapat 11 kes daripada 1,183 orang yang melalui ujian saringan. Sekiranya mereka ini semua telah disaring, maka, kadar kes positif di Parlimen ini hanyalah kira-kira 1%, jauh daripada status ‘superspreader’.

Satu lagi alasan kononnya mungkin berlaku kejadian ‘superspreader’ adalah varian baharu? Adakah kajian genom telah dijalankan, jika ya, apakah keputusannya?

Sidang Parlimen yang melibatkan Ahli-ahli Parlimen yang telah menerima vaksinasi lengkap perlu diteruskan. Perdana Menteri sendiri telah menerima vaksinasi lengkap. Mengapa beliau tidak hadir ke Parlimen untuk menjawab persoalan-persoalan yang ditanya di seluruh negara?

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

                This entry was posted on Monday, 2 August 2021, 9:09 am and is filed under
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The July Bloomberg Covid Resilience Ranking which placed Malaysia in 52nd spot when  in January we were No. 16 out of 53 countries with economies of more than US$200 billion is the final nail in the coffin about the failure of the emergency and the  strategy of the Muhyiddin government  in the war against Covid-19 pandemic

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

The July Bloomberg Covid Resilience Ranking which placed Malaysia in 52nd spot when in January we were ranked No. 16 out of 53 countries with economies of more than US$200 billion is the final nail in the coffin about the failure of the emergency and the strategy of the Muhyiddin government in the war against Covid-19 pandemic.

For 20 consecutive days since 13th July, we have had five-digit daily new Covid-19 cases, setting a new peak nine times during this short period of 20 days until a daily peak of 17,786 new Covid-19 cases was reported on 31st July.

From a world ranking of No. 85 last November among countries with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases, we overtook 58 countries as we are now ranked No. 27 with 1,130,422 Covid-19 cases and 9,184 Covid-19 deaths.

Emergency was declared when we had 135,992 Covid-19 cases and 551 Covid-19 deaths. Six months later, at the end of the emergency on 31st July, we had 1,113,272 Covid-19 cases and 9,024 Covid-19 deaths – some five times the number of Covid-19 cases and 16 times the Covid-19 deaths after the emergency.

If the emergency on January 11 was justified, then it should be extended on August 1 with the exponential worsening of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The exponential increase of Covid-19 cases and deaths since the declaration of emergency have shown that the emergency which suspended Parliament and the State Assemblies was the wrong prescription for the Covid-19 pandemic, and in fact, a gross abuse of Executive power.

Now, Parliament is being locked down for precisely the same reason why emergency was declared on January 11, 2021 – not to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic but to allow the backdoor, illegitimate and undemocratic government to hold on to power.

This is no way to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, especially with the threat of Delta and other variants.

Do we need more international reports, like the monthly Bloomberg Covid Resilience Ranking to convince Malaysians that we have catapulted to be the world’s top dozen countries which are the worst performers in the Covid-19 pandemic, whether in terms of daily new Covid-19 cases or daily new Covid-19 deaths?

We have fallen from 16th to 52nd ranking, the next lowest, in the Bloomberg Covid Resilience Ranking. Although Indonesia is ranked 53rd and last, we have four times higher “daily cases per million population” index than Indonesia.

The country must re-focus to gain control of the worsening Covid-19 situation, and this can only be done if three conditions are met:

1. End the major constitutional crisis plaguing the country.

2. Admit the failures so far in the 20-month war against the Covid-19 pandemic and the need for a new policy and strategy to replace the National Recovery Plan which is truly “whole-of-society” and not just in lip-service. Parliament has a major role to draft this new policy and strategy. How can the Muhyiddin’s policy and strategy be “whole-of-society” when it could not even be “whole-of-Parliament”?

3. Restore public trust and confidence in the new policy and strategy in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic based on “Living with Covid” instead of “Zero Covid” policy. A Parliament lockdown is a throwback to “Zero Covid” rather than “Living with Covid” policy, apart from being against the national interest to seclude the Muhyiddin government from parliamentary scrutiny and accountability.

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

Indeks Ketahanan Covid-19 oleh Bloomberg untuk bulan Julai menempatkan Malaysia di kedudukan ke-52 sedangkan pada bulan Januari kita berada di kedudukan ke-16 dari 53 negara dengan nilai ekonomi lebih dari AS$200 bilion adalah bukti kegagalan pelaksanaan darurat dan strategi kerajaan Muhyiddin dalam perang melawan wabak Covid-19

Indeks Ketahanan Covid-19 oleh Bloomberg untuk bulan Julai yang menempatkan Malaysia di kedudukan ke-52 sedangkan pada bulan Januari kita berada di kedudukan ke-16 dari 53 negara dengan nilai ekonomi lebih dari AS$200 bilion adalah bukti kegagalan pelaksanaan darurat dan strategi kerajaan Muhyiddin dalam perang melawan wabak Covid-19.

Selama 20 hari berturut-turut sejak 13 Julai, kita mencatatkan kes harian Covid-19 lima angka, merekodkan puncak baru sebanyak sembilan kali dalam jangka masa sesingkat 20 hari ini sehingga puncak harian sebanyak 17,786 kes dilaporkan pada 31 Julai.

Dari kedudukan ke-85 antara negara-negara dengan jumlah kes Covid-19 tertinggi pada November lalu, kita kini telah mengatasi 58 negara selepas berada di kedudukan ke-27 dengan 1,130,422 kes Covid-19 dan 9,184 kematian akibat wabak itu.

Darurat diisytiharkan ketika kita mencatatkan 135,992 kes Covid-19 dengan 551 kematian. Enam bulan kemudian, pada hari terakhir darurat pada 31 Julai, kita mencatatkan 1,113,272 kes Covid-19 dengan 9,024 kematian – kira-kira lima kali ganda jumlah kes Covid-19 dan 16 kali ganda jumlah kematian berbanding sebelum pelaksanaan darurat.

Sekiranya pelaksanaan darurat pada 11 Januari mempunyai alasan yang kuat, sudah pasti ia dilanjutkan selepas 1 Ogos mengambil kira situasi wabak Covid-19 yang semakin memburuk.

Peningkatan mendadak jumlah kes Covid-19 dan kematian akibat wabak itu sejak darurat diisytiharkan menunjukkan bahawa darurat yang telah menyebabkan Parlimen dan Dewan Undangan Negeri digantung adalah penawar yang salah untuk menangani penularan Covid-19, ia sebaliknya menunjukkan penyalahgunaan kuasa oleh pihak Eksekutif.

Kini, Parlimen telah dikunci atas alasan yang sama ketika darurat diisytiharkan pada 11 Januari 2021 — bukan untuk menangani wabak Covid-19 tetapi untuk membolehkan kerajaan pintu belakang, tidak sah dan tidak demokratik terus berkuasa.

Ini bukan caranya untuk melawan Covid-19, lebih-lebih lagi dengan ancaman varian delta dan lain-lain.

Adakah kita memerlukan lebih banyak laporan daripada pihak antarabangsa, seperti laporan Indeks Ketahanan Covid yang dikeluarkan secara bulanan oleh Bloomberg untuk menyakinkan rakyat Malaysia bahawa kita telah tercampak jauh ke dalam kumpulan negara-negara yang menunjukkan prestasi paling buruk dalam menangani penularan Covid-19, tidak kira dalam kategori jumlah kes harian Covid-19 dan jumlah harian kematian akibat wabak itu.

Kita telah jatuh dari kedudukan ke-16 kepada kedudukan ke-52, dalam Indeks Ketahanan Covid oleh Bloomberg. Meskipun Indonesia ditempatkan di kedudukan ke-53 dan terakhir, kita merekodkan empat kali ganda “kes harian per sejuta penduduk” berbanding Indonesia.

Negara harus menetapkan semula fokus untuk mengawal situasi Covid-19 yang kian memburuk, dan ini hanya boleh dilakukan jika tiga syarat ini dipenuhi:

1. Menamatkan krisis perlembagaan yang sedang membelenggu negara ketika ini

2. Mengakui kegagalan perang melawan Covid-19 sepanjang 20 bulan ini dan keperluan untuk merangka dasar dan strategi baharu untuk menggantikan Pelan Pemulihan Negara yang melibatkan “keseluruhan masyarakat” dan bukan sekadar cakap kosong. Parlimen mempunyai peranan besar untuk merangka dasar dan strategi baharu ini. Bagaimana mungkin dasar dan strategi Muhyiddin dilihat melibatkan “keseluruhan masyarakat” sekiranya ia tidak melibatkan “keseluruhan Parlimen”?

3. Mengembalikan keyakinan dan kepercayaan masyarakat terhadap dasar dan strategi baharu melawan Covid-19 berlandaskan dasar “hidup di samping Covid” dan bukannya “Sifar Covid”. Sekatan yang dilaksanakan di Parlimen adalah salah satu contoh penerapan dasar “Sifar Covid” dan bukannya “Hidup di samping Covid-19”, selain bertentangan dengan kepentingan negara apabila kerajaan Muhyiddin dibiarkan terlepas daripada penelitian dan semak imbang parlimen.

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

                This entry was posted on Monday, 2 August 2021, 9:03 am and is filed under
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Will Dewan Rakyat  meet on August 16 and Dewan Negara meet from August 17 – 19 on completion of the two-week suspension of the Parliament special meeting because of Covid-19 pandemic  as advised by Noor Hisham?

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

Today is a black mark in Malaysian parliamentary history.

I do not think anyone, whether in the past, present or future would have thought that there would be a day when Malaysian Members of Parliament would be blocked from the Malaysian Parliament.

In 1933, Hitler was suspected of burning down the German Parliament – the infamous Reichstag fire – to begin his dictatorial Nazi rule.

Is Malaysia to have its infamous history where Parliament is locked down using the Covid-19 pandemic as an excuse to save the backdoor, illegitimate and undemocratic from being toppled in a major constitutional crisis of its own making?

Health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah had proposed on August 1 that the special parliamentary meeting be postponed for two weeks.

