#kerajaangagal103 – Can Hamzah impose his will on the Muhyiddin Cabinet that  Parliament can only meet when herd immunity against coronavirus is achieved?

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

It is most intriguing why the Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, is keeping so quiet on the bizarre idea of the Home Minister, Hamzah Zainuddin  that the Malaysian Parliament can only meet when herd immunity against Covid-19 is achieved by the end of the year.

Hamzah first came out with this bizarre idea last Friday on 4th June and it was regarded as quite a looney one. I had observed that it was fortunate that Hamzah’s idea had not “infected” the rest of the world or it would be the death knell for democracy.

But when Hamzah repeated the idea yesterday, when he poured cold water on the  proposal to set up a hybrid Parliament during the emergency and publicly humiliated not only the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Parliament), Takiyuddin Hassan, who announced the proposal for a hybrid Parliament, but also the Dewan Rakyat speaker, Dewan Negara president, the  Dewan Negara deputy president, both deputy speakers of the Dewan Rakyat, and Parliament’s chief administrator who are  currently studying the proposal, Hamzah’s bizarre  idea must be taken more seriously.

Can Hamzah impose his will on the Muhyiddin Cabinet that Parliament can only meet when herd immunity against coronavirus is achieved?

I had expected the bloated Muhyiddin Cabinet to shoot down Hamzah’s bizarre idea on  Wednesday and the end of Hamzah’s bizarre idea.

But when Hamzah’s repeated his bizarre idea yesterday,  we have to take his proposition more seriously.

If Hamzah is to have his way, then Malaysia will be the first country in the world where its Parliament can only meet when the country achieves herd immunity against Covid-19.

This runs counter to all international practices, whether Congress in the United States, House of Commons in UK,  the Lok Sabha in India or the Diet in Japan, as no Parliament in the world has  subjected its proceedings to the question whether herd immunity against Covid-19 had been achieved in the country!

Especially when nobody knows whether  herd immunity against Covid-19 is achievable or not.

The Muhyiddin government has expressed confidence that it could achieve herd immunity by the end of the year but it dare not  reveal its timeline as to how this herd immunity is to be achieved.

The Muhyiddin Cabinet must be aware that   expert medical opinion are coming round to the view that herd immunity against Covid-19 may be impossible because of vaccine hesitancy, the emergence of new variants which are more deadly and more transmissible and the delayed arrival of vaccination for children.

Is Hamzah suggesting that if herd immunity against Covid-19 proves to be impossible, the Malaysian Parliament should remain suspended and should not meet all at?

When Muhyiddin or Khariy Jamaluddin is talking about achieving herd immunity, they are referring to vaccinating 80% of the adult  population which is very different from 80% of the population.

At present,  the National Immunisation Programme (NIP) only aims to vaccinate those above the age of 18. But this category represents only about 65% of the population. This means that even if (and this is a very big IF) we reach 80% of the adult population, it only represents some 52% of the population –  a long way from the required 80% of the population required to achieve herd immunity against

Covid-19.

I suspect this is the reason why neither Muhyiddin nor Khairy is prepared to unveil the government’s timeline to achieve herd immunity against  Covid-19, for nobody knows whether we will ever achieve vaccination rate of 80% of the Malaysian population – as distinct from 80% of the population over 18 years old.

Even the latter objective is problematic if we go by the rate of registration for vaccination.

So if the attainment of herd immunity by vaccinating 80% of the population (as distinct from 80% of the adult population) is so chimerical and uncertain, will the Malaysian Parliament be suspended indefinitely?

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, June 12, 2021)

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

#kerajaangagal103 — Adakah Hamzah boleh membuatkan Kabinet bersetuju bahawa Parlimen hanya boleh bersidang apabila kita semua telah mencapai imuniti kelompok?

Amatlah pelik apabila Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, berdiam diri terhadap kenyataan tidak masuk akal daripada Menteri Dalam Negeri, Hamzah Zainuddin yang mengatakan Parlimen hanya boleh bersidang apabila kita sudah berjaya mencapai imuniti kelompok menjelang penghujung tahun ini.

Hamzah mula membangkitkan idea ini pada hari Jumaat lepas, 4 Jun, dan idea ini dianggap sebagai tidak masuk akal. Saya memerhatikan yang kita bernasib baik kerana idea ini tidak “menjangkiti” keseluruhan dunia, kerana tidak, perkara ini pastinya akan membunuh demokrasi.

Tetapi apabila beliau menyebut sekali lagi mengenai idea ini semalam, semasa beliau cuba mengetapikan cadangan untuk mengadakan sidang parlimen hibrid semasa darurat sambil memalukan bukan sahaja Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri (Hal Ehwal Undang-undang dan Parlimen), Takiyuddin Hassan, tetapi juga Speaker Dewan Rakyat, Speaker Dewan Negara, dan Timbalan-timbalan Speaker Dewan Rakyat dan Dewan Negara dan Ketua Pentadbir Parlimen yang sedang meneliti cadangan ini, idea Hamzah ini perlu dipandang serius.

Adakah Hamzah boleh membuatkan Kabinet bersetuju bahawa Parlimen hanya boleh bersidang apabila kita semua telah mencapai imuniti kelompok?

Saya telah jangkakan yang Kabinet gergasi Muhyiddin akan menolak cadangan Hamzah ini pada hari Rabu dan menamatkan idea tidak masuk akal ini. Tetapi apabila beliau mengulangi idea ini, kita perlu memandang perkara ini dengan serius.

Sekiranya Hamzah berjaya, Malaysia akan menjadi negara pertama di dunia yang mana Parlimennya hanya boleh bersidang selepas negara mencapai imuniti kelompok.

Perkara ini berlawanan dengan semua amalan antarabangsa, baik di Amerika Syarikat, United Kingdom, atau India, tidak ada mana-mana Parlimen di dunia yang menetapkan persidangannya mengikut sama ada negara telah mencapai imuniti kelompok atau tidak.

Perkara ini lagi tidak masuk akal apabila kita sendiri tidak pasti sama ada kita akan mencapai imuniti kelompok atau tidak.

Kerajaan Muhyiddin telah menunjukkan keyakinan yang kita akan mencapai imuniti kelompok ini menjelang akhir tahun, tetapi mereka tidak berani mendedahkan garis masa untuk mencapai sasaran ini.

Kerajaan Muhyiddin perlu sedar yang terdapat pendapat pakar perubatan yang mengatakan mungkin mustahil untuk mencapai imuniti kelompok terhadap Covid-19 akibat keengganan menerima vaksin, kemunculan variasi baharu, dan kelewatan vaksinasi untuk kanak-kanak.

Adakah Hamzah cuba mengatakan yang sekiranya mustahil untuk kita capai imuniti kelompok, makan Parlimen Malaysia patut digantung selamanya?

Apabila Muhyiddin atau Khairy bercakap mengenai mencapai imuniti kelompok, mereka bercakap mengenai memberikan vaksin kepada 80% orang dewasa, satu perkara yang sangat berbeza dengan memberikan vaksin kepada 80% populasi.

Setakat ini, Program Imunisasi Covid-19 Kebangsaan (PICK) hanya menyasarkan untuk memberikan vaksin kepada mereka yang berusia 18 tahun ke atas. Tetapi sekiranya kategori ini hanya membentuk 65% populasi dalam negara, kita hanya akan berjaya memberikan vaksin kepada 52% populasi sekiranya kita memberikan vaksin kepada 80% orang dewasa dalam negara — jauh daripada 80% populasi yang diperlukan untuk mencapai imuniti kelompok terhadap Covid-19.

Saya syak, inilah sebabnya mengapa Muhyiddin atau Khairy keberatan untuk mendedahkan jangka masa kerajaan untuk mencapai imuniti kelompok.

Untuk mencapai imunisasi kepada 80% orang dewasa di Malaysia pun kelihatan seperti satu cabaran yang besar sekiranya kita melihat kepada kadar pendaftaran vaksinasi.

Jadi, jika hendak mencapai 80% populasi divaksinasi (bukannya 80% orang dewasa sahaja) adalah satu perkara yang tidak pasti, adakah Parlimen Malaysia akan digantung selamanya?

(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri, Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Sabtu, 12 Jun 2021)

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 12 June 2021, 8:57 am and is filed under
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#kerajaangagal104 – Malaysia has really fallen on very  bad times with the country becoming a joke in the international circles

Malaysia has  really fallen on very bad times with the country becoming a joke in international circles.

The Covid-19 pandemic has come as a  disguised blessing in banning international travel for Malaysians cannot hold their heads high in foreign countries.

We have a Prime Minister who have put the country under a five-month emergency to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, but unlike countries which have not declared any emergency, new Covid-19 cases and deaths continue to soar.

On November 18, 2020, we ranked No. 85 among countries with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases.  Yesterday,  some seven months later,  with  646,411  cases we are  now ranked No. 39 among countries with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases. We are likely to overtake Austria today  and be  ranked No. 38.

For daily cases per million of population yesterday, we beat the world’s  top 20 nations with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases   except three countries –   Brazil, Argentina and Colombia.

So far, 3,684 people have died of Covid-19 in Malaysia – 3,133 deaths during the five months of the emergency since January 11, 2021 as compared to 551 deaths in the first 12 months of the Covid-19 pandemic before the emergency.

There were 84 Covid-19 deaths in Malaysia yesterday compared to 17 deaths in United Kingdom which had a peak daily increase of   1,823 Covid-19  deaths on January 20, 2021.

There is  an intriguing shadow play as to who would  helm the government as if the days of Muhyiddin Yassin as Prime Minister are numbered, with rumours of a Hishammuddin-Azmin combination and talks of Tengku Razaleigh as interim Prime Minister and a return of a NOC-rule, which is completely unsuitable and  inappropriate in Malaysia of 2021!

We have a Home Minister who wants Malaysia to gain further infamy by being the first nation in the which would only allow its Parliament to meet if the nation achieves herd immunity against Covid-19, although nobody knows whether this herd immunity  is achievable.

Furthermore, this Home Minister seems to be working at cross purpose from the Minister co-ordinating vaccines in wanting to launch manhunts against undocumented migrant workers, regardless of its consequences on the national immunisation programme.