Will Dewan Rakyat therefore meet on August 16 and the Dewan Negara meet from August 17 – 19 on completion of the two-week suspension of the Parliament special meeting because of the Covid-19 pandemic as advised by Noor Hisham?

(Media Statement (3) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, 2nd August 2021)

Adakah Dewan Rakyat dan Dewan Negara akan bersidang semula pada 16 ogos dan 17-19 Ogos selepas penggantungan sidang selama dua minggu kerana wabak Covid-19 seperti yang dinasihatkan oleh Noor Hisham?

Hari ini merupakan satu titik hitam dalam sejarah berparlimen negara kita.

Saya tidak terfikir sesiapa pun, baik di masa lepas, sekarang, atau dari masa hadapan, yang akan menjangkakan akan ada satu hari di mana Ahli-ahli Parlimen Malaysia dihalang daripada datang ke Parlimen.

Pada tahun 1933, Hitler disyaki menjadi dalang di sebalik pembakaran Parlimen Jerman — kejadian Kebakaran Reichstag — untuk memulakan pemerintahan diktator Nazi beliau.

Adakah juga akan mencatatkan sejarah memalukan di mana Parlimen dikunci menggunakan wabak Covid-19 sebagai alasan untuk menyelamatkan kerajaan pintu belakang yang tidak sah dan tidak demokratik daripada ditumbangkan dalam sebuah krisis perlembagaan besar yang disebabkannya sendiri?

Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan, Noor Hisham Abdullah telah mencadangkan supaya persidangan khas Parlimen pada 1 Ogos ditunda selama dua minggu.

Adakah Dewan Rakyat akan bersidang semula pada 16 Ogos, dan Dewan Negara bersidang semula pada 17 sehingga 19 Ogos, dua minggu selepas tempoh penggantung sidang akibat wabak Covid-19 seperti yang dicadangkan oleh Noor Hisham ini?

(Kenyataan Media (3) Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Isnin, 2 Ogos 2021)

                This entry was posted on Monday, 2 August 2021, 12:03 pm and is filed under
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Mystery on what basis a state is placed in a NRP phase is one reason why there is no public confidence in the National Recovery Plan

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

Yesterday, the Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced that Sarawak, Perlis and Labuan have moved into Phase 3 of the National Recovery Plan (NRP).

This was despite Sarawak and Labuan not qualifying for Phase 3 based on the initial criteria which the government set in early July.

The mystery on what basis a state is placed in a NRP phase is one reason why there is no public confidence in the National Recovery Plan, and why a new policy and strategy must be crafted in view of the dismal failures of the strategy, in particular the emergency from January 11 – August 1, which had been employed in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic in the last 20 months.

According to the initial criteria set by the government, the seven-day average of daily new Covid-19 cases for Sarawak must be 345 to enter Phase 2, 172 for Phase 3 and 43 for Phase 4.

The seven-day average of new daily Covid-19 cases is now 482.

Sarawak moved into Phase 2 on July 14. At the time, it met the criteria for Phase 2 but had since regressed.

The government’s initial criteria for Labuan to move into Phase 2 is a seven-day average of 12 cases, six for Phase 3 and two for Phase 4.

As for Perlis, the criteria include a seven-day average of 31 cases for Phase 2, 16 for Phase 3 and four for Phase 4.

Based on these criteria, only Perlis qualifies for Phase 3.

Under the NRP, Malaysia will only transition to phase 2 once the average number of cases drop to 4,000 cases a day, the health system is no longer at a critical level and intensive care unit capacity is reduced to a moderate level, and 10% of the population is vaccinated.

In phase 3, the number of daily cases must be below 2,000, 40% of the population vaccinated and the health system at a manageable level.

In phase 4, the daily cases must be below 500, 60% of the population vaccinated, and the health system at a safe level.

But so far, only the criteria on vaccination has been met, and Malaysia has not been able to transition to phase 2 not only at the end of June and July, but even unlikely when we mark our 64th National Day on August 31 and 58th Malaysia Day on Sept. 16.

Health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah has predicted Covid-19 infections to peak in mid-September with 24,000 cases a day.

Parliament would be the proper place for the Muhyiddin government to explain the mistakes and inadequacies of the NRP, and for a new policy and strategy to replace the NRP in keeping with the objective for an “Live with Covid” policy instead of the original “Zero Covid” approach.

But Parliament has been shutdown for two weeks and the Health Director-General has yet to convince Members of Parliament and the Malaysian public that this shutdown is based on science and data and not a political decision of the Muhyiddin government.

But even after the two-week shutdown, will Parliament reconvene in August to complete the Parliament special meeting of the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara?

This is why there should be no further delay in an announcement as to when the Parliament special meeting will resume or will Parliament be prorogued until Sept. 6 when the Fourth Session of the 14th Parliament will opened by the Yang di Pertuan Agong?

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

Misteri atas dasar apa sesebuah negeri diletakkan dalam fasa tertentu PPN adalah salah satu sebab mengapa masyarakat hilang keyakinan terhadap Pelan Pemulihan Negara

Semalam, Perdana Menteri Muhyiddin Yassin mengumumkan bahawa Sarawak, Perlis dan Labuan telah memasuki Fasa 3 Pelan Pemulihan Negara (PPN).

Keputusan ini dibuat meskipun Sarawak dan Labuan tidak memenuhi syarat untuk beralih ke Fasa 3 PPN berdasarkan kriteria awal yang ditetapkan kerajaan pada awal Julai.

Misteri atas dasar apa sesebuah negeri diletakkan dalam fasa tertentu PPN adalah salah satu sebab mengapa masyarakat hilang keyakinan terhadap Pelan Pemulihan Negara, dan mengapa dasar dan strategi baru harus dirangka dengan melihat kepada kegagalan strategi yang diambil kerajaan sebelum ini, khususnya pelaksanaan darurat bermula dari 11 Januari hingga 1 Ogos, dengan alasan untuk memerangi wabak Covid-19 yang berlarutan sejak 20 bulan lalu.

Mengikut kriteria awal yang ditetapkan oleh kerajaan, purata tujuh hari kes harian baharu Covid-19 untuk Sarawak mestilah di bawah 345 kes untuk negeri itu beralih ke Fasa 2, 172 kes untuk beralih ke Fasa 3 dan 43 kes untuk beralih ke Fasa 4.

Purata tujuh hari kes harian baharu Covid-19 adalah 482 kes.

Sarawak beralih ke Fasa 2 pada 14 Julai. Ketika itu, negeri berkenaan memenuhi syarat untuk beralih ke Fasa 2 tetapi keadaan semakin memburuk selepas itu.

Syarat awal yang ditetapkan kerajaan untuk Labuan beralih ke Fasa 2 adalah purata tujuh hari di bawah 12 kes, enam kes untuk beralih ke Fasa 3 dan dua kes untuk beralih ke Fasa 4.

Bagi Perlis, kriteria tersebut merangkumi purata tujuh hari di bawah 31 kes untuk beralih ke Fasa 2, 16 kes untuk beralih ke Fasa 3 dan empat kes untuk beralih ke Fasa 4.

Berdasarkan kriteria ini, hanya Perlis yang memenuhi syarat untuk beralih ke Fasa 3.

Mengikut PPN, Malaysia hanya akan beralih ke Fasa 2 setelah purata kes Covid-19 berada di bawah 4,000 kes sehari selama tujuh hari berturut-turut, kapasiti katil di unit rawatan rapi (ICU) mencapai paras 75 peratus ke bawah di samping 10 peratus populasi yang telah divaksin.

Di bawah pelan pemulihan, negara akan dibuka secara berperingkat menerusi empat fasa, yang mana ditentukan menerusi tiga indikator iaitu jumlah kes harian Covid-19, jumlah vaksinasi dan keadaan sistem kesihatan, yang mestilah berada dalam keadaan terkawal.

Untuk beralih ke Fasa 3, jumlah kes harian mestilah di bawah 2,000, 40 peratus populasi telah divaksin dan sistem kesihatan di tahap yang terkawal.

Fasa 4 pula, jumlah kes harian mestilah di bawah paras 2,000, 60% populasi telah divaksin dan sistem kesihatan di tahap selamat.

Namun setakat ini, hanya kriteria vaksinasi yang telah dipenuhi, dan Malaysia tidak dapat beralih ke Fasa 2 bukan sahaja pada akhir bulan Jun dan Julai, malah mungkin ketika kita menyambut Hari Kebangsaan ke-64 pada 31 Ogos dan Hari Malaysia ke-58 pada 16 September.

Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan, Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah meramalkan jangkitan Covid-19 akan meningkat pada pertengahan September dengan 24,000 kes sehari.

Parlimen adalah wadah yang terbaik bagi kerajaan Muhyiddin untuk menjelaskan kesilapan dan kekurangan PPN, dan untuk merangka dasar dan strategi baru bagi menggantikan PPN sesuai dengan objektif “Hidup di samping Covid” dan bukannya pendekatan “Sifar Covid” yang seringkali ditekankan kerajaan sebelum ini.

Bagaimanapun, Parlimen telah ditutup selama dua minggu dan Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan belum meyakinkan Ahli Parlimen dan masyarakat di negara ini bahawa keputusan penutupan berkenaan benar-benar dibuat berdasarkan sains dan data dan bukannya keputusan politik kerajaan Muhyiddin.

Selepas dua minggu Parlimen ditutup, adakah Parlimen akan bersidang semula pada bulan Ogos untuk melengkapkan sidang khas Dewan Rakyat dan Dewan Negara?

Inilah sebabnya mengapa kerajaan tidak boleh berlengah-lengah untuk membuat pengumuman mengenai bilakah sidang khas Parlimen akan disambung semula atau adakah Parlimen akan ditangguh sehingga 6 September semasa berlangsungnya Mesyuarat Keempat Sidang Parlimen ke-14 yang akan dirasmikan oleh Yang di-Pertuan Agong?