We have a Transport Minister who is better described as a Minister for Gobbledygook, who held a news conference on the report on the collision between two Light Rail Transit (LRT) trains in Kuala Lumpur  on May 24 and  nobody understood what he said, which led columnist Mariam Mohtar to write an article entitled: “11 reasons why minister Wee should resign”.

The only thing in Wee’s gobbledygook news conference that the public could understand was when the Minister said it was not  the investigating committee’s job to “apportion blame nor liability on any party” – which seemed to defeat the very purpose of the  inquiry.

Former Transport Minister Anthony Loke has said that if he was the minister in charge, he would have definitely made the report public as soon as it was presented to the Cabinet. What is Wee hiding?

We have a Senior Defence Minister who gave a graphic account of closing the front door but lamenting that the backdoor was available.

We have a Special Functions Minister specifically in charge of National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) who have been especially excluded from the National Security Council on the Covid-19 disaster who questioned the government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic in particular on the national immunisation programme.

And we have the most bloated Cabinet in Malaysian history – faceless and nameless Ministers whom the Malaysian public would not be able to recognise when stumbling into them anywhere in Malaysia.

It is tragic and a national disgrace that those in power cannot see that the  answer to the Covid-19 pandemic  is to convene Parliament and the State Assemblies to restore public trust and confidence in the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic by ending all Covid-19 SOP flip-flops, U-turns and double-standards and to launch a national mobilisation of a  “whole-of-society” strategy and approach in the war against Covid-19 pandemic.

Until then, the times will continue to be very bad  for Malaysians and the country will continue to be a laughing stock in international circles.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, June 12, 2021)

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 12 June 2021, 4:02 pm and is filed under
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#kerajaangagal105 – Muhyiddin should not move the goalpost from his telecast on January 12 that the Special Independent Committee and not the Cabinet or the designated Minister will advise the Yang di Pertuan Agong  whether the  emergency will be extended on 1st August 2021

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

Malaysia seems to moving towards a serious constitutional crisis.

The Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, should not move the goalpost from his national  telecast on January 12 that the Special Independent Committee and not the Cabinet or the designated Minister will advise  the Yang di Pertuan Agong on  whether the  emergency declared on January 11 will be extended on August 1, 2021.

In his January 12 national telecast, Muhyiddin announced an Independent Special Committee  to advise the Yang di Pertuan Agong “whether a major emergency still exist to continue with the period of Emergency Proclamation or terminate the Proclamation earlier than the date designated”.

This is a solemn commitment by the Prime Minister that the question whether Emergency Proclamation would be extended on August 1 would not be exercised under Article 40(1) which provides that the Yang di Pertuan Agong shall act in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet or of a Minister acting under the general authority of the Cabinet, but by the advice of the Independent Special Committee established under the 2021 Emergency Ordinance.

The Muhyiddin Cabinet is now estopped from insisting that it is the Cabinet’s responsibility to advise the Yang di Pertuan Agong whether or not the emergency should be extended, as argued by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law), Takiyuddin Hassan, yesterday.

The Prime Minister has given his word that this constitutional function will  now be exercised by the Special Independent Committee – which was probably why it was headed by the former Chief Justice, Arifin Zakaria – and the Prime Minister will be accused of being untrustworthy and not keeping his word if he now dishonour his commitment in his national telecast of January 12, 2021.

I agree with the Health director-general, Noor Hisham Abdullah that the King has the discretion whether  to extend the emergency based on the advice of Special Independent Committee as the Prime Minister had made this very clear in his January 12 national telecast.

As the Dewan Rakayt Deputy Speaker, Azalina Othman tweeted last night, the government will be shifting the goalposts on when the emergency will end if Takiyuddin insists that the Cabinet or the designated Minister will advise the Yang di Pertuan Agong on whether or not to extend the emergency.

As Azalina rightly asked: “If that’s the case (that the cabinet will advise the king), what’s the point of forming an Independent Special Committee to advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong under Section 2(1) of the Emergency Ordinance 2021?”

In actual fact, the events of the last five  months of the emergency have validated the legitimate  doubts whether a proclamation of  emergency and the suspension of Parliament and State Assemblies were the  proper solutions to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Unlike countries which have not declared any emergency, new Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 deaths have continued to soar until there is a two-week extension of MCO 3.0.

On November 18, 2020, we ranked No. 85 among countries with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases.

Some seven months later,  with  652,204 Covid-19  cases yesterday, we overtook Austria and is now ranked No. 38 among countries with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases.

China, which topped the world at the start of the pandemic, is now No. 98 with 91,394 Covid-19 cases.

For daily cases per million of population yesterday, we beat the world’s  top 37 nations with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases   except for four  countries in South America  –   Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Chile.

So far, 3,844 people have died of Covid-19 in Malaysia – 3,293 deaths during the five months of the emergency since January 11, 2021 or seven times the fatalities in the five months of emergency  as compared to 551 deaths in the first 12 months of the Covid-19 pandemic before the emergency.

In terms of daily deaths per million population yesterday, we lost out to six of 37 countries which topped the world with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases – Brazil, Argentina, Colombia,  Chile, Peru and Romania.

There were 76 Covid-19 deaths in Malaysia yesterday compared to 12 deaths in United Kingdom which had a peak daily increase of 1,823 Covid-19  deaths on January 20, 2021.

It is clear that that proclamation of emergency to combat the  Covid-19 pandemic is a dismal failure, and horror of horrors, there is now a suggestion that Parliament should not convene until Malaysia achieves herd immunity against Covid-19 – especially as this may never happen.

Many lawyers are of the view that it is unconstitutional to suspend Parliament as it will be unconstitutional to suspend the Judiciary, because the Malaysian Constitution is founded on the doctrine of separation of powers.

It is time to return to constitutionality – to uphold the doctrine of separation of powers and Malaysia being  founded on constitutional monarchy based on parliamentary democracy.

Parliament and the State Assemblies should be  convened immediately  to restore  public trust and confidence in the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, end all Covid-19 SOP flip-flops, U-turns and double-standards and launch a national mobilisation of a  “whole-of-society” strategy and approach in the war against Covid-19 pandemic.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, June 13, 2021)

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

#kerajaangagal105 — Muhyiddin tidak boleh lari dari apa yang dijanjikan dalam perutusannya pada 12 Januari bahawa Jawatankuasa Bebas Khas dan bukan Kabinet atau Menteri yang akan menasihati Yang di Pertuan Agong sama ada darurat akan diperpanjang pada 1 Ogos 2021

Malaysia nampaknya sedang menuju ke arah satu krisis perlembagaan yang serius.

Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, tidak boleh lari dari apa yang dijanjikan dalam perutusannya pada 12 Januari bahawa Jawatankuasa Bebas Khas dan bukan Kabinet atau Menteri yang akan memberi nasihat kepada Yang di Pertuan Agong mengenai sama ada darurat yang diumumkan pada 11 Januari akan disambung pada 1 Ogos 2021.

Dalam siaran langsung beliau pada 12 Januari, Muhyiddin mengumumkan penubuhan sebuah Jawatankuasa Khas Bebas untuk menasihati Yang di Pertuan Agong “sama ada masih ada keperluan untuk meneruskan tempoh Proklamasi Darurat atau menghentikan Perisytiharan lebih awal dari tarikh yang ditentukan”.

Ini adalah komitmen serius Perdana Menteri bahawa perkara mengenai pelanjutan Pengisytiharan Darurat pada 1 Ogos tidak tertakluk di bawah Artikel 40 (1) yang menetapkan bahawa Yang di Pertuan Agong akan bertindak sesuai dengan nasihat Kabinet atau seorang Menteri yang bertindak di bawah kuasa umum Kabinet, sebaliknya atas nasihat Jawatankuasa Khas Bebas yang ditubuhkan di bawah Ordinan Darurat 2021.

Kabinet Muhyiddin kini terhalang daripada menegaskan bahawa menjadi tanggungjawab Kabinet untuk memberi nasihat kepada Yang di Pertuan Agong sama ada darurat harus diperpanjang atau tidak, seperti yang dibahaskan oleh Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri (Parlimen dan Undang-Undang), Takiyuddin Hassan semalam.

Perdana Menteri telah menyatakan kata-katanya bahawa fungsi perlembagaan ini sekarang akan dilaksanakan oleh Jawatankuasa Bebas Khas — yang diketuai oleh seorang mantan Ketua Hakim Negara, Arifin Zakaria — dan Perdana Menteri akan dituduh sebagai seorang tidak boleh dipercayai dan seorang mengkhianati janjinya sendiri sekiranya beliau memungkiri janji beliau dalam siaran langsung pada 12 Januari 2021.

Saya setuju dengan Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan, Noor Hisham Abdullah bahawa Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di Pertuan Agong mempunyai budi bicara sama ada untuk memperpanjang darurat berdasarkan nasihat Jawatankuasa Bebas Khas seperti mana yang dijelaskan oleh Perdana Menteri dalam siaran langsung 12 Januari beliau.

Seperti yang dikemukakan oleh Timbalan Speaker Dewan Rakyat, Azalina Othman malam tadi, kerajaan hanya akan “mengalihkan tiang gol” mengenai bila darurat akan berakhir sekiranya Takiyuddin menegaskan bahawa Kabinet atau Menteri yang dilantik akan memberi nasihat kepada Yang di Pertuan Agong mengenai perkara ini.

Sepertimana yang ditanyakan Azalina: “Jika demikian (kabinet akan menasihati Yang di Pertuan Agong), apa gunanya membentuk Jawatankuasa Khas Bebas untuk menasihati Yang di-Pertuan Agong di bawah Seksyen 2 (1) Ordinan Darurat 2021?”

Pada hakikatnya, peristiwa darurat selama lima bulan terakhir telah mengesahkan keraguan mengenai sama ada pengisytiharan darurat dan penggantungan Parlimen dan Dewan Negeri adalah penyelesaian yang tepat untuk wabak Covid-19.

Tidak seperti negara-negara yang belum mengisytiharkan darurat, kes Covid-19 baru dan kematian Covid-19 terus melambung sehingga berlanjutan PKP 3.0 selama dua minggu.

Pada 18 November 2020, kita menduduki tempat ke-85 di antara negara-negara dengan jumlah kes Covid-19 terkumpul tertinggi.

Kira-kira tujuh bulan kemudian, dengan 652,204 kes Covid-19 semalam, kita mengatasi Austria dan kini berada di kedudukan ke-38 di antara negara-negara dengan jumlah kes Covid-19 terkumpul tertinggi.

China, yang mendahului dunia pada awal penularan wabak ini, kini berada di tempat ke-98 dengan 91,394 kes Covid-19.

Untuk kes baharu per sejuta penduduk semalam, kita mengalahkan 37 negara dengan jumlah kes Covid-19 terkumpul kecuali empat negara di Amerika Selatan — Brazil, Argentina, Colombia dan Chile.

Setakat ini, 3,844 orang telah meninggal dunia akibat Covid-19 di Malaysia – 3.293 kematian dalam tempoh lima bulan darurat sejak 11 Januari 2021 atau tujuh kali kematian dalam lima bulan darurat berbanding dengan 551 kematian dalam 12 bulan pertama wabak Covid-19 sebelum darurat.

Dari segi korban harian per juta penduduk semalam, kami kehilangan enam dari 37 negara yang menduduki tempat teratas di dunia dengan jumlah kes Covid-19 yang paling terkumpul – Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru dan Romania.

Terdapat 76 kematian Covid-19 di Malaysia semalam berbanding 12 kematian di United Kingdom yang mengalami kenaikan harian tertinggi iaitu 1.823 kematian Covid-19 pada 20 Januari 2021.

Jelas bahawa pengisytiharan darurat untuk memerangi wabak Covid-19 adalah kegagalan yang menyedihkan, kini ada cadangan bahawa Parlimen tidak boleh bersidang sehingga Malaysia mencapai kekebalan terhadap Covid-19 — terutamanya kerana ini mungkin tidak akan pernah berlaku berlaku.

Sebilangan besar peguam berpendapat bahawa tindakan menggantung Parlimen tidak sah dari segi perlembagaan, seperti mana tidak sah untuk digantung bidang Kehakiman, memandangkan Perlembagaan Malaysia diasaskan pada doktrin pemisahan kuasa.

Sudah tiba masanya untuk kembali ke prinsip berperlembagaan — untuk menegakkan doktrin pemisahan kuasa dan Malaysia yang berasaskan kepada sistem raja berperlembagaan dengan demokrasi berparlimen.

Sidang Parlimen dan Dewan Negeri harus segera diadakan untuk mengembalikan kepercayaan dan keyakinan masyarakat dalam menangani wabak Covid-19, mengakhiri semua SOP Covid-19 yang kucar-kacir dan mengelirukan dan melancarkan mobilisasi nasional dengan strategi dan pendekatan melibatkan “keseluruhan masyarakat” dalam perang melawan Covid-19.

(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri, Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Ahad, 13 Jun 2021)

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 13 June 2021, 8:50 am and is filed under
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#kerajaangagal106 – Takiyuddin is talking bunkum –  Is Muhyiddin the Prime Minister or can every Minister pretend that he or she is the Prime Minister?

The de facto Law Minister, Takiyuddin Hassan is talking bunkum.

Where is the Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin? Does he understand what he announced in his national telecast on January 12, 2021?

Is Muhyiddin the Prime Minister or can every Minister can pretend that he or she is the Prime Minister?

Takiyuddin Hassan has denied that the cabinet was “shifting goalposts” as to when the emergency period should come to an end. He said the cabinet was only “correcting” rules to help the “referee” make the right decision.

What does Takiyuddin mean what he said he was merely “correcting” the rules when he  corrected the Health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah for saying that only the king had the discretion to extend the emergency by pointing out that it was the Cabinet’s responsibility to advise the Yang di Pertuan Agong whether or not the emergency should be extended.

The constitutional rules on the “Yang di Pertuan Agong acting on advice” are crystal clear. They are  set out in Article 40, as follows:

“Article 40. (1) In the exercise of his functions under this Constitution or federal law the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall act in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet or of a Minister acting under the general authority of the Cabinet, except as otherwise provided by this Constitution; but shall be entitled, at his request, to any information concerning the government of the Federation which is available to the Cabinet.

 “(1A) In the exercise of his functions under this Constitution or federal law, where the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is to act in accordance with advice, on advice, or after considering advice, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall accept and act in accordance with such advice.

“(2) The Yang di-Pertuan Agong may act in his discretion in the performance of the following functions, that is to say:

(a) the appointment of a Prime Minister;

(b) the withholding of consent to a request for the dissolution of Parliament;

(c) the requisition of a meeting of the Conference of Rulers concerned solely with the privileges, position, honours and dignities of Their Royal Highnesses, and any action at such a meeting, and in any other case mentioned in this Constitution.”

However, in his national telecast on January 12 announcing the emergency proclaimed by the Yang di Pertuan Agong the previous day, Muhyiddin sought to allay reservations about the emergency as a proper remedy to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic and possible abuses of power.

This was where in his national telecast on January 12, Muhyiddin announced a Special Independent Committee and gave an  implicit undertaking that  it is the Special Independent Committee  and  not the Cabinet or the designated Minister  who will advise  the Yang di Pertuan Agong on  whether the  emergency declared on January 11 will be extended on August 1, 2021.

Strict constitutionalists would argue that the powers of the Cabinet or the designated Minister cannot be delegated, but if the Prime Minister has given an implicit public undertaking that it is the Special Independent Committee and not the Cabinet or designated Minister who will advise the Yang di Pertuan Agong “whether a major emergency still exist to continue with the period of Emergency Proclamation or terminate the Proclamation earlier than the date designated”, is Muhyiddin to dishonour such a solemn  implicit public undertaking?

Had the Prime Minister been wrongly advised by the de facto Law Minister to give such an implicit public undertaking?

If it is the Cabinet or the designated Minister who is going to advise the Yang di Pertuan Agong on whether to extend the emergency on August 1, why then set up a Special Independent Committee headed by the former Chief Justice and comprising former public officials and Members of Parliament?

Where is the Prime Minister?

This is the time for  Muhyiddin to speak up.

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, June 13, 2021)

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 13 June 2021, 10:35 am and is filed under
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#kerajaangagal107 – The entire 19-member  Special Independent Committee headed by Arifin Zakaria should meet the Prime Minister and ask for  an assurance that it is the Special Independent Committee and not the Cabinet or designated Minister who will advise the Yang di Pertuan Agong on whether to extend the emergency on August 1, 2021 or it might as well be disbanded

In the era of 24/7, the 24-hour  silence of the Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on a vital constitutional  issue like the extension of the emergency  is a most  extraordinary thing.

Is it because the Prime Minister is out of his depth on the constitutional issue  and uncertain of the import of what he said in his national telecast on January 12, 2021 about the Special Independent Committee to advise the Yang di Pertuan Agong on whether the emergency proclamation of January 11, 2021 is to be extended or ended, or whether it is because this is the crown of all SOP flips-flops, U-turns and double-standards by the Perikatan Nasional Government  in the last 18 months since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic or is it because the Prime Minister  could not get the Attorney-General to advise him on this vital  constitutional issue on a Sunday?

The whole country is waiting for a statement from the Prime Minister since the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Takiyuddin Hassan, triggered a storm yesterday dismissing the importance and role of the Special Independent Committee in advising the Yang di Pertuan Agong on the emergency issue, insisting that the Constitution on the “Yang di Pertuan Agong acting advice” would be followed to the letter – that it is the Cabinet or the designated Minister who will advise the Yang di Pertuan Agong on the issue whether the emergency would be extended on August 1 and that this advice by the Cabinet or the designated Minister must be strictly followed by the Yang di Pertuan Agong.

I am sure the question “Where is the Prime Minister?” has never been asked by more Malaysians than today.

The Special Independent Committee to advise the Yang di Pertuan Agong on when the proclamation should end was announced with great fanfare, comprising a star-studded committee of 19 members, chaired by a  former chief justice, comprising a former Chief Secretary, a former Inspector-General of Police, a former Armed Forces Chief, a former Health director-general and  eminent Malaysians as well as Members of Parliament representing the major political parties.

Not only the whole nation, but the entire civil service, were led to believe that this Special Independent Committee would advise the Yang di Pertuan Agong on whether the emergency would be extended on August 1 or should end earlier.

But suddenly, the de facto Law Minister dropped a bombshell and said that this was a wrong impression, that the Special Independent Committee was actually irrelevant and immaterial as to its advice, as it is the Cabinet or the designated Minister as provided by Article 40 of the Constitution which would advise the Yang di Pertuan Agong and this advice must be accepted by the Yang di Pertuan Agong.

The  entire 19-member  Special Independent Committee headed by Arifin Zakaria should meet the Prime Minister and ask for  an assurance that it is the Special Independent Committee and not the Cabinet or designated Minister who will advise the Yang di Pertuan Agong on whether to extend the emergency on August 1 and  that this should not be  the crown of all Covid-19 SOP flip-flops, U-turns and double-standards by the Perikatan Nasional government.

If the Prime Minister is not prepared to give such an assurance, the Special Independent Committee might as well be disbanded.

(Media Statement (3) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday June 13,2021)

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 13 June 2021, 3:44 pm and is filed under
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#kerajaangagal108 – Takiyuddin’s backtrack is not good enough when Muhyiddin continues to keep his silence on whether the SIEC will be the only authoritative body, and not the Cabinet or designated Minister,  to advise the Yang di Pertuan Agong on  whether to extend the emergency on August 1

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

The de facto Law Minister, Takiyuddin Hassan, has backtracked from his stand that it is the Cabinet’s responsibility to advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong whether or not the emergency should be extended, but this is not good enough so long as the Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddihn Yassin  keeps his silence on whether the Special Independent Emergency Committee (SIEC) will be the only authoritative body, and not the Cabinet or designated Minister, to advise the Yang di Pertuan Agong on whether to extend the emergency on August 1, 2021.

I would advise the  entire 19-member  Special Independent Committee headed by Arifin Zakaria to  ask for a meeting with the Prime Minister and secure   an assurance from him that it is the SIEC and not the Cabinet or designated Minister who will advise the Yang di Pertuan Agong on whether to extend the emergency on August 1 and  that that this issue would not be  the crown of all Covid-19 SOP flip-flops, U-turns and double-standards by the Perikatan Nasional government.