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

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 3 August 2021, 1:09 pm and is filed under
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Parliament lockdown a great national disservice as Malaysia is heading towards half-a-million Covid-19 cases and 6,000 Covid-19 deaths in August resulting in Malaysia having a  cumulative total exceeding  1.5 million Covid-19  cases and 15,000  Covid-19 deaths on the 64th National Day on August 31

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

The Parliament lockdown since last Thursday is a great national disservice as Malaysia is heading towards half-a-million Covid-19 cases and 6,000 Covid-19 deaths in August resulting in Malaysia having a cumulative total exceeding 1.5 million Covid-19 cases and 15,000 Covid-19 deaths on the 64th National Day on August 31.

Parliament should be meeting to draft a new policy and strategy to avert these calamitous figures on August 31, but instead Members of Parliament were blocked from Parliament and the Parliament special meeting truncated, after being distracted from focusing on the Covid-19 pandemic with a major constitutional crisis.

The Parliamentary Privileges Committee should meet in urgent session to deal with the obstruction of MPs from reaching Parliament yesterday, in effect, frustrating MPs from carrying out their parliamentary duties.

Section 9(e) of the House of Parliament (Privileges and Powers) Act 1952 provides for Parliament to punish anyone who obstruct MPs from entering the House with contempt of Parliament.

This is also a criminal offence under Section 124 of the Penal Code, which provides a punishment of up to seven years imprisonment and a fine.

When will the police begin to initiate investigations as police reports have been lodged?

What is most crucial is the resumption of the truncated Parliamentary special meeting to re-focus parliamentary and national attention on the worsening Covid-19 pandemic, which saw daily new Covid-19 cases remain in five-digit figures for three consecutive weeks and a new record of 219 daily Covid-19 deaths yesterday.

Malaysia took more than 13 months on February 17, 2021 to reach the first 1,000 deaths but broke the ninth 1,000 deaths in five days and is expected to break the 10,000-mark for Covid-19 deaths this week.

Parliament should reconvene at the earliest possible date to ensure that by the 64th National Day on August 31, we do not have a cumulative total of over 1.5 million Covid-19 cases and over 15,000 Covid-19 deaths.

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

Penutupan Parlimen adalah satu yang merugikan kerana negara kita sedang ke arah mengumpulkan setengah juta kes dan 6,000 kematian akibat Covid-19 dalam bulan Ogos, membawa angka terkumpul kepada lebih daripada 1.5 juta kes dan 15,000 kematian menjelang Hari Kebangsaan ke-64 pada 31 Ogos

Penutupan Parlimen sejak Khamis lepas adalah satu pengkhianatan apabila negara kita sedang ke arah mengumpulkan setengah juta kes dan 6,000 kematian akibat Covid-19 dalam bulan Ogos, membawa angka terkumpul kepada lebih daripada 1.5 juta kes dan 15,000 kematian menjelang Hari Kebangsaan ke-64 pada 31 Ogos.

Parlimen sepatutnya sedang bersidang untuk merangka dasar dan strategi baharu untuk mengelakkan bencana seperti ini pada 31 Ogos, sebaliknya, Ahli-ahli Parlimen dihalang daripada datang ke Parlimen dan persidangan khas Parlimen pulak dipendekkan selepas perhatian dialihkan daripada usaha melawan Covid-19 dengan satu krisis perlembagaan yang besar.

Jawatankuasa Hak dan Kebebasan Parlimen perlu bersidang segera untuk mengambil tindakan terhadap sekatan kepada Ahli Parlimen untuk ke Kompleks Parlimen semalam, yang merupakan satu sekatan terhadap Ahli-ahli Parlimen yang cuba menjalankan tugas mereka.

Seksyen 9(e) Akta Majlis Parlimen (Keistimewaan dan Kuasa) 1952 memperuntukan kuasa kepada Parlimen untuk menghukum sesiapa yang cuba menghalang mana-mana Ahli Parlimen daripada memasuki Parlimen sebagai menghina Majlis Parlimen.

Perkara ini juga merupakan satu kesalahan jenayah di bawah Sekten 124 Kanun Keseksaan, yang memperuntukkan hukuman penjara sehingga tujuh tahun dan juga denda.

Bilakah polis akan memulakan siasatan memandangkan laporan polis telahpun dibuat?

Apa yang lebih adalah supaya sidang Parlimen ini disambung semula untuk menumpukan perhatian Parlimen dan negara kepada wabak Covid-19 yang semakin memburuk, dengan kadar kes baharu setiap hari berada pada paras lima angka untuk tiga minggu berturut-turut dan rekod baharu 219 kematian semalam.

Malaysia mengambil masa lebih daripada 13 bulan untuk mencatatkan 1,000 kematian pertama pada 17 Februari 2021, tetapi kita hanya mengambil masa selama lima hari untuk mencatatkan 1,000 kematian ke sembilan, dan kita dijangkakan memecahkan paras 10,000 kematian dalam minggu ini.

Parlimen perlu bersidang semula secepat mungkin untuk memastikan menjelang sambutan Hari Kebangsaan pada 31 Ogos, kita tidak melihat lebih daripada 1.5 juta kes dan 15,000 kematian akibat Covid-19.

(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Selasa, 3 Ogos 2021)

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 3 August 2021, 7:53 am and is filed under
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Why was Parliament locked down for two weeks and why the truncated Parliament special meeting could not  reconvene for Dewan Rakyat to be held on August 16 and Senate from August 17-19 to annul the six Emergency Ordinances

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

The four-paragraph statement today by the Prime Minister, Muhyddin Yassin, signifies two things:

Firstly, he is not going to resign or sacrifice any of his Ministers or officials and will fight any attempt from any quarter to end his backdoor, illegitimate and undemocratic government; and

Secondly, the end of the misconceived attempt to revoke the six Emergency Ordinances decided by the Cabinet on July 21, 2021.

But it raises other questions, including:

Why was Parliament locked down for two weeks; whether the truncated Parliament special meeting would be resumed for the Dewan Rakyat on August 16 and for the Dewan Negara from August 17-19, 2021 or at an earlier date; or whether Parliament would now be prorogued and meet only on Sept. 6, 2021 for the official opening of the Fourth Session of the 14th Parliament by the Yang di Pertuan Agong.

Muhyiddin should explain why the truncated Parliament special meeting could not be reconvened on August 16 or at an earlier date where the motion to annul the six Emergency Ordinances could be tabled, debated and decided at the meeting.

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

Mengapa Parlimen ditutup selama dua minggu dan mengapa sidang khas Parlimen yang disingkatkan tidak dapat diadakan semula supaya Dewan Rakyat dapat bersidang pada 16 Ogos dan Dewan Negara dapat bersidang dari 17 hingga 19 Ogos untuk membatalkan enam Ordinan Darurat

Kenyataan empat perenggan oleh Perdana Menteri, Muhyiddin Yassin, hari ini menandakan dua perkara:

Pertama, beliau tidak akan meletakkan jawatan atau mengorbankan mana-mana Menteri atau pegawainya dan akan menentang sebarang cubaan daripada mana-mana pihak yang mahu menamatkan kerajaan pintu belakang yang tidak sah dan tidak demokratik yang ditadbirnya; dan

Kedua, berakhirnya percubaan tidak wajar untuk membatalkan enam Ordinan Darurat yang diputuskan oleh Kabinet pada 21 Julai 2021.

Bagaimanapun, ia menimbulkan persoalan lain, termasuk:

Mengapa Parlimen ditutup selama dua minggu dan mengapa sidang khas Parlimen yang disingkatkan tidak dapat diadakan semula supaya Dewan Rakyat dapat bersidang pada 16 Ogos dan Dewan Negara dapat bersidang dari 17 hingga 19 Ogos atau pada tarikh yang lebih awal; atau sama ada Parlimen akan ditangguh sehingga 6 September semasa berlangsungnya Mesyuarat Keempat Sidang Parlimen ke-14 yang akan dirasmikan oleh Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Muhyiddin harus menjelaskan mengapa sidang khas Parlimen yang dipendekkan tidak dapat diadakan semula pada 16 Ogos atau pada tarikh yang lebih awal supaya usul untuk membatalkan enam Ordinan Darurat dapat dibentangkan, dibahaskan dan diputuskan dalam sidang tersebut.

(Kenyataan Media (3) oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Selasa, 3 Ogos 2021)

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 3 August 2021, 2:19 pm and is filed under
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Muhyiddin should not wait until September but should convene a Parliament special meeting latest by August 16 for the motion of confidence in him as Prime Minister

Muhyiddin Yassin should not wait until September but should convene a Parliament special meeting latest by August 16 for the motion of  confidence in him as Prime Minister.

This August Parliament special meeting will also complete the truncated Parliament special meeting which was adjourned for two weeks on 29th July purportedly because of Covid-19 pandemic.

I had said that Parliament should meet latest by August 16 because it was adjourned for two weeks purportedly because of Covid-19 pandemic, and for which, satisfactory reasons have yet to be given by the Health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah.

Parliament should meet earlier, even on Friday this week, for the confidence vote  if the Health director-general is unable to give satisfactory reasons for ordering the  two-week adjournment of Parliament because of Covid-19 pandemic on July 29, 2021.

There are at least three reasons why Parliament should meet immediately in August,  even on Friday this week  or latest by the 16th August, for the confidence vote, viz:

·       The country’s economic and public health crisis  cannot afford another  month of uncertainty if the confidence vote is pushed to Parliament in September;

·       The month-long delay is likely to exacerbate the “frog culture” among Members of Parliament and abuses of power; and

·       The worsening Covid-19 pandemic with a new daily peak of 19,819 new Covid-19 cases today with five states reporting four-digit cases, namely Selangor 8,377 cases, Kuala Lumpur 2,467, Kedah 1,371, Johor 1,162 and Kelantan 1,003.

The Dewan Rakyat Parliamentary Privileges Committee owes not only Members of Parliament but Malaysians as a whole the reason  why it has not acted to protect MPs from police obstruction preventing them from  reaching  Parliament to carry out their parliamentary duties on Monday, August 2, 2021.