Takiyuddin’s backtrack does not commit the Cabinet in any way not to exercise its powers under Article 40 of the Malaysian Constitution to advise the Yang di Pertuan Agong on whether to extend the emergency on August 1 and where the Yang di Pertuan Agong is constitutionally required to act on the Cabinet’s advice.

Takiyuddin only said that the government has never interfered in the 19-member SIEC’s one job – to advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong when the emergency should end – but what is the need for the government to interfere with  the SIEC’s work when from Takiyuddin’s standpoint the SIEC is utterly irrelevant and immaterial as it is  the advice of the  Cabinet or the designated Minister  which the Yang di Pertuan Agong should follow?

From Takiyuddin’s standpoint, whether the SIEC offers its advice or not is utterly inconsequential and irrelevant for it is the Cabinet or the designated Minister’s advice which will be the final say on the issue.

If Muhyiddin is not prepared to give to the SIEC the assurance that it is the SIEC’s advice which will have the final say on the issue, the SIEC might as well be disbanded.

(Media Statement  by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, 14th June 2021)

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

#kerajaangagal108 — Perubahan pendapat Takiyuddin tidak mencukupi apabila Muhyiddin terus berdiam diri mengenai isu sama ada Jawatankuasa Bebas Khas Darurat adalah satu-satunya badan yang berhak menasihati Yang di Pertuan Agong sama ada darurat akan diperpanjangkan atau ditamatkan pada 1 Ogos

Menteri Hal Ehwal Undang-undang, Takiyuddin Hassan, telah mengubah pendapatnya yang asalnya mengatakan bahawa menjadi tanggungjawab Kabinet untuk menasihati Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di Pertuan Agong sama ada darurat patut dilanjutkan atau ditamatkan. Tetapi, perkara ini tidak memadai selagi mana Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin terus berdiam diri atas perkara ini, sama ada Jawatankuasa Bebas Khas Darurat adalah satu-satunya badan yang berhak untuk menasihati Yang di Pertuan Agong mengenai perkara ini, dan bukannya Kabinet, atau mana-mana Menteri.

Saya mencadangkan supaya ke semua 19 orang Ahli Jawatankuasa ini yang diketuai oleh Arifin Zakaria untuk mengadakan pertemuan dengan Perdana Menteri dan mendapatkan jaminan daripada beliau bahawa Jawatankuasa ini — bukan Kabinet atau mana-mana Menteri — yang akan menasihati Baginda mengenai perkara penamatan atau pelanjutan perintah darurat pada 1 Ogos, dan isu ini tidak menjadi kucar-kacir seperti yang sering dilakukan oleh kerajaan Perikatan Nasional.

Penarikan semula pendapat oleh Takiyuddin tidak bermakna Kabinet kini komited untuk tidak menggunakan kuasanya di bawah Perkara 40 Perlembagaan untuk menasihati Yang di Pertuan Agong, di mana Baginda perlu bertindak ke atas nasihat ini.

Takiyuddin hanya mengatakan yang kerajaan tidak pernah mengganggu tanggungjawab tunggal Jawatankuasa Bebas Khas Darurat ini — untuk menasihati Yang di Pertuan Agong bila darurat ini perlu tamat — tetapi apakah keperluan untuk Kabinet mengganggu tugas Jawatankuasa ini sekiranya daripada pandangan Takiyuddin, Jawatankuasa ini tidak relevan memandangkan Baginda perlu mengikut nasihat Kabinet atau mana-mana Menteri yang dilantik?

Daripada pandangan Takiyuddin, sama ada Jawatankuasa Bebas ini memberikan nasihat atau pun tidak, tidak membawa apa-apa perbezaan dan tidak relevan kerana Kabinet atau mana-mana Menteri yang dilantik yang akan mempunyai kata putus atas perkara ini.

Sekiranya Muhyiddin tidak bersedia untuk memberikan jaminan kepada Jawatankuasa Bebas Khas Darurat ini bahawa hanya nasihat mereka yang akan menjadi kata pemutus ke atas perkara ini, maka lebih baik dibubarkan sahaja Jawatankuasa ini.

(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri, Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Isnin, 14 Jun 2021)

                This entry was posted on Monday, 14 June 2021, 8:08 am and is filed under
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#kerajaangagal109 – Is the Covid-19 exit plan Muhyiddin’s distraction ploy from the SIEC issue?

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

Why should the Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin be now talking about a National Recovery Plan in preparation for the country to emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic?

Is it Muhyiddin’s distraction ploy from the Special Independent Emergency Committee (SIEC) issue triggered by his de facto Law Minister, Takiyuddin Hassan as to whether SIEC would be  the only authoritative body to advise the Yang di Pertuan Agong whether to extend the emergency on August 1, 2021?

Muhyiddin said yesterday that the Covid-19 exit plan, based on data, science and all the preparations that had been done, including in terms of Covid-19 management, the economy, vaccination programme and so on, would be presented to the National Security Council (NSC) within the next week.

He said it was time to set an exit strategy or National Recovery Plan for Malaysia to get out of the Covid-19 pandemic.

I find it strange and bizarre for the Prime Minister to talk about a Covid-19 exit  plan when Malaysia is one of the few countries in the world struggling with the 18-month-long Covid-19 pandemic.

If Malaysia had followed a science-based instead of a politics-based strategy and approach, we would not  be in the sorry state we are in today.

In the first place, the emergency proclaimed on January 11, 2021,  which was not science-based,  would have been terminated  and Parliament and the various State Assemblies convened to  restore public trust and confidence in the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and to launch a national mobilisation of a “whole-of-society” strategy and approach in the war against Covid-19 pandemic.

Is Muhyiddin still  claiming that the emergency proclaimed on January 11, 2021 was a huge success against the Covid-19 pandemic?

The emergency was not science-based but politics-based, as no other country which had successfully fought the Covid-19 pandemic had resorted to such a route.

Unlike countries which have not declared any emergency, new Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 deaths have continued to soar until there is now  another  two-week extension of MCO 3.0 of a total lockdown.

On November 18, 2020, we ranked No. 85 among countries with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases.

Yesterday, some  seven months later, with 657,509  Covid-19 cases, we have overtaken Austria and is now ranked No. 38 among countries with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases. We will probably overtake Switzerland to be ranked No. 37 before the two-week extension of total lockdown ends on June 28.

China, which topped the world at the start of the pandemic, is now No. 99 with 91,428 Covid-19 cases.

According to Our World in Data website, for cases per million of population for June 12, 2021, just like the previous day on June 11, 2021, we beat the world’s top 37 countries with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases except for four countries in South America – Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Chile.

The magnitude of the failure of Malaysia’s emergency to bring the  Covid-19 pandemic under control could be gauged by the  huge gulf between Malaysia and countries which were once regarded as worst performing nations in Covid-19 pandemic.

Malaysia’s “cases per million of population” on June 12, 2021 was 183.74 as compared to United States (43.25), India (65.20), France (63.79), Turkey (72.57), Russia (74.12), UK (98.63), Italy (31.49), Spain (108.83), Germany (26.19), Iran (101.66), Indonesia (26.78) and Philippines (60.07).

So far, 3,098 people have died of Covid-19 in Malaysia – 3,293 deaths during the five months of the emergency since January 11, 2021 or more than six  times the fatalities in the five months of emergency as the first 12 months of the Covid-19 pandemic before the emergency when there were 551 deaths.

We have also  become a top-ranking nation in the world in  term of daily deaths per million population.

The Health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah has described the next two weeks as critical for the country to reduce the number of daily Covid-19 infections to below 4,000.

He said it is important for everyone to cooperate to help flatten the Covid-19 curve of infection as the number of daily cases is still on the rise and he  described as “irresponsible” all forms of unnecessary travel and gathering to celebrate events during this period.

The single-mined national focus should be on how to reduce the daily increase of new Covid-19 cases to double-digit figures and the daily increase of new Covid-19 deaths to single-digit number.

I will describe  any talk of an exit plan from the Covid-19 pandemic instead of this single-minded focus  as most  irresponsible indeed.

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, 14th June 2021)

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

#kerajaangagal109 — Adakah rancangan keluar Covid-19 yang diumumkan Muhyiddin sebenarnya hanya satu helah untuk mengalihkan perhatian orang ramai dari isu berkaitan Jawatankuasa Khas Bebas Darurat?

Mengapa baru sekarang Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin bercakap mengenai Pelan Pemulihan Negara sebagai persiapan untuk negara keluar daripada wabak Covid-19?

Adakah ia sebenarnya satu helah untuk mengalihkan perhatian orang ramai daripada isu berkaitan Jawatankuasa Khas Bebas Darurat yang dicetuskan Takiyuddin Hassan selepas Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri (Undang-undang) itu membangkitkan isu sama ada Jawatankuasa Khas Bebas Darurat adalah satu-satunya badan yang berhak menasihati Yang di-Pertuan Agong mengenai sama ada darurat yang akan tamat pada 1 Ogos depan akan diteruskan atau tidak.

Muhyiddin semalam berkata bahawa pelan keluar Covid-19 dirangka berdasarkan data, sains dan segala persiapan, termasuk dari segi pengurusan Covid-19, ekonomi dan program vaksinasi itu akan dibentangkan kepada Majlis Keselamatan Negara (MKN) dalam tempoh seminggu.

Beliau berkata sudah tiba masa untuk menetapkan strategi keluar atau pelan pemulihan negara untuk kita keluar daripada wabak Covid-19.

Saya merasa pelik dan aneh apabila Perdana Menteri bercakap mengenai pelan keluar wabak Covid-19 ketika Malaysia adalah salah satu daripada beberapa negara di dunia yang bergelut untuk menguruskan wabak Covid-19 yang berpanjangan selama 18 bulan.

Sekiranya Malaysia benar-benar mengikuti strategi dan pendekatan berasaskan sains dan bukannya politik, kita tidak akan berada dalam keadaan begitu teruk seperti sekarang ini.

Pertamanya, darurat yang diisytiharkan pada 11 Januari 2021 – keputusan yang jelas dibuat bukan berasaskan sains – akan dihentikan dan Parlimen serta Dewan Undangan Negeri akan dibenarkan untuk bersidang bagi mengembalikan semula keyakinan dan kepercayaan masyarakat terhadap cara kerajaan menangani wabak Covid-19 dan untuk melancarkan mobilisasi nasional dengan strategi dan pendekatan melibatkan “keseluruhan masyarakat” dalam perang melawan Covid-19.