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, 4th August 2021)

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 4 August 2021, 5:00 pm and is filed under
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Parliament should meet latest by August 16 to annul the six Emergency Ordinances and   Muhyiddin has  to demonstrate he has the  confidence of the majority of Parliament

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

When Malaysia first imposed the Movement Control Order (MCO) on 18th March 2020, Malaysia had 728 Covid-19 cases and two deaths.

Now, after numerous movement control orders and a six-month emergency, we have a cumulative total of 1,163,291 Covid-19 cases and 9,598 Covid-19 deaths – 1,600 times the number of Covid-19 cases and 4,800 times the number of Covid-19 deaths after 16 months .

Last November, we were ranked No. 85 among nations with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases and but after nine months we are today ranked No. 27.

In daily new Covid-19 cases and deaths, Malaysia is among the world’s top dozen countries, with Malaysia in the world’s No. 1 position in terms of daily cases per million population among the these dozen countries.

Twenty months after the Covid-19 pandemic, Malaysia has ended up as one of the world’s worst performing nations under any metric.

On January 5, 2021, I called for a Parliament special meeting to address the worsening Covid-19 pandemic and to avert Malaysia reaching the cumulative total of 200,000 – 250,000 Covid-19 cases.

Instead, emergency was declared and Parliament was suspended.

After repeated calls by the Yang di Pertuan Agong and the Conference of Rulers special meeting on June 16, 2021 for the Emergency Proclamation, the Emergency Ordinances and the National Recovery Plan to be debated in Parliament, the Parliament special meeting for Dewan Rakyat for five days and Dewan Negara for three days was scheduled, beginning on July 26, but there was no debate on the Emergency Proclamation or Emergency Ordinances.

Most regrettably, the Parliament special meeting was suspended on July 29 on the grounds of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah must not be a political pawn of the Muhyiddn government and the Dewan Rakyat Privileges Committee should meet in emergency session about serious breaches of parliamentary privileges and the law in obstructing MPs from carrying out their parliamentary duties on August 2, 2021.

With the announcement of the UMNO President, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi withdrawing UMNO support for Muhyiddin Yassin as Prime Minister, Parliament should meet latest by August 16 to annul the six Emergency Ordinances and for Muhyiddin to demonstrate he has the confidence of the majority of Parliament.

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

Parlimen patut bersidang selewat-lewatnya pada 16 Ogos untuk mengungkai keenam-enam Ordinan Darurat dan Muhyiddin perlu menunjukkan yang beliau mempunyai majoriti di Parlimen

Semasa Malaysia mula melaksanakan Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan (PKP) pada 18 Mac 2020, kita ada 728 kes Covid-19 dan dua kematian.

Kini, selepas pelbagai bentuk PKP dan darurat selama enam bulan, kita mencatatkan sejumlah 1,163,291 kes dan 9,598 kematian akibat Covid-19 — peningkatan 1,600 kali ganda dalam kes terkumpul dan peningkatan 4,800 kali ganda dalam kematian selepas 16 bulan.

November lepas, kita berada di tempat ke-85 dari segi jumlah kes terkumpul, sembilan bulan kemudian, kita berada di tempat ke-27.

Dari segi angka kes baharu dan kematian baharu harian, kita berada dalam kalangan 12 negara teratas, dengan Malaysia di tempat pertama dari kiraan kes per sejuta penduduk dari 12 negara ini.

Dua puluh bulan selepas bermulanya wabak ini, negara kita kini merupakan antara negara dengan ukuran terburuk dalam usaha mengekang penularan wabak ini.

Pada 5 Januari 2021, saya menyeru supaya persidangan khas Parlimen diadakan untuk berbincang mengenai keadaan wabak Covid-19 yang semakin memburuk dan mengelakkan negara kita daripada bergerak ke arah 200,000-250,000 kes Covid-19.

Sebaliknya, darurat diisytiharkan dan Parlimen digantung.

Selepas seruan berkali-kali daripada Yang di Pertuan Agong dan Majlis Raja-raja Melayu pada 16 Jun 2021 supaya Proklamasi Darurat, Ordinan Darurat, dan Pelan Pemulihan Negara dibentangkan dan dibahas di Parlimen, sidang khas Parlimen selama lima hari untuk Dewan Rakyat dan tiga hari untuk Dewan Negara dijadualkan bermula pada 26 Julai, tetapi, tidak ada sebarang perbahasan mengenai Proklamasi Darurat atau Ordinan Darurat.

Amat malang sekali, apabila sidang khas ini pun digantung pada 29 Julai atas alasan wabak Covid-19.

Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan, Noor Hisham Abdullah tidak boleh menjadi alat politik kerajaan Muhyiddin dan Jawatankuasa Hak dan Kebebasan Dewan Rakyat perlu bersidang segera dalam mesyuarat tergempar untuk membincangkan pelanggaran keistimewaan Parlimen dan undang-undang yang amat serius di mana Ahli-ahli Parlimen dihalang daripada menjalankan tanggungjawab mereka pada 2 Ogos 2021.

Dengan pengumuman daripada Presiden UMNO, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, yang menarik sokongan UMNO kepada Muhyiddin Yassin sebagai Perdana Menteri, Parlimen perlu bersidang semula selewat-lewatnya pada 16 Ogos untuk mengungkai keenam-enam Ordinan Darurat dan untuk membolehkan Muhyiddin menunjukkan sama ada beliau ada mempunyai kepercayaan majoriti Ahli-ahli Parlimen.

(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Rabu, 4 Ogos 2021)

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 4 August 2021, 8:38 am and is filed under
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Muhyiddin should resign after  yesterday’s quadruple whammy –  Malaysia’s worst day in 20-month Covid-19 pandemic with  most cases, most deaths, most ICU admissions and most active caseloads

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

The Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin should resign after yesterday’s quadruple whammy – Malaysia’s worst day in 20-month Covid-19 pandemic with most cases, most deaths, most intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and most active caseloads.

Yesterday, Malaysia logged a record-high of 19,819 daily new Covid-19 cases, 257 daily new Covid-19 deaths, 1,069 ICU admissions and 210,000 Covid-19 active cases.

It took Malaysia 10 months to reach the first 19,627 Covid-19 cases on Oct. 27 and the first 251 Covid-19 deaths on Nov. 2, but yesterday Malaysia exceeded these grim numbers in one day.

Muhyiddin’s war against Covid-19 pandemic has failed dismally – whether the six-month emergency which saw Covid-19 cases increase by five times and Covid-19 deaths which increased by 16 times or the National Recovery Plan.

We are supposed to transition to Phase 3 in September and October with one of the three thresholds being less than 2,000 Covid-19 cases a day, but we are in the opposite direction by tenfold and about to break the 20,000-mark for daily new cases, with the Health director-general Noor Hisham Abdulla’s prediction of 24,000 daily cases in mid-September probably on the low and conservative side.

Malaysia’s fall to become one of the worst-performing nations in the Covid-19 pandemic is best chronicled by the Bloomberg Covid Resilience Ranking, which saw Malaysia plunging from 16th ranking in January to 51st ranking in June and 52nd ranking in July out of 53 economies measured in economy size of more than US$200 billion.

Globally, Covid-19 cases have passed the 200 million-mark with the United States as the world’s No. 1 worst-performing nation with over 36 million Covid-19 cases and over 631,000 deaths.

But since the inauguration of new President Biden in January this year, the Covid-19 pandemic situation in USA in the last seven months have improved considerably, to the extent at there were days when USA had fewer daily Covid-19 cases or Covid-19 deaths than Malaysia.

For a considerable time, Malaysia is having more daily cases and daily deaths per million population than the United States.

Yesterday, we ranked the world’s No. 10 both for daily new Covid-19 cases and daily new Covid-19 deaths.

Muhyiddin should not wait until September to prove that he commands the confidence of the majority of Members of Parliament as it is clear that he has lost the confidence of the majority of Members of Parliament.

Parliament should be convened immediately in August with one agenda only – to demonstrate Muhyiddin’s command of confidence of the majority of Members of Parliament.

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

Muhyiddin perlu meletakkan jawatan selepas hari yang terburuk dalam sejarah wabak Covid-19 Malaysia selama 20 bulan semalam, dengan jumlah kes harian, kematian, kemasukan ICU dan kes aktif yang tertinggi

Perdana Menteri, Muhyiddin Yassin perlu meletakkan jawatan selepas hari yang terburuk dalam sejarah wabak Covid-19 Malaysia selama 20 bulan semalam, dengan jumlah kes harian, kematian, kemasukan ICU dan kes aktif yang tertinggi.

Semalam, Malaysia mencatat rekod baharu dengan 19,819 kes harian Covid-19, 257 kematian Covid-19, 1,069 orang dimasukkan ke unit rawatan rapi dan 210,000 kes aktif Covid-19.

Malaysia mengambil masa 10 bulan untuk mencapai 19,627 kes Covid-19 pertama pada 27 Oktober dan 251 kematian pertama Covid-19 pada 2 November, tetapi semalam Malaysia melepasi angka suram ini dalam satu hari.

Perang Muhyiddin terhadap wabak Covid-19 ini telah gagal sepenuhnya — sama ada darurat enam bulan yang menyaksikan kes Covid-19 meningkat lima kali ganda dan kematian Covid-19 yang meningkat sebanyak 16 kali mahupun Pelan Pemulihan Nasional.

Kita sepatutnya beralih ke Fasa 3 pada bulan September dan Oktober dengan salah satu daripada tiga nilai ambang adalah kurang dari 2,000 kes Covid-19 sehari, tetapi kita berada di arah yang berlawanan dengan sepuluh kali ganda dan akan memecahkan angka 20,000 untuk kes baru setiap hari , dengan ramalan Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan Noor Hisham Abdullah mengenai 24,000 kes harian pada pertengahan September yang mungkin boleh dikira sebagai agak konservatif.

Kejatuhan Malaysia untuk menjadi salah satu negara dengan prestasi terburuk dalam wabak Covid-19 dapat dilihat dengan jelas dalam Carta Ketahanan Bloomberg, yang menyaksikan Malaysia menjunam dari tempat ke-16 pada bulan Januari ke tempat ke-51 pada bulan Jun dan ke ke-52 pada bulan Julai daripada 53 ekonomi diukur dalam kategori ekonomi yang lebih dari AS$ 200 bilion.