Adakah Muhyiddin masih ingin mendakwa bahawa darurat yang diisytiharkan pada 11 Januari 2021 kononnya telah membawa kejayaan besar terhadap usaha melawan wabak Covid-19?

Keputusan melaksanakan darurat berkenaan jelas dibuat bukan bukan berdasarkan sains tetapi berdasarkan politik, kerana tidak ada negara lain yang berjaya memerangi wabak Covid-19 menerusi jalan itu.

Tidak seperti negara-negara yang tidak mengisytiharkan darurat, kes baharu Covid-19 dan kematian akibat wabak itu terus mencanak naik sehingga sekatan pergerakan penuh dilanjutkan untuk tempoh dua minggu lagi.

Pada 18 November 2020, kita menduduki tempat ke-85 antara negara-negara dengan jumlah kes Covid-19 tertinggi.

Semalam, kira-kira tujuh bulan kemudian, dengan 657,509 kes terkumpul, kita telah mengatasi Austria dan kini berada di kedudukan ke-38 antara negara-negara dengan jumlah kes Covid-19 yang tertinggi.

Kita mungkin akan mengatasi Switzerland untuk berada di tangga ke-37 sebelum PKP 3.0 yang dilanjutkan lagi selama dua minggu akan berakhir pada 28 Jun.

China, yang paling teruk dilanda Covid-19 pada awal penularan wabak tersebut, kini berada di tangga ke-99 dengan 91,428 kes Covid-19.

Menurut Our World in Data, kes per sejuta penduduk pada 12 Jun 2021, seperti hari sebelumnya pada 11 Jun 2021, kita telah menewaskan 37 negara teratas di dunia dengan jumlah kes Covid-19 tertinggi kecuali empat negara di Amerika Selatan – Brazil, Argentina, Colombia dan Chile.

Kegagalan besar darurat Malaysia untuk melandaikan lekuk wabak Covid-19 dapat diukur oleh jurang besar antara Malaysia dan negara-negara yang pernah dianggap sebagai negara dengan prestasi terburuk dalam menguruskan wabak Covid-19.

“Kes per sejuta penduduk Malaysia” pada 12 Jun 2021 adalah 183.74 orang berbanding Amerika Syarikat (43.25), India (65.20), Perancis (63.79), Turki (72.57), Rusia (74.12), UK (98.63), Itali (31.49), Sepanyol (108.83), Jerman (26.19), Iran (101.66), Indonesia (26.78) dan Filipina (60.07).

Setakat ini, 3,098 orang telah terkorban akibat Covid-19 di Malaysia – 3,293 kematian dalam tempoh lima bulan sejak darurat diisytiharkan pada 11 Januari 2021 atau lebih enam kali ganda daripada 551 kematian yang dicatatkan dalam tempoh 12 bulan pertama kita berhadapan dengan wabak ini.

Kita juga telah menjadi negara teratas di dunia dari segi jumlah kematian harian per sejuta penduduk.

Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah menegaskan, tempoh dua minggu pelaksanaan sekatan penuh akan datang adalah tempoh yang kritikal untuk negara mengurangkan bilangan kes kepada 4,000.

Beliau berkata dalam tempoh berkenaan, kerjasama semua pihak amat diperlukan untuk membantu melandaikan lekuk COVID-19, yang masih mencatatkan bilangan kes harian yang tinggi, serta menyatakan rasa kesal dengan tindakan sesetengah pihak yang masih melakukan pergerakan yang tidak perlu, termasuk perhimpunan seperti parti keramaian dan majlis yang disifatkannya sebagai tidak bertanggungjawab.

Tumpuan jitu perlu diberikan kepada usaha untuk mencari cara bagi mengurangkan peningkatan kes baharu harian Covid-19 kepada julat dua angka dan peningkatan kes kematian harian baharu Covid-19 kepada julat satu angka.

Saya menyifatkan sebarang perbincangan mengenai pelan keluar daripada wabak Covid-19 tanpa terlebih dahulu memberikan tumpuan kepada perkara di atas sebagai suatu keputusan yang paling tidak bertanggungjawab.

(Kenyataan Media (2) oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri, Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Isnin, 14 Jun 2021)

                This entry was posted on Monday, 14 June 2021, 10:18 am and is filed under
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#kerajaangagal110 – The “flying car” Minister, who made everyone squirm when he opened his mouth when he was in  Pakatan Harapan Government, is right this time  – no need for NOC but crucial to open Parliament

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

The “flying car” Minister, who made everyone squirm when he opened his mouth when he was in Pakatan Harapan Government, is right this time – no need for a National Operations  Council (NOC) but crucial to reconvene Parliament as soon as possible.

May be this was the reason why he was sidelined and excluded from the National Security Council; (NSC) meetings on the Covid-19 disaster, although he is the Minister  in charge of the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma).

Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof, the Special Functions Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, recently lamented that he was no longer invited to NSC meetings on Covid-19.

He said: “As of now, I am not a member of the NSC. I used to be. I do not know what is going on. The last time I was with NSC was before Hari Raya (Aidilfitri).”

Redzuan was describing how a kakistocracy works.

As for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NIP), Redzuan felt that more could be done.

He questioned the decision to accept certain vaccines but not others that have received approval from their countries of origin and the World Health Organization (WHO) like Sputnik V and Sinopharm.

Redzuan was also critical of the government’s handling of the inoculation process, including the focus on setting up mega vaccine centres, better known as PPVs.

He said while such facilities might be good for large cities to prevent overcrowding, the government should instead utilise existing facilities nationwide to make it easier for the public to get vaccinated.

Redzuan also complained that the government had not fully made use of its  immense human resources, which could be mobilised to speed up the NIP, for example, the Civil Defence Force (CDF), an agency under Nadma, which has more than 2.2 million volunteers.

I find myself agreeing more with Redzuan than with the Prime Minister and other members of the present  bloated Cabinet, and   definitely more now than when Redzuan was a Minister  in the  Pakatan Harapan days – on   his stand with regard to the government’s handling of the pandemic especially with regard to the vaccination rollout.

But his most profound contribution is his view that there is no need for a National Operations Council (NOC) in Malaysia in 2021 and  crucial to reconvene Parliament as soon as possible.

Will Foreign Minister, Hishamuddin Hussein,  touted as a Prime-Ministerial possibility and the second minister to criticise Putrajaya’s pandemic  response particularly the pace of the national vaccination rollout, support Redzuan in Cabinet for an end to the emergency and the reconvening of Parliament immediately?

(Media Statement (3) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, 14th June 2021)

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

#kerajaangagal110 — Menteri “kereta terbang” yang membuatkan semua orang menggelupur apabila beliau membuka mulutnya semasa beliau merupakan sebahagian daripada kerajaan Pakatan Harapan mengatakan perkara yang tepat kali ini, tidak ada keperluan untuk MAGERAN tetapi penting untuk Parlimen dibuka

Menteri “kereta terbang” yang membuatkan semua orang menggelupur apabila beliau membuka mulutnya semasa beliau merupakan sebahagian daripada kerajaan Pakatan Harapan mengatakan perkara yang tepat kali ini, tidak ada keperluan untuk Majlis Gerakan Negara (MAGERAN) tetapi penting untuk Parlimen bersidang semula secepat mungkin.

Mungkin inilah sebabnya mengapa beliau diketepikan dan dikeluarkan daripada mesyuarat-mesyuarat Majlis Keselamatan Negara (MKN) berkenaan dengan bencana Covid-19, walaupun beliau adalah menteri yang bertanggungjawab ke atas Agensi Pengurusan Bencana Kebangsaan (NADMA).

Mohd Redzuan Mohd Yusof, Menteri Tugas-tugas Khas di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, baru-baru ini mendedahkan yang beliau tidak lagi dijemput ke mesyuarat MKN mengenai Covid-19.

Beliau berkata: “Setakat ini, saya bukan lagi ahli MKN. Saya pernah menganggotainya. Saya tidak tahu apa yang berlaku. Kali terakhir saya menyertai mesyuarat MKN adalah sebelum Hari Raya (Aidilfitri).”

Redzuan sedang menjelaskan bagaimana kakistokrasi bergerak.

Mengenai Program Imunisasi Covid-19 Kebangsaan, Redzuan merasakan banyak lagi perkara yang boleh dilakukan.

Beliau mempersoalkan keputusan untuk menerima sesetengah vaksin tetapi pada masa yang sama tidak yang lain sedangkan vaksin-vaksin ini telah menerima kelulusan daripada negara pengeluaran mereka dan Pertubuhan Kesihatan Sedunia (WHO), seperti vaksin Sputnik V dan Sinopharm.

Redzuan juga bersifat kritikal terhadap cara kerajaan mengendalikan proses vaksinasi, termasuklah terhadap fokus kerajaan dalam membuka pusat vaksinasi berskala mega.

Beliau berkata, mungkin kemudahan seperti ini sesuai untuk bandar-bandar besar untuk mengelakkan kesesakan, kerajaan sepatutnya menggunakan kemudahan sedia ada untuk memudahkan rakyat untuk menerima vaksin.

Redzuan juga mengadu mengenai kerajaan tidak menggunakan sumber manusia yang sedia ada yang boleh digembeleng untuk mempercepatkan pelaksanaan PICK, seperti Pasukan Pertahanan Awam, sebuah agensi di bawah NADMA yang mempunyai lebih daripada 2.2 juta sukarelawan.

Saya mendapati diri saya bersetuju mengenai lebih banyak perkara dengan Redzuan berbanding dengan Perdana Menteri atau mana-mana ahli lain Kabinet gergasi sedia ada, semestinya saya lebih bersetuju dengan beliau sekarang berbanding dengan beliau semasa menjadi menteri dalam kerajaan Pakatan Harapan — terutamanya mengenai pendirian beliau mengenai cara kerajaan mengendalikan program vaksinasi kebangsaan.

Tetapi, sumbangan terbesar beliau adalah kenyataan beliau yang mengatakan tidak ada perlunya untuk Majlis Gerakan Negara (MAGERAN) di Malaysia pada tahun 2021, sebaliknya, penting untuk kita buka semula sidang Parlimen secepat mungkin.