Di peringkat global, kes Covid-19 telah melepasi angka 200 juta dengan Amerika Syarikat sebagai negara dengan prestasi terburuk di dunia dengan lebih dari 36 juta kes Covid-19 dan lebih dari 631,000 kematian.

Tetapi sejak pelantikan Presiden Biden pada bulan Januari tahun ini, keadaan wabak Covid-19 di Amerika Syarikat dalam tujuh bulan terakhir telah bertambah baik, sehinggakan ada hari di mana AS mencatatkan lebih sedikit kes harian atau kematian akibat Covid-19 berbanding Malaysia.

Untuk masa yang agak lama, Malaysia mencatatkan lebih banyak kes harian per sejuta penduduk dan kematian per sejuta penduduk yang lebih tinggi berbanding AS.

Semalam, kita berada di tempat ke-10 dunia dari segi kes Covid-19 baru setiap hari dan kematian Covid-19 baru setiap hari.

Muhyiddin tidak boleh menunggu hingga bulan September untuk membuktikan bahawa beliau masih mendapat kepercayaan majoriti Ahli Parlimen kerana jelas bahawa beliau telah kehilangan kepercayaan majoriti Ahli Parlimen.

Parlimen harus bersidang segera pada bulan Ogos dengan satu agenda sahaja — untuk membuktikan kepercayaan majoriti Ahli Parlimen kepada kerajaan Muhyiddin.

(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Khamis, 5 Ogos 2021)

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 5 August 2021, 8:14 am and is filed under
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A triple whammy in the Covid-19 pandemic yesterday after a sextuple  whammy the day before

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

Malaysia was hit with a triple whammy in the Covid-19 pandemic after a sextuple whammy the day before.

The sextuple whammy that hit Malaysia on Wednesday were:

1. Most daily Covid-19 cases – 19,819 cases.

2. Most daily Covid-19 deaths – 251 deaths.

3. Most Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission – 1,060 cases.

4. Most Active Covid-19 cases – 210,000.

5. World’s No. 10 in daily new Covid-19 cases.

6. World’s No. 10 in daily new Covid19 deaths.

It took Malaysia 10 months to reach the first 19,627 Covid-19 cases on Oct. 27, 2020 and the first 251 Covid-19 deaths on Nov. 2, 2020 but on Wednesday, Malaysia exceeded these grim numbers in one day.

Yesterday’s triple whammy for Malaysia in the Covid-19 pandemic were:

1. Most daily Covid-19 cases – 20,595 cases.

2. Breach of 10,000-mark for Covid-19 deaths – 10,019.

3. Breach of 1.2 million-mark for cumulative total of Covid-19 cases – 1,203,7089 cases.

According to Our World in Data, Malaysia’s seven-day average daily new cases per million population increased by close to sixfold between May 1 (94.2 per million population) and August 4 (536.87 per million).

At this rate of Covid-19 infections, Malaysia is heading for 64th National Day on August 31, 2021 with more than 1.5 million Covid-19 cases and more than 15,000 Covid-19 deaths and a 58th Malaysia Day on Sept. 16, 2021 with two million Covid-19 cases and some 20,000 Covid-19 deaths, earning for Malaysia probably a 25th rank among nations in the world with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases.

What are we doing to prevent Malaysia from descending lower and lower into the bowels of the worst-performing nations in the world in the Covid-19 pandemic?

This is no way to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, especially with the threat of Delta, Delta Plus and other variants.

Do we need more international reports, like the monthly Bloomberg Covid Resilience Ranking to convince Malaysians that we have catapulted to be the world’s top dozen countries which are the worst performers in the Covid-19 pandemic, whether in terms of daily new Covid-19 cases or daily new Covid-19 deaths?

We have fallen from 16th to 52nd ranking, the next lowest, in the Bloomberg Covid Resilience Ranking out of 53 economies measured in economy size of more than US$200 billion. Although Indonesia is ranked 53rd and last, we have four times higher “daily cases per million population” index than Indonesia.

The country must re-focus to gain control of the worsening Covid-19 situation, and this can only be done if three conditions are met:

1. End the major constitutional crisis plaguing the country.

2. Admit the failures so far in the 20-month war against the Covid-19 pandemic and the need for a new policy and strategy to replace the National Recovery Plan which is truly “whole-of-society” and not just in lip-service. Parliament has a major role to draft this new policy and strategy. How can the Muhyiddin policy and strategy be “whole-of-society” when it could not even be “whole-of-Parliament”?

3. Restore public trust and confidence in the new policy and strategy in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic based on “Living with Covid” instead of “Zero Covid” policy. A Parliament lockdown is a throwback to “Zero Covid” rather than “Living with Covid” policy.

The Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said yesterday that the number of new Covid-19 cases with serious symptoms will be used as a new indicator for the transition into phases 3 and 4 of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) to replace the Covid-19 new cases indicator, using as proxy new hospital admission cases for Covid-19 adapted for categories three, four and five.

The country needs a National Recovery Council to bring the Covid-19 pandemic under control and spearhead economic and national recovery in Malaysia, but not to be tied to a National Recovery Plan which had not been able to get off the ground at the end of June and compelled decision makers to rely on a state-by-state transition instead of a national transition.

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

Negara dilanda masalah tiga serangkai melibatkan Covid-19 semalam selepas menghadapi enam masalah membabitkan wabak itu kelmarin

Malaysia dilanda masalah tiga serangkai melibatkan Covid-19 semalam selepas menghadapi enam masalah membabitkan wabak itu kelmarin.

Enam masalah yang melanda Malaysia pada Rabu lalu adalah seperti berikut:

1. Kes harian Covid-19 tertinggi – 19,819 kes.

2. Kematian harian akibat Covid-19 tertinggi – 251 kematian.

3. Jumlah kemasukan pesakit ke Unit Rawatan Rapi (ICU) tertinggi – 1,060 kes.

4. Kes aktif Covid-19 tertinggi – 210,000.

5. No. 10 di dunia untuk kes harian baharu Covid-19.

6. No. 10 di dunia untuk kematian harian baharu akibat Covid-19.

Malaysia mengambil masa 10 bulan untuk mencapai 19,627 kes Covid-19 pertama pada 27 Oktober 2020 dan 251 kematian pertama pada 2 November 2020, namun pada Rabu lalu, Malaysia mencapai angka yang membimbangkan ini dalam tempoh cuma sehari.

Masalah tiga serangkai yang dihadapi Malaysia semalam adalah:

1. Kes harian Covid-19 tertinggi – 20,595 kes.

2. Memecahkan paras 10,000 kematian akibat Covid-19 – 10,019.

3. Memecahkan paras 1.2 juta jumlah kumulatif kes Covid-19 – 1,203,7089 kes.

Menurut Our World in Data, purata tujuh hari kes harian baharu per sejuta penduduk di Malaysia meningkat hampir enam kali ganda antara 1 Mei (94.2 per sejuta penduduk) dan 4 Ogos (536.87 per sejuta penduduk).

Pada kadar jangkitan ini, Malaysia bakal menuju Hari Kebangsaan ke-64 pada 31 Ogos 2021 dengan mencatatkan lebih 1.5 juta kes Covid-19 dan lebih 15,000 kematian sementara 2 juta kes Covid-19 dan kira-kira 20,000 kematian bakal dicatatkan menjelang Hari Malaysia ke-58 pada 16 September 2021, meletakkan Malaysia di tempat ke-25 antara negara-negara di dunia dengan jumlah kumulatif kes Covid-19 tertinggi.

Apa yang sedang kita lakukan untuk menghalang Malaysia daripada terus tersungkur bersama negara-negara yang menunjukkan prestasi terburuk dalam menangani wabak Covid-19?

Ini bukan cara terbaik untuk melawan wabak Covid-19, lebih-lebih lagi dengan ancaman penularan varian baharu seperti varian Delta, Delta Plus dan lain-lain.

Adakah kita memerlukan lebih banyak laporan daripada pihak antarabangsa, seperti laporan Indeks Ketahanan Covid yang dikeluarkan secara bulanan oleh Bloomberg untuk menyakinkan rakyat Malaysia bahawa kita telah tercampak jauh ke dalam kumpulan negara-negara yang menunjukkan prestasi paling buruk dalam menangani penularan Covid-19, tidak kira dalam kategori jumlah kes harian Covid-19 dan jumlah harian kematian akibat wabak itu.

Kita telah jatuh dari kedudukan ke-16 kepada kedudukan ke-52, dalam Indeks Ketahanan Covid oleh Bloomberg. Meskipun Indonesia ditempatkan di kedudukan ke-53 dan terakhir, kita merekodkan empat kali ganda “kes harian per sejuta penduduk” berbanding Indonesia.

Negara harus menetapkan semula fokus untuk mengawal situasi Covid-19 yang kian memburuk, dan ini hanya boleh dilakukan jika tiga syarat ini dipenuhi:

1. Menamatkan krisis perlembagaan yang sedang membelenggu negara ketika ini.

2. Mengakui kegagalan perang melawan Covid-19 sepanjang 20 bulan ini dan keperluan untuk merangka dasar dan strategi baharu untuk menggantikan Pelan Pemulihan Negara yang melibatkan “keseluruhan masyarakat” dan bukan sekadar cakap kosong. Parlimen mempunyai peranan besar untuk merangka dasar dan strategi baharu ini. Bagaimana mungkin dasar dan strategi Muhyiddin dilihat melibatkan “keseluruhan masyarakat” sekiranya ia tidak melibatkan “keseluruhan Parlimen”?

3. Mengembalikan keyakinan dan kepercayaan masyarakat terhadap dasar dan strategi baharu melawan Covid-19 berlandaskan dasar “hidup di samping Covid” dan bukannya “Sifar Covid”. Sekatan yang dilaksanakan di Parlimen adalah salah satu contoh penerapan dasar “Sifar Covid” dan bukannya “Hidup di samping Covid-19”.