Adakah Menteri Luar Negeri, Hishamuddin Hussein, yang kini dikatakan sebagai calon pengganti Perdana Menteri, dan juga menteri kedua yang telah mengkritik tindakan Putrajaya dalam menguruskan wabak ini, akan menyokong Redzuan dalam mesyuarat Kabinet untuk menamatkan darurat dan membuka semula sidang Parlimen secepat yang mungkin?

(Kenyataan Media (3) oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri, Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Isnin, 14 Jun 2021)

                This entry was posted on Monday, 14 June 2021, 4:00 pm and is filed under
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#kerajaangagal111 – Will the Cabinet tomorrow restore confidence in Malaysia by ending the emergency and immediately  convening Parliament and the State Assemblies?

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

During the Slim River Perak State Assembly by-election in August 2020, a senior  Bersatu Minister alleged that more Malaysians will die during the Covid-19 pandemic if the Pakatan Harapan was still the government.

Since the Slim River by-election on August 29, 2020,  there had  been 653,140 new Covid-19 cases and 3,843 new Covid-19 deaths.

Is there any Minister in the bloated Perikatan Nasional (PN) Cabinet who will step forward to accept responsibility  for these additional 653,140 Covid-19 cases and  3,843 Covid-19 deaths after the Slim River by-election?

In actual fact, the ravages of the  Covid-19 pandemic to the lives, economy and society of Malaysians is the most tragic and reprehensible legacy of the  backdoor, undemocratic, illegitimate and kakistocratic PN government.

Is this what Muhyiddin is going to be remembered in Malaysia – not as a “stupid” but the worst Prime Minister in Malaysian history?

When Muhyiddin Yassin took his oath as the eighth Prime Minister on March 1, 2020, there were 29 Covid-19 cases and zero deaths.

Sixteen months later, there are now 662,457 Covid-19 cases and 3,968 Covid-19 deaths!

Is Muhyiddin still  claiming that the emergency proclaimed on January 11, 2021 was a huge success against the Covid-19 pandemic?

The emergency was not science-based but politics-based decision, as no other country which had successfully fought the Covid-19 pandemic had resorted to such a route.

Unlike countries which had not declared any emergency, new Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 deaths have continued to soar until Malaysia has to have   another  two-week extension of MCO 3.0 of a total lockdown until June 28, 2021.

On November 18, 2020, we ranked No. 85 among countries with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases.

Now, some  seven months later, with 662,457  Covid-19 cases, we have overtaken Austria and is now ranked No. 38 among countries with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases. We will  overtake Switzerland to be ranked No. 37 in the world before June 28.

China, which topped the world at the start of the pandemic, is now No. 99 with 91,428 Covid-19 cases.

According to Our World in Data website, for cases per million of population for June 13, 2021, we have as usual been  consistently beating  the world’s top 37 countries with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases except for four countries in South America – Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Chile.

The magnitude of the failure of Malaysia’s emergency to bring the  Covid-19 pandemic under control could be gauged by the  huge gulf in daily increase of new Covid-19 cases  between Malaysia and countries which were once regarded as worst performing nations in Covid-19 pandemic.

These worst performing nations have seen the light at the end of the tunnel and have even turned the corner, but Malaysia is still searching for the light at the end of the tunnel.

Malaysia’s “cases per million of population” on June 13, 2021 was 179.61 as compared to United States (42.89), India (62.16), France (59.10), Turkey (71.93), Russia (79.54), UK (103.07), Italy (29.40), Spain (108.83), Germany (24.55), Iran (106.05), Indonesia (28.89) and Philippines (60.18).

So far, 3,968  people have died of Covid-19 in Malaysia – 3,451 deaths during the five months of the emergency since January 11, 2021 or nearly seven  times the fatalities when compared to  the first 12 months of the Covid-19 pandemic before the emergency when there were 551 deaths.

We have also become a top-ranking nation in the world in  term of daily deaths per million population.

Are we to continue as a “failed nation” in the world in the Covid-19 pandemic, as reflected by Malaysia’s tumbling by 19 spots from No. 16 in January to No. 35 in the May 2021 Bloomberg Covid Resilience Ranking for 53 countries with economies of more than US$200 billion?

The first step is to restore public trust and confidence in the government handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

We have today a Health Minister who is a “dud” Minister at a time when he should be one of the “key” Ministers in the war against Covid-19 pandemic.

Imagine what will result in a war which is commanded by a “dud” general!

The majority of the Cabinet Ministers will not declare their individual support for the emergency, let alone the suspension the unconstitutional suspension of Parliament and the State Assemblies, but  it is only now that we have a Minister who has mustered the courage to state publicly that it is crucial to have Parliament reconvene as soon as possible.

Will there be enough Ministers at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow to take the important decision that the emergency must end and Parliament and the State Assemblies reconvene immediately?

If there is a such Cabinet decision tomorrow, it would be an important leadership initiative by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for Special Functions, Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof, who had previously made everybody  squirm when he spoke about the  “flying car” when he was Minister in the Pakatan Harapan days.

It is a reflection of the national mood that much is expected of the Special Conference of Rulers and nothing is expected of the Cabinet meeting tomorrow.

This is not the basis of the Malaysian Constitution, where is founded on a constitutional monarchy based on a parliamentary democracy.

But will the Prime Minister lead the  Cabinet tomorrow in a historic decision to  restore confidence in Malaysia,  end the emergency and immediately convene Parliament and the State Assemblies?

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, 15th June 2021)

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

#kerajaangagal111 — Adakah Kabinet akan mengembalikan keyakinan di Malaysia dengan memutuskan untuk menamatkan darurat dan memanggil sidang Parlimen dan Dewan Undangan Negeri dalam mesyuaratnya esok?

Semasa Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) DUN Perak Slim River pada Ogos 2020, seorang menteri kanan Bersatu mendakwa bahawa lebih ramai rakyat Malaysia akan terkorban akibat dijangkiti Covid-19 sekiranya Pakatan Harapan masih menjadi kerajaan.

Sejak berlangsungnya PRK DUN Slim River pada 29 Ogos 2020, terdapat 653,140 kes Covid-19 dan 3,843 kematian akibat wabak itu direkodkan di negara ini.

Adakah mana-mana Menteri Kabinet gergasi Perikatan Nasional (PN) yang sanggup mengambil tanggungjawab di atas rekod 653,140 kes Covid-19 dan 3,843 kematian akibat wabak itu selepas PRK Slim River?

Kenyataannya, kerosakan yang dibawa wabak Covid-19 terhadap kehidupan, ekonomi dan masyarakat Malaysia adalah warisan paling tragis dan tercela daripada kerajaan pintu belakang PN yang tidak demokratik, tidak sah dan kakistokratik.

Adakah Muhyiddin akan dikenang sebegini di Malaysia — bukan sebagai seorang yang “bodoh” tetapi sebagai Perdana Menteri terburuk dalam sejarah Malaysia?

Ketika Muhyiddin Yassin mengangkat sumpah sebagai Perdana Menteri ke-8 pada 1 Mac 2020, terdapat 29 kes Covid-19 dan kematian sifar direkodkan di negara ini.

16 bulan kemudian, terdapat 662,457 kes Covid-19 dan 3,968 kematian akibat wabak itu!

Adakah Muhyiddin masih ingin mengatakan bahawa darurat yang diumumkan pada 11 Januari 2021 adalah kejayaan besar terhadap usaha membendung wabak Covid-19?

Keputusan melaksanakan darurat itu bukan berdasarkan sains tetapi berdasarkan politik, kerana tidak ada negara lain yang berjaya memerangi wabak Covid-19 menerusi cara tersebut.

Tidak seperti negara yang tidak mengisytiharkan darurat, kes Covid-19 baru dan kematian Covid-19 terus melonjak sehingga Malaysia perlu menempuh PKP 3.0 selama dua minggu lagi sehingga 28 Jun 2021.

Pada 18 November 2020, kita menduduki tempat ke-85 antara negara-negara dengan jumlah kes Covid-19 tertinggi.

Sekarang, kira-kira tujuh bulan kemudian, dengan 662,457 kes Covid-19 kini direkodkan, kita telah mengatasi Austria dan kini berada di kedudukan ke-38 antara negara-negara dengan jumlah kes Covid-19 tertinggi. Kita akan mengatasi Switzerland untuk berada di tangga ke-37 dunia sebelum 28 Jun.

China, yang mendahului dunia pada awal penularan wabak, kini berada di tangga ke-99 dengan 91,428 kes Covid-19.

Menurut Our World in Data, kes per sejuta penduduk pada 13 Jun 2021 menunjukkan yang kita telah menewaskan 37 negara teratas di dunia dengan jumlah kes Covid-19 tertinggi kecuali empat negara di Amerika Selatan – Brazil, Argentina, Colombia dan Chile.

Kegagalan besar darurat Malaysia untuk melandaikan lekuk wabak Covid-19 dapat diukur oleh jurang besar antara Malaysia dan negara-negara yang pernah dianggap sebagai negara dengan prestasi terburuk dalam menguruskan wabak Covid-19.

Negara-negara dengan prestasi terburuk ini telah menunjukan tanda akan pulih, tetapi Malaysia masih bergelut untuk keluar dari krisis kesihatan ini.

“Kes per sejuta penduduk Malaysia” pada 13 Jun 2021 adalah 179.61 berbanding Amerika Syarikat (42.89), India (62.16), Perancis (59.10), Turki (71.93), Rusia (79.54), UK (103.07), Itali (29.40), Sepanyol (108.83), Jerman (24.55), Iran (106.05), Indonesia (28.89) dan Filipina (60.18).

Setakat ini, 3,968 orang telah terkorban akibat Covid-19 di Malaysia – 3,451 kematian dalam tempoh lima bulan sejak darurat diisytiharkan pada 11 Januari 2021 atau hampir tujuh kali ganda daripada 551 kematian yang dicatatkan dalam tempoh 12 bulan pertama kita berhadapan dengan wabak ini.

Kita juga telah menjadi negara teratas di dunia dari segi jumlah kematian harian per sejuta penduduk.

Adakah kita akan terus menjadi “negara yang gagal” di dunia dalam menguruskan wabak Covid-19, seperti yang dilihat daripada penurunan sebanyak 19 anak tangga dari tangga ke-16 pada Januari ke tangga ke-35 pada Mei 2021dalam Bloomberg Covid Resilience Ranking daripada 53 buah negara dengan ekonomi yang bernilai lebih daripada AS$200 bilion?

Langkah pertama adalah mengembalikan kepercayaan dan keyakinan masyarakat terhadap cara kerajaan menangani wabak Covid-19.

Kita sekarang ini memiliki Menteri Kesihatan yang merupakan Menteri “tak berguna” ketika beliau sepatutnya menjadi salah satu Menteri terpenting dalam perang melawan wabak Covid-19.

Bayangkan apa yang akan terjadi jika sebuah peperangan diketuai oleh seorang jeneral yang tidak berguna!

Majoriti Menteri Kabinet tidak akan menyatakan sokongan individu mereka untuk menamatkan darurat, apalagi penggantungan tidak berperlembagaan Parlimen dan Dewan Negeri, namun mujurlah sekarang kita mempunyai Menteri yang telah mengumpulkan keberaniannya untuk menyatakan pandangan secara terbuka bahawa Parlimen harus bersidang secepat mungkin.

Adakah majoriti menteri dalam mesyuarat Kabinet esok akan mengambil keputusan penting dengan menyokong penamatan darurat serta membenarkan Parlimen dan Dewan Undangan Negeri bersidang semula?

Sekiranya Kabinet memutuskan untuk mengambil keputusan seperti itu esok, ia akan menjadi inisiatif kepimpinan terpenting Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri (Tugas Khas), Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof, yang sebelum ini pernah membuatkan semua orang menggelupur apabila beliau bercakap mengenai impian “kereta terbang” semasa beliau merupakan seorang menteri kerajaan Pakatan Harapan.

Orang ramai menjangkakan keputusan seumpama itu akan hadir hasil daripada Perbincangan Khas Majlis Raja-Raja Melayu akan datang dan bukannya daripada mesyuarat mingguan Kabinet yang akan berlangsung esok.

Ini bukan asas Perlembagaan Malaysia, yang mana didasarkan kepada sistem Raja Berperlembagaan yang ditunjangi demokrasi berparlimen.

Tetapi adakah Perdana Menteri akan memimpin Kabinet esok dalam keputusan bersejarah untuk mengembalikan keyakinan terhadap Malaysia dengan mengakhiri darurat dan segera memanggil sidang Parlimen dan Dewan Undangan Negeri?

(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri, Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Selasa, 15 Jun 2021)

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 15 June 2021, 7:43 am and is filed under
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#kerajaangagal112 – The Cabinet should decide tomorrow to collectively tender a national apology for causing at least  4,000 tragedies in  mishandling the Covid-19 pandemic which resulted in nearly 700,000 Covid-19 cases and 4,000 Covid-19 deaths

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

The United States, the worst nation in the Covid-19 pandemic in the last 18 months with a cumulative total of  over 34 million Covid-19 cases, have greatly slashed its Covid19 numbers, and  in the last three days, its daily increase of new Covid-19 cases were 11,061, 7,685 and 10,005 new Covid-19 cases respectively, wyghich represent a huge reduction of 96.4%, 97.5% and 96.7% respectively  from the peak of daily increase of 305,073 new Covid-19 cases on January 8, 2021.

Even India, which in April and May had taken over from the United States  as the worst nation in terms  of the caseload of Covid-19 cases and deaths, have sharply reduced its daily increase of new Covid-19 cases, falling from the peak of daily increase of 414,433 new Covid-19 cases on May 6, 2021 to 81,005, 68,400 and 62,597 cases respectively  in the last three days representing a sharp fall of 80.5%, 83.5% and 84.9% respectively from the daily peak on May 6.

What of Malaysia?

Our previous peak of daily increase of new Covid-19 cases was on January 30, 2021  when we had 5,728 new Covid-19 cases.

In the upsurge of Covid-19 cases  in the last one month, we exceeded the January peak in 21 days  and established a new peak on May 29 with a daily increase of 9,020 cases amidst warning that we could reach a daily increase of 13,000 Covid-19  cases.

In the last three days, our daily increase of new Covid-19 cases were 5,793, 5,304 and 4,949 cases respectively and daily increase of new Covid-19 deaths were 76, 64 and 60 respectively.

There was a sigh of relief when the daily increase of new Covid-19 cases dropped below 5,000 cases to 4,949 cases yesterday, forgetting that this is more than double the daily increase of 2,232 new Covid-19 cases on January 11 when the Emergency Proclamation was declared  to fight to Covid-19 pandemic.

For almost a year, Malaysians shook our heads and felt superior to  United States and the European states for their disastrous handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, especially in the months of December and January, when the United States  totalled over 6.5 million cases and  6.2 million Covid-19 cases respectively.

In the past week, United Kingdom was struggling with  single-digit and low double-digit  Covid-19  fatality figures. There was even a day when there was zero death. When will Malaysia reach this stage?

Malaysia is in the glare of international publicity  and  the eye of the Covid-19 storm as the worst performing nation in the  Covid-19 pandemic when previous worst performing nations were improving rapidly.

Malaysia must not lose heart but must be prepared to make a new start to win the war against the Covid-19 pandemic.

But the government must admit its grave mistakes and must have the courage for a new  start, which should begin  with a collective Cabinet decision tomorrow to tender a national apology for causing at least 4,000 tragedies in  mishandling the Covid-19 pandemic which resulted in nearly 700,000 Covid-19 cases and 4,000 Covid-19 deaths.

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, 15th June 2021)

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

#kerajaangagal112 — Kabinet perlu memutuskan untuk membuat permohonan maaf bersama kerana menyebabkan 4,000 tragedi dalam mengendalikan wabak Covid-19 yang membawa kepada 700,000 kes Covid-19 dengan 4,000 kematian

Amerika Syarikat, negara dengan keadaan wabak Covid-19 yang terburuk dalam 18 bulan yang lepas, dengan jumlah kes terkumpul sebanyak 34 juta, telah menurunkan kadar kes baharunya. Dalam tiga hari yang lepas, angka peningkatan hariannya adalah 11,061, 7,685, dan 10,005, yang menunjukkan penurunan besar sebanyak 96.4%, 97.5%, dan 96.7% masing-masing berbanding dengan kemuncak 305,073 kes pada 8 Januari 2021.

Malah India juga, yang pada bulan April dan Mei, mengatasi kedudukan Amerika Syarikat dengan negara dengan prestasi terburuk dari segi jumlah kes dan kematian akibat Covid-19, telah berjaya menurunkan angka kes baharunya, turun daripada kemuncak 414,433 kes pada 6 Mei 2021 kepada 81,005, 68,400, dan 62,597 kes masing-masing untuk tiga hari yang lepas, penurunan 80.5%, 83.5%, dan 84.9% berbanding dengan kemuncak 6 Mei yang disaksikan negara itu sebelum ini.

Bagaimana pula dengan Malaysia?

Sebelum ini, kemuncak peningkatan harian kes Covid-19 kita adalah 5,728 kes pada 30 Januari 2021.

Dengan peningkatan kes dalam sebulan yang lepas, kita telah melepasi paras kemuncak bulan Januari ini untuk 21 hari dan mencapai kemuncak baharu dengan 9,020 kes dengan amaran yang kita mungkin akan melihat sehingga 13,000 kes.

Dalam tiga hari yang lepas, angka peningkatan kes harian kita adalah 5,793, 5,304, dan 4,949 kes, manakala angka korban nyawa untuk tempoh masa yang sama adalah 76, 64, dan 60 kematian.

Terdapat hembusan nafas lega apabila peningkatan harian kes Covid-19 dalam negara turun di bawah paras 5,000 kes kepada 4,949 kes semalam, tetapi angka ini masih lagi lebih daripada dua kali ganda berbanding dengan 2,232 kes pada 11 Januari semasa darurat diisytiharkan untuk melawan wabak Covid-19.

Selama lebih setahun, kita menggelengkan kepala dan berasa lebih hebat berbanding dengan Amerika Syarikat dan negara-negara Eropah dengan pengendalian Covid-19 yang tidak terurus mereka, terutamanya dalam bulan Disember dan Januari apabila Amerika Syarikat mencatatkan sejumlah 6.5 juta kes dan 6.2 juta kes masing-masing.

Dalam minggu yang lepas, United Kingdom hanya bergelut dengan kadar kematian dalam julat satu atau dua angka rendah. Terdapat juga hari di mana negara tersebut mencatatkan sifar kematian. Bilakah Malaysia akan mencapai tahap sebegini?

Malaysia kini berada di hadapan mata dunia sebagai negara dengan prestasi terburuk dalam mengendalikan wabak Covid-19 sedangkan negara-negara yang mencatatkan prestasi yang lebih buruk sebelum ini beransur pulih.

Kita tidak boleh berputus asa dan perlu bersedia untuk membuat permulaan baharu untuk memenangi perang melawan wabak ini.

Tetapi kerajaan perlulah mengakui kesilapan besarnya dahulu dan mempunyai keberanian untuk permulaan baharu, dan perkara ini patut dimulakan dengan keputusan bersama oleh Kabinet untuk menawarkan permohonan maaf atas kegagalan untuk mengendalikan wabak Covid-19 di negara kita sehingga kita mencatatkan hampir 700,000 kes dan 4,000 kematian akibat Covid-19.

(Kenyataan Media (2) oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri, Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Selasa, 15 Jun 2021)

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 15 June 2021, 11:43 am and is filed under
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#kerajaangagal113 –Muhyiddin’s  national recovery plan  is  a great disappointment and let-down as it offers no light at the end of the tunnel – only fog and more fog

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

The Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s much-hyped live national telecast yesterday on the  National Recovery Plan is  a great disappointment and  let-down as it offers not light at the end of the tunnel,  only fog and more fog.

Let me here  first  give five reasons  why Muhyiddin’s national recovery plan is no plan for recovery.

Firstly, it is a misnomer. It is not about national  recovery to chart the country’s return to the pre-pandemic era  but how to bring the Covid-19 pandemic under control.

The Covid-19 Pandemic Exit Plan  to see the end of the pandemic is different from the National Recovery Plan for the economic, educational, social and political  recovery of Malaysia  from the devastation of the pandemic to  the lives, economy and society of Malaysians.