Menteri Kewangan, Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz berkata semalam bahawa kes bergejala serius akan dijadikan indikator baharu untuk peralihan Pelan Pemulihan Negara (PPN) ke Fasa 3 dan Fasa 4 untuk menggantikan indikator kes baharu, dengan menggunakan proksi kes kemasukan hospital baharu bagi Covid-19 yang disesuaikan untuk kategori 3, 4 dan 5.

Negara ini memerlukan Majlis Pemulihan Negara untuk mengendalikan wabak Covid-19 dan menerajui usaha pemulihan negara dan ekonomi di Malaysia, tetapi tidak terikat dengan Pelan Pemulihan Negara yang belum dapat dilaksanakan pada akhir bulan Jun dan memaksa pembuat keputusan untuk bergantung pada peralihan fasa negeri-ke-negeri dan bukannya peralihan fasa melibatkan seluruh negara.

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

                This entry was posted on Friday, 6 August 2021, 8:11 am and is filed under
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Height of irresponsibility for Muhyiddin not to convene Parliament in August  when the country is heading towards 1.5 million Covid-19 cases and over 15,000 death on  64th National Day and some two million Covid-19 cases and 20,000 deaths on  58th Malaysia Day

There has been no let-up in the surge of Covid-19 cases in Malaysia as yesterday registered  a new daily  record of 20,899 Covid-19 cases and 160 new Covid-19 deaths.

Malaysia is facing a double crisis – a constitutional crisis which  has reached a new peak with the resignation of two UMNO Ministers and   the Covid-19 pandemic continuing its worst  ravages.

Malaysia should not reach a position where some 200 people are dying a day and some 20,000 people are  infected with Covid-19.

Two weeks ago, the Health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah projected that that Malaysia will reach the peak of Covid-19 transmissions in  mid-September with 24,000 cases a day, but  it appears that he was being too conservative, as the 24,000 cases a day may be reached as early as mid-August instead of mid-September.

What should be  a matter of real nation concern is  the height of irresponsibility by the Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in  not convening  Parliament in August when the country is heading towards 1.5 million Covid-19 cases and over 15,000 Covid-19 deaths on 64th National Day on August 31 and some two million Covid-19 cases and some 20,000 deaths on the 58th Malaysia Day on Sept. 16, 2021.

What is the Muhyiddin government  doing to avert these calamitous numbers on our 64th National Day or 58th Malaysia Day?

Community activist Dr. Mohamad  Rafick Khan has dissected Noor Hisham’s claim about Covid-19 in Parliament, used to justify  the shut-down of the Parliament special meeting on July 29, truncating two sittings of the  Dewan Rakyat and three  sittings of the  Dewan Negara.

Hisham Noor  said that based on the case screening conducted by the Health Ministry on the Parliament special sitting, a total of 85 cases have been found.

However  56 out of 85 positive people were tested from the pre-Parliamentary  session. This means that the 56 did not get infected in Parliament  but from elsewhere. That leaves 29 people infected positives. Another were  from close contacts i.e. they were  not from Parliament. That leaves 25 people infected during the Parliamentary sitting.

Who are these 25 people? So far no public information has been released on who is infected. None of the MPs made a public statement that they were infected. What is clear is that no one had been infected because of the parliamentary debates.

There is only one  conclusion that  the Covid-19  risk assessment of the Parliament special meeting  was presented negatively to justify the Parliament shut-down.

This should not be the act of the non-partisan public servant as it undermines his credibility.

The events of UMNO Ministers and MPs withdrawing their support from Muhyiddin after the meeting of the Prime Minister and the Yang di Pertuan Agong have created a new situation demanding the immediate meeting of Parliament in August to determine whether Muhyiddin still commands the confidence of the majority of Parliament.

Muhyiddin should not delay any  further until September and should  convene a special meeting of Parliament to determine his  future as Prime Minister of Malaysia.

(Media Statement by DAP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, 7th August 2021)

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Is Muhyiddin going to have a parallel Cabinet of Special Advisers with Ministerial status?

The appointment of Bersatu deputy president Ahmad Faizal Azumu as special adviser to the Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin with the status of Minister raises the question whether Muhyiddin is going to have a parallel Cabinet of Special Advisers with Ministerial status.

This is because there are  already two  full Ministers and  two deputy Ministers for the two portfolios of community relations and communications for which Faizal Azumu had been appointed as Special Adviser to the Prime Minister.

Are the Minister of Women, Family and  Community Development, Rina Mohd Harun, her deputy Minister, Siti Zailah Mohd Yusuf, and the Minister for Communication and Multimedia Saifuddin Abdullah and his deputy, Zahidi Zainul Abidin competently doing their jobs or have they  failed in their duties as to require a Special Adviser to the Prime Minister for these portfolios?

Would Muhyiddin need Special Advisers with Ministerial status for the other portfolios where there are already Ministers and deputy Ministers like Security, Finance, Economics, Education, Environment, Transport, Youth and Sports?

Since Azumu’s appointment on 5th August, there have been 60,742 Covid-19 cases and 534 Covid-19 deaths in the last three days  –  when it had taken  eleven months to reach the first cumulative total of 60,752 Covid-19 cases on November 26, 2020 and 12 months to reach the first cumulative total of 537 Covid-19 deaths on January 8, 2021.

Is Azumu’s focus to help get the daily  Covid-19 cases and deaths down or is it to prepare Malaysians  to accept higher daily Covid-19 cases and deaths as to reach 1.5 Covid-19 million cases and 1,500 Covid-19 deaths on the 64th National Day on August 31?

UMNO MP for Padang Rengas, Nazri Aziz, has denied that he was the person who contacted several Opposition MPs with offers for them  to defect to Perikatan Nasional.

Can  Azumu throw light on this promotion of the “frog culture” among Opposition MPs  during this critical political period. Is he in any way involved?

Oppositions MPs who had been contacted and spurned such overtures to “frog-jump” and support Perikatan Nasional government include MPs M. Kulasegaran (Ipoh Barat), Khoo Poay Tiong (Kota Melaka), Kelvin Yii (Bandar Kuching) and Cha Kee Chin (Rasah).

Apart from ministerial posts, the MPs were also offered “durian RM30”, whatever it implies.

It is most shocking and abhorrent that there are people who are  more concerned at these critical times with political games and conspiracies when the sole focus should be on  how to save Malaysia by first cutting down the daily Covid-19 cases and deaths.

For 26 consecutive days, the daily new Covid-19 cases have been in five-digit numbers, twice exceeding the 20,000-mark in the last three days.

For 27 consecutive days since July 12, except for 25th July, daily Covid-19 deaths were in three-digit figures. For the past week since August 1, the daily death rates are in the 160-257 range.

The Muhyiddin government is  still trying  the same trick and expect a different result. Shouldn’t the policy makers have a serious reset to get the case numbers and the death rates down?

We seem to be over relying on the national vaccination rollout in the war against

Covid-19 pandemic. The vaccines will help but it is not silver bullet for the Covid-19 pandemic.

Other nations like Israel, United Kingdom and United States have shown that the vaccine alone cannot solve everything.

Isn’t it time to get our medical students who may have completed their final exams or employ short term contract workers to help as frontliners to track and trace as we ramp up our testing?

When the positive rates following testing is persistently at 11-13%, it must mean that the virus is deep in the community and testing is the only way to flush them out.

Yet testing must be complemented by adequate tracking, tracing and then quarantining them.

Our frontliners are tired and exhausted. We must do whatever we can to get the cases down.

With vaccination at almost half a million daily, we have now reached 47% Malaysians given  one dose of vaccine  and 25% fully vaccinated with two doses,  but we have yet to see any effect on the case numbers and deaths.

Do we have to wait when we  reach almost 90% of Malaysians fully vaccinated?

We must be  conscious that we are in a race of “vaccine vs virus variants’  if we are not  to contest with more variants which may reach us, like Delta Plus and  Lamda Variant from Peru which are more resistant to vaccines.

The exact hospital situation as regards facilities for care of Covid patients, including ICU facilities, oxygen reserves and drugs capabilities continue as matters of concern.

I hear of alarming acute  shortage of  ICU beds in the country. There are long queues for hospital beds and an even longer queues for ICU beds. There are also reports of increasing number of patients brought in dead who were Covid-19 positive.

What is the government’s solution for these pressing problems?

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, 8th August 2021)

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 8 August 2021, 9:34 am and is filed under
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The single biggest issue of the Covid-19 pandemic is the high fatality rate with 360 new Covid-19 deaths yesterday but it  was completely omitted  by Muhyiddin in his live telecast

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

The single biggest issue of the Covid-19 pandemic is the high fatality rate with 360 new Covid-19 deaths yesterday, but it was completely omitted by the Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in his live telecast yesterday.

When emergency was proclaimed on January 11, 2021 to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, there were 551 deaths from the first 12 months of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the seven months since the proclamation of emergency, Covid-19 deaths have increased 19.5 times to the present cumulative total of 10,749 deaths.

By the present rate of Covid-19 deaths, we will break the 11,000-mark for Covid-19 deaths either today or tomorrow and heading towards more than 15,000 Covid-19 deaths by the 64th National Day on August 31 and near 20,000 Covid-19 deaths by the 58th Malaysia Day on Sept. 16, 2021 – making these two national holidays the most tragic in the nation’s history.

On 3rd July, I criticised Muhyiddin for neglecting the high Covid-19 fatality rate in Malaysia and asked the Prime Minister to direct his Covid-19 team to focus on it as it was completely unacceptable for 2,374 people to die of Covid-19 in one month of June 2021.

But one Minister who had claimed that the Covid-19 pandemic was an indicator that the government had succeeded in managing the pandemic as the people were no longer afraid of Covid-19 scoffed at my statement.

For the information of this Minister, I have as yet to find a person in the country who is not afraid of Covid-19.

Since then, the death toll from Covid-19 had worsened.

In July, there were 3,854 Covid-19 deaths and in the first eight days of August, Covid-19 deaths totalled 1,729 and Malaysia is likely to have more than 5,000 deaths in August alone.

We have performed so badly in the war against Covid-19 pandemic that we have jumped from the world’s top dozen countries in daily Covid-19 deaths to the world’s top seventh nation with 360 Covid-19 deaths yesterday.

No country with such a high Covid-19 death rate can claim to be a caring (prihatin) government as we are enacting hundreds of tragedies every day.

What is of greatest concern is that there is still no light at the end of the tunnel, as between July 7 and Aug 7, the number of patients in the ICU grew from 948 to 1,097 while the number of active cases skyrocketed from 74,344 to 224,120 in the same period, putting unprecedented pressure on the healthcare system which are on breaking point in the Klang Valley.

But the greatest indictment of the mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic is that after 20 months of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Muhyiddin government has yet to spearhead a “whole-of-society” strategy and approach in war against the Covid-19 pandemic – and the strongest evidence is the continued shutdown of Parliament and the frustration of Members of Parliament from playing their full role in the war against Covid-19 pandemic.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, 9th August 2021)

Isu terbesar wabak Covid-19 adalah kadar kematian yang tinggi dengan 360 kematian baru akibat Covid-19 dicatatkan semalam tetapi perkara itu langsung tidak disentuh oleh Muhyiddin dalam siaran langsungnya

Ketika darurat diumumkan pada 11 Januari 2021 untuk memerangi wabak Covid-19, 551 kes kematian dicatatkan dalam tempoh 12 bulan pertama penularan wabak itu di negara ini.

Dalam tempoh tujuh bulan sejak pengisytiharan darurat, kes kematian akibat Covid-19 telah meningkat 19.5 kali ganda menjadikan kes kematian kesuluruhan sebanyak 10,749.

Berdasarkan kadar kematian semasa akibat Covid-19, kita bakal memecahkan angka 11,000 kematian akibat Covid-19 sama ada hari ini atau esok dan dijangka mencatatkan lebih 15,000 kematian akibat wabak ini menjelang Hari Kebangsaan ke-64 pada 31 Ogos dan hampir 20,000 kematian menjelang Hari Malaysia ke-58 pada 16 September 2021 — menjadikan dua cuti kebangsaan ini sebagai hari paling tragis dalam sejarah negara.

Pada 3 Julai, saya mengkritik Muhyiddin kerana mengabaikan kadar kematian akibat Covid-19 yang tinggi di Malaysia dan meminta Perdana Menteri untuk mengarahkan pasukan Covid-19 untuk memberi tumpuan terhadap perkara itu kerana angka korban akibat Covid-19 yang begitu tinggi yang dicatatkan sepanjang bulan Jun iaitu sebanyak 2,374 orang adalah sesuatu yang tidak boleh diterima.

Pun begitu, terdapat seorang Menteri yang mendakwa bahawa Covid-19 adalah petunjuk bahawa kerajaan telah berjaya menguruskan wabak tersebut kerana rakyat kini tidak lagi takut terhadap Covid-19, malah beliau turut memperlekehkan kenyataan saya.

Untuk makluman Menteri tersebut, saya tidak pernah jumpa mana-mana individu pun di negara ini yang tidak takut dengan virus Covid-19.

Sejak daripada waktu itu, angka kematian akibat Covid-19 terus bertambah buruk.

Pada bulan Julai, terdapat 3,854 kes kematian akibat Covid-19 direkodkan dan dalam lapan hari pertama bulan Ogos, sebanyak 1,729 kes kematian dicatatkan dan Malaysia kemungkinan akan merekodkan lebih 5,000 kes kematian pada bulan Ogos sahaja.

Kita telah menunjukkan prestasi yang sangat buruk dalam perang melawan wabak Covid-19 sehinggakan kedudukan kita melonjak dari belasan negara teratas di dunia dalam jumlah kes kematian harian kepada negara ketujuh teratas di dunia dengan 360 kes kematian akibat wabak itu semalam.

Tiada negara yang mempunyai kadar kematian Covid-19 yang begitu tinggi yang boleh mendabik dada dengan mengatakan bahawa mereka adalah kerajaan yang prihatin ketika beratus-ratus orang telah terkorban setiap hari akibat wabak berkenaan.

Apa yang paling membimbangkan adalah bahawa seoalah-olah tiada harapan, antara 7 Julai dan 7 Ogos, jumlah pesakit di ICU meningkat dari 948 kepada 1,097 sementara jumlah kes aktif melonjak dari 74,344 kepada 224,120 dalam tempoh yang sama, memberikan tekanan yang tidak pernah terjadi sebelumnya terhadap sistem penjagaan kesihatan di Lembah Klang yang kini berada di ambang kelumpuhan.

Tetapi kesalah terbesar dalam pengendalian wabak Covid-19 adalah keengganan kerajaan Muhyiddin untuk merintis strategi dan pendekatan “keseluruhan masyarakat” dalam perang melawan Covid-19, meskipun wabak itu telah mengganas selama 20 bulan di negara ini – dan ini dapat dilihat menerusi tindakan berterusan kerajaan menutup Parlimen dan kekecewaan yang dizahirkan Ahli Parlimen ekoran tidak dapat memainkan peranan mereka sepenuhnya dalam perang melawan wabak ini.

(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Isnin, 9 Ogos 2021)

                This entry was posted on Monday, 9 August 2021, 8:21 am and is filed under
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When can  new daily Covid-19 cases be brought down  to  triple-digit numbers and daily Covid-19 deaths brought down to double-digit numbers?

When  can new daily Covid-19 cases be brought down  to triple-digit numbers and daily Covid-19 deaths brought down to double-digit numbers?

Is there anyone in the Muhyiddin government who can and dare to answer these questions?

In the last five days from from 5th to 9th August, 1,106 people died of Covid-19 and we will break the 11,000-mark  for Covid-19 deaths today.

As I had remarked before, we are heading towards a 64th National Day on August 31 with over 1.5 million Covid-19 cases and over 15,000 Covid-19 deaths.

Can we avert these calamitous figures, which will cloud our 64th National Day with unprecedented tragic colours?

Before  emergency was declared on January 11, 2021, there were  80 Covid-19 deaths in the first 10 days of January 2021, averaging  a daily death rate of eight people day.  During the emergency from January 11 to August 1, 2021, there were 8,473 Covid-19 deaths, averaging   a daily toll rate of 42 deaths – an increase of fatality rate by more than five times.

When will Malaysia return to the pre-Emergency era Covid-19 pandemic?

On Saturday, we were the world’s top No. 13th  country   in daily new Covid-19 deaths when we recorded 210 deaths, but we shot up on Sunday to world’s No. 7th country when Malaysia set a new record for daily deaths with 360 Covid-19 deaths. The fatality rate was lowered yesterday  when we recorded 212 deaths but we were   still ranked as world’s top 11th country with the most daily Covid-19 deaths.

Before the emergency, the daily new Covid-19 caseloads in the first 10 days of January ranged from 1,704 cases on January 3 to 3,027 on January 7, but we have now set a new record for 20,889 daily new Covid-19 cases on August 6. Is this the peak for the present wave or there will be a new peak?

The challenge of the policy makers is, firstly  to bring the daily new  Covid-19 cases and daily Covid-19 deaths to pre-emergency period, and secondly, to bring new daily Covid-19 cases down to   triple-digit numbers and daily Covid-19 deaths down to double-digit numbers.

When can both these goals be achieved?

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, 10th August 2021)

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 10 August 2021, 10:55 am and is filed under
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Does Malaysia want to be the world’s top five countries in daily new Covid-19 cases and new Covid-19 deaths?

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

Yesterday, we broke the 11,000-mark for Covid-19 deaths and today we will break the 1.3 million-mark for cumulative total of Covid-19 cases.

At the present rate of Covid-19 deaths, breaking the thousand mark in five or six days, we will break the 15,000-mark for Covid-19 deaths by the 64th National Day on August 31, and going by the present rate of Covid-19 infections, we will reach the cumulative total of 1.5 million Covid-19 cases by August 21 or 22nd and by National Day on August 31, we may have broken the 1.7 million mark for cumulative total of Covid-19 cases.l

Isn’t there anything that the authorities can do to avoid these calamitous numbers?

Yesterday, with 19,991 new Covid-19 cases and 201 new Covid-19 deaths, we became the World’s Top 9th country in daily new Covid-19 cases and the Word’s Top 10th country in daily new Covid-19 deaths.

Do we want to be among the world’s Top Five countries in daily new Covid-19 cases and deaths?

We have already overtaken five of the most populous countries in the world in one or both of these daily Covid-19 developments. Do we want to overtake all of the 10 most populous countries, in one or both daily Covid-19 developments?

The ten most populous countries in the world are:

1. China – 1.44 billion population

2. India – 1.39 billion

3. United States of America – 333 million

4. Indonesia – 276 million

5. Pakistan – 226 million

6. Nigeria – 212 million

7. Brazil – 214 million

8. Bangladesh – 166 million

9. Russia – 146 million

10. Mexico – 130 million

The Malaysian Health Coalition has urged the government to reconsider the relaxed restrictions announced by the Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, on Saturday based on a clear set of publicised criteria grounded in science and evidence-based as only 27 per cent of the resident population of all ages, excluding undocumented migrants, are fully vaccinated; the vaccine inequality in Malaysia ranging from 12 per cent in Sabah to 59 per cent in Labuan; ICUs, hospital wards, emergency departments and quarantine centres at breaking-point and the more transmissible and virulent Delta, Delta Plus and Lambda variants.

Yesterday was the first day of the relaxed restrictions for the fully-vaccinated, but most of the restaurant and eatery operators in phase two of the National Recovery Plan are not ready to allow fully vaccinated customers to dine at their respective premises.

The reasons given for this are worry over the number of positive Covid-19 cases and their workers not being fully vaccinated.

This give the lie to a Minister who had claimed that the Covid-19 pandemic was an indicator that the government had succeeded in managing the pandemic as the people were no longer afraid of Covid-10, as it is the strongest proof that everyone in the country is afraid of Covid-19.

This the reason for the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) calling on the government to open up economic sectors based on company-level vaccination rates with continued adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs) and periodical screening of workers.

It said failing to do so will result in more businesses folding up operations with irreparable damage to the economy and the risk of recession with a long recovery period.

FMM said global evidence indicates a fast rollout of vaccines is the answer to reopening and reviving economies regardless of the continued threats of resurgent cases due to new virus variants.

It stressed the importance of ramping up the national immunisation programme so the government may stop segregating essential and non-essential sectors, as businesses are interconnected in a way where essential sectors require support from non-essential sectors.

Will these voices of the people be heard and acted upon by the policy makers to ensure a genuine though belated “whole of society” strategy and approach in the 20-month war against Covid-19 pandemic, where there is a change of objective from “Zero Covid” to “Live with Covid”?

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, August 11, 2021)

Adakah Malaysia mahu berada dalam kategori lima negara teratas dengan jumlah kes dan kematian akibat Covid-19 tertinggi di dunia?

Semalam, kita melepasi paras 11,000 kematian terkumpul akibat Covid-19 dan hari ini pula, kita akan melepasi paras 1.3 juta kes Covid-19 terkumpul.

Pada kadar semasa, mengumpulkan seribu kematian dalam lima atau enam hari, kita akan mencapai paras 15,000 kematian akibat Covid-19 menjelang Hari Kebangsaan ke-64 pada 31 Ogos 2021. Manakala untuk jumlah kes terkumpul pula, kita kelihatan seperti bakal mencapai 1.5 juta kes terkumpul dalam negara menjelang Ogos 21 atau 22, dan mencatatkan lebih daripada 1.7 juta kes terkumpul menjelang 31 Ogos.

Tidak adakah apa-apa yang boleh dilakukan pihak berkuasa untuk mengubah hala tuju angka-angka ini?

Semalam, dengan 19,991 kes baharu dan 201 kematian akibat Covid-19, kita telah tergolong dalam sembilan negara teratas di dunia dengan jumlah jangkitan baharu tertinggi dan berada di tempat ke-10 dengan jumlah kematian tertinggi.

Adakah kita mahu berada dalam kategori lima negara teratas dengan jumlah kes dan kematian akibat Covid-19 tertinggi di dunia?

Kita telah pun mengatasi lima negara dengan jumlah penduduk tertinggi dalam salah satu atau kedua-dua ukuran ini. Adakah kita mahu mengatasi semua 10 negara dengan jumlah penduduk tertinggi di dunia dengan ukuran kes baharu atau kematian ini pula?

Sepuluh negara dengan jumlah penduduk tertinggi di dunia adalah:

1. China 1.44 bilion penduduk

2. India 1.39 bilion

3. Amerika Syarikat 333 juta

4. Indonesia 276 juta

5. Pakistan 226 juta

6. Nigeria 212 juta

7. Brazil 214 juta

8. Bangladesh 166 juta

9. Rusia 146 juta

10. Mexico 130 juta

Gabungan Kesihatan Malaysia telah menggesa kerajaan untuk mempertimbangkan semula kelonggaran sekatan aktiviti yang diumumkan Perdana Menteri Muhyiddin Yassin pada hari Sabtu, dengan kriteria yang jelas yang berasaskan kepada sains dan maklumat yang ada, memandangkan hanya 27 peratus penduduk di Malaysia, tanpa mengira migran tanpa dokumen, yang telah menerima vaksinasi lengkap. Begitu juga dengan masalah perbezaan pengedaran vaksin, dengan kadar vaksinasi 12% di Sabah dan 59% di Labuan sebagai contoh, kadar penggunaan katil hospital dan unit rawatan rapi juga amat tinggi, ditambah buruk lagi dengan penularan varian-varian baharu seperti Delta, Delta Plus, dan Lambda.

Semalam adalah hari pertama pelaksanaan kelonggaran aktiviti untuk mereka yang telah menerima vaksinasi penuh, tetapi kebanyakan restoran dalam kawasan di dalam Fasa 2 Program Pemulihan Negara tidak bersedia untuk membenarkan pelanggan makan di kedai mereka.

Antara alasan yang diberikan adalah kebimbangan mengenai angka kes positif yang tinggi dan juga para pekerja mereka yang masih belum menerima vaksinasi lengkap.

Perkara ini sekali lagi mendedahkan penipuan kenyataan seorang Menteri yang mengatakan bahawa wabak ini adalah bukti yang kerajaan telah berjaya mengendalikan pandemik ini dengan baik kerana orang ramai tidak lagi bimbang mengenai wabak ini, di mana perkara ini menjadi bukti terkuat yang orang ramai masih amat bimbang mengenai penularan Covid-19.

Kerana itulah Persekutuan Pembuatan Malaysia (FMM) menyeru kepada kerajaan untuk membuka semula sektor ekonomi berdasarkan kadar vaksinasi di peringkat syarikat masing-masing, dengan terus mematuhi prosedur operasi standard dan saringan berkala untuk pekerja.

Mereka mengatakan yang kegagalan untuk berbuat demikian akan menyebabkan lebih banyak perniagaan gulung tikar dengan kerosakan mendalam kepada ekonomi negara dan juga tempoh kemelesetan ekonomi yang berpanjangan.

FMM mengatakan bukti di peringkat antarabangsa menunjukkan yang pelaksanaan vaksinasi secara pantas adalah jawapan untuk membuka semula dan menggerakkan ekonomi walaupun berhadapan dengan ancaman kes akibat varian baharu.

Badan tersebut juga menekankan kepentingan untuk mempercepatkan program imunisasi kebangsaan supaya kerajaan boleh berhenti mengasingkan sektor penting dan tidak penting, memandangkan semua perniagaan berkait rapat antara satu sama lain di mana sektor-sektor penting memerlukan sokongan daripada sektor bukan penting.

Adakah suara-suara ini akan didengari dan tindakan akan diambil oleh para pembuat dasar untuk memastikan adanya strategi dan pendekatan yang melibatkan “keseluruhan masyarakat” selepas 20 bulan bergelut dengan wabak Covid-19, yang memerlukan perubahan pendekatan daripada usaha untuk mencapai “Sifar kes Covid” kepada pendekatan yang lebih selari dengan cara untuk “hidup bersama” wabak ini?

(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Rabu, 11 Ogos 2021)

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 11 August 2021, 8:44 am and is filed under
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Police should not misuse their powers by trampling on the constitutional rights of Malaysians to freedom of speech and expression

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

The Police should not misuse their powers by tramping on the constitutional rights of Malaysians to freedom of speech and expression.

The swift and draconian actions by the police against four persons over claims they insulted the Kedah Mentri Besar Mohammad Sanusi Md Nor have shocked and revolted Malaysians, in particular the way a 61-year-old senior citizen who had called Sanusi “stupid” for his remark about containers being used as a morgue had been arrested in Lenggeng in Negri Semibilan and dragged to Kedah for investigations.

It is time that the Inspector-General of Police, Acryl Sani Abdullah intervene and be mindful of the image the police want to project – that the police is a friend and protector of the citizen and not officialdom and that Malaysia is not a police state – and ensure that the police image is not undermined by over-zealous police personnel who misconstrue their role and duties.

After all, Sanusi Nor has full access to civil action to clear his name.

The call by a civil society coalition for health and police services to be scrutinised by Parliament Special Select Committees to ensure accountability and impartiality of their services is most timely and appropriate as the police action on the Kedah Mentri Besar’s rash and unwise remarks could only undermine public trust and police image.

The police officials responsible for the arrests across states over the Kedah Mentri Besar’s remarks at a time of Covid-19 pandemic should be hauled up before the Parliamentary Select Committee to justify their inconsiderate and draconian actions.

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, 11th August 2021)

Polis tidak sepatutnya menyalahgunakan kuasanya dengan menidakkan hak kebebasan bersuara dan berpendapat rakyat Malaysia

Pihak Polis tidak boleh menyalahgunakan kuasanya dengan menidakkan hak kebebasan bersuara dan berpendapat rakyat Malaysia.

Tindakan pantas dan tidak berpatutan oleh pihak Polis terhadap empat orang atas dakwaan mereka telah menghina Menteri Besar Kedah, Mohammad Sanusi Md Nor, telah mengejutkan rakyat Malaysia, terutamanya tentang bagaimana seorang warga emas berusia 61 tahun — yang memanggil Sanusi “bodoh” kerana kenyataannya mengenai penggunaan kontena untuk menyimpan jenazah mangsa Covid — yang telah diheret dari Lenggeng di Negeri Sembilan ke Kedah untuk siasatan.

Sudah tiba masanya untuk Ketua Polis Negara, Acryl Sani Abdullah, masuk campur untuk menjaga imej pasukan polis, sebagai rakan dan pelindung rakyat, bukannya pelindung mereka yang berkuasa sahaja, dan untuk mengekalkan pandangan bahawa Malaysia bukanlah sebuah negara polis, untuk mengelakkan tindakan sesetengah anggota yang mungkin akan mencemarkan maruah pasukan polis secara amnya.

Sedangkan Sanusi sentiasa mempunyai ruang untuk mengambil tindakan sivil untuk membersihkan namanya sendiri.

Seruan daripada persatuan sivil, untuk perkhidmatan kesihatan dan polis diteliti oleh Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Parlimen untuk memastikan terdapat semangat bertanggung jawab amatlah bertepatan masanya. Tindakan Polis mengenai kenyataan kasar dan tidak senonoh Menteri Besar Kedah ini hanya akan mencemarkan maruah pasukan polis dan menghakis kepercayaan rakyat kepada pasukan polis.

Pegawai polis yang bertanggungjawab ke atas penangkapan merentas negeri mengenai kenyataan Menteri Besar Kedah semasa negara sedang dilanda wabak Covid-19 ini perlu dibawa ke Jawatankuasa Khas Parlimen untuk memberikan penjelasan mengenai tindakan mereka yang drakonian dan tidak berpatutan.

(Kenyataan Media (2) oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Rabu, 11 Ogos 2021)

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 11 August 2021, 12:43 pm and is filed under
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