The National Recovery Plan can only really begin when the pandemic has ended.

It is  like talking about a  national recovery plan when a war is still going at full blast. A national recovery plan can only begin when the war has ended.

For one, it is impossible to bring back to life the 4,069 who have perished – but  how many more will die before Malaysians see  the end of the Covid-19 pandemic?

Secondly, it is 16 months too late, for the Covid-19 Pandemic Exit Plan should have been drawn up at the beginning of the pandemic and not after 16 months of the pandemic!

It  was only on May 23, 2021  that Muhyiddin publicly declared that there would  be no full lockdown as the first movement control order (MCO) implemented on March 18 last year almost led to a total economic collapse.

He said the economy almost collapsed as it cost approximately RM2.4 billion a day during MCO 1.0.

He said if there were a full-scale lockdown, a RM340 million stimulus package like before would certainly be insufficient to stimulate the economy again. May be half a trillion ringgit will be needed, he mused but he asked whether Malaysia has  the money.

He said: “We may be able to close down the economy, but to reopen it after it has likely collapsed?

“So we learned from this, we cannot close everything altogether. Life is important, and I do not wish for the national economy to collapse.”

But five days later, Muhyiddin did what he said he would not do – he  announced a total  lockdown for two weeks from June 1, which had been extended for another two weeks from June 14.

Will the “total lockdown” be further extended on June 28?

What type of a “national recovery” planning is  this?

Thirdly, Muhyiddin has ignored the elephant in the room and failed to explain why Malaysia had suddenly become one of the world’s  top worst performing nations in the Covid-19 pandemic.

On November 18, 2020, we ranked No. 85 among countries with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases.

Now, some seven months later, with 667,876 Covid-19 cases, we have overtaken Austria and is now ranked No. 38 among countries with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases. We will overtake Switzerland to be ranked No. 37 in the world before June 28.

China, which topped the world at the start of the pandemic, is now No. 99 with 91,471 Covid-19 cases.

According to Our World in Data website, for cases per million of population for June 14, 2021, we have as usual been consistently beating the world’s top 37 countries with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases except for four countries in South America – Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Chile.

The magnitude of the failure of Malaysia’s emergency to bring the Covid-19 pandemic under control could be gauged by the huge gulf in daily increase of new Covid-19 cases between Malaysia and countries which were once regarded as worst performing nations in Covid-19 pandemic.

These worst performing nations have seen the light at the end of the tunnel and have even turned the corner, but Malaysia is still searching for the light at the end of the tunnel.

Malaysia’s “cases per million of population” on June 14, 2021 was 178.19 as compared to United States (41.69), India (59.46), France (58.10), Turkey (71.90), Russia (83.70), UK (107.32), Italy (28.54), Spain (104.63), Germany (23.57), Iran (115.93), Indonesia (29.52) and Philippines (60.03).

So far, 4,069 people have died of Covid-19 in Malaysia – 3,518 deaths during the five months of the emergency since January 11, 2021 or nearly seven times the fatalities when compared to the first 12 months of the Covid-19 pandemic before the emergency when there were 551 deaths.

We have also become a top-ranking nation in the world in term of daily deaths per million population.

Did  Muhiyddin explain  why Malaysia had become such a “failed nation” in the Covid-19 pandemic, as reflected by Malaysia’s tumbling by 19 spots from No. 16 in January to No. 35 in the May 2021 Bloomberg Covid Resilience Ranking for 53 countries with economies of more than US$200 billion?

Look at the latest global report on the Covid-19 pandemic.

The United States, the worst nation in the Covid-19 pandemic in the last 18 months with a cumulative total of  over 34 million Covid-19 cases, have greatly slashed its daily increase of new Covid-19 cases in the last for four  days by some 96-97%  from the peak of daily increase of 305,073 new Covid-19 cases on January 8, 2021.

Even India, which in April and May had taken over from the United States  as the worst nation in terms  of the caseload of Covid-19 cases and deaths, have sharply reduced its daily increase of new Covid-19 cases, falling from the peak of daily increase of 414,433 new Covid-19 cases on May 6, 2021 to 62,597 cases yesterday –  a humongous  drop of 85%!

What of Malaysia?

Our previous peak of daily increase of new Covid-19 cases was on January 30, 2021  when we had 5,728 new Covid-19 cases.

In the upsurge of Covid-19 cases  in the last one month, we exceeded the January peak for  21 days  and established a new peak on May 29 with a daily increase of 9,020 cases amidst warning that we could reach a daily increase of 13,000 Covid-19  cases.

Fourthly, the refusal to  immediately convene Parliament and the various State Assemblies until Phase Three of the government’s Covid-19 exit plan sometime in September or October.

This  is a major reason why Muhyiddin’s live national telecast yesterday will not be able to restore public trust and confidence in the government handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The proclamation of emergency, the  unconstitutional suspension of Parliament and the various State Assemblies and the Covid-19 SOP flip-flops, U-turns and double-standards were the major reasons for the unprecedented deficit  in public trust and confidence in the government’s handling of the war against Covid-19 pandemic.

Just as five months after the proclamation emergency on January 11, 2021, the daily increase of new Covid-19 cases have more than doubled yesterday – from 2,232 new cases on January 11 to 5,419 new cases on June 14, 2021 – what is there to ensure that by September or October, the three conditions of  an average of less than 2,000 Covid-19 cases daily, sufficient ICU capacity and up to 40 percent of the population fully vaccinated would all exist?

Is Parliament to be suspended indefinitely if these three conditions are not met?

Why other countries, regarded as poor performing nations in the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, could turn around without suspending their Parliaments or even declaring an emergency?

Fifthly, a former Minister messaged me that what Muhyiddin announced yesterday was “Zero Plan”.

When Muhyiddin announced the total lockdown less than three weeks ago, he was talking about a ”three-phase”  total lockdown.  Now Muhyiddin is talking about a “four-phase” total lockdown.

Will there be more phases come September or October?

If the United States can transform from  the world’s top worst nation in the Covid-19 pandemic, recording over 6.5 million Covid-19 cases in December 2020, and  slash the Covid-19 caseload  to 214,000 cases in the first half-month of June, 2021, why must Malaysia be planning till the end of the year for the re-opening of the economy?

Clearly, Muhyiddin live telecast yesterday was more a response to  the Special Rulers’ Conference today on the disastrous government mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

As the emergency and the suspension of Parliament are two major reasons why Malaysia is still searching for the light at the tunnel –  when other nations which had performed badly in the pandemic had turned the corner and managing the pandemic well especially with their national vaccination rollout –  the emergency and the suspension of Parliament and the various State Assemblies must be ended for the nation to see light at the end of the tunnel in the Covid-19 pandemic.

So far, one Minister has publicly spoken out on the need to reconvene Parliament Immediately. Will the Cabinet meeting this morning  spring a historic surprise and announce the ending of the emergency and the immediate convening of Parliament to win the war against Covid-19 pandemic?

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, 16th June 2021)

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#kerajaangagal113 — Rancangan Pemulihan Negara yang diumumkan Muhyiddin sangat mengecewakan kerana ia tidak memberikan sebarang harapan — hanya kesamaran

Rancangan Pemulihan Negara yang diumumkan Perdana Menteri, Muhyiddin Yassin secara langsung semalam sangat mengecewakan kerana ia tidak memberikan sebarang harapan – hanya kesamaran.

Izinkan saya memberikan lima sebab mengapa Rancangan Pemulihan Negara yang diumumkan Muhyiddin bukanlah rancangan pemulihan yang sebenar.

Pertama, namanya yang tidak sesuai. Ia bukan tentang pemulihan negara untuk meletakkan kembali negara ini ke era pra-pandemik tetapi tentang cara untuk melandaikan lekuk wabak Covid-19.

Rancangan Keluar Wabak Covid-19 untuk mengakhiri wabak ini berbeza dengan Rancangan Pemulihan Negara untuk memulihkan semula ekonomi, pendidikan, sosial dan politik Malaysia daripada kesan kehancuran yang dibawa wabak itu terhadap kehidupan, ekonomi dan rakyat Malaysia.

Rancangan Pemulihan Negara hanya boleh dimulakan setelah penularan wabak itu berakhir.

Ia seperti berbicara mengenai Rancangan Pemulihan Negara ketika perang masih terus meletus. Rancangan pemulihan nasional hanya dapat dimulakan apabila perang telah berakhir.

Pertama, mustahil untuk menghidupkan kembali 4,069 yang telah terkorban – tetapi berapa ramai lagi yang akan terkorban sebelum rakyat Malaysia dapat melihat pengakhiran kepada penularan wabak Covid-19?

Kedua, terlewat selama 16 bulan, kerana Rancangan Keluar Wabak Covid-19 seharusnya disusun pada awal penularan wabak berkenaan dan bukan setelah 16 bulan wabak itu mengganas di negara kita!

Hanya pada 23 Mei 2021 barulah Muhyiddin secara terbuka menyatakan bahawa kerajaan tidak akan melaksanakan sekatan pergerakan penuh kerana pelaksanaan perintah kawalan pergerakan (MCO) 1.0 yang dilaksanakan pada 18 Mac tahun lalu hampir menyebabkan seluruh ekonomi runtuh.

Beliau berkata ekonomi hampir runtuh kerana negara terpaksa menanggung rugi sebanyak RM2.4 bilion sehari sepanjang PKP 1.0

Beliau berkata, jika berlaku sekatan pergerakan berskala penuh, pakej rangsangan bernilai RM340 juta seperti yang diumum sebelumnya pastinya tidak akan mencukupi untuk merangsang semula ekonomi negara. Kerajaan mungkin memerlukan setengah trilion ringgit, dia merenung tetapi dia bertanya adakah Malaysia mempunyai wang itu.

Beliau berkata: “Betul, kita memang boleh tutup (ekonomi), tetapi untuk buka semula nanti, sistem itu boleh runtuh.

“Jadi, kita sudah belajar yang mana kita kena imbangkan ‘live’ dan ‘livelihood’. Jadi sebab itulah kita buat keputusan berdasarkan situasi keadaan. Inilah yang rakyat perlu faham.”

Tetapi lima hari kemudian, Muhyiddin melakukan sebaliknya – beliau mengumumkan sekatan pergerakan penuh selama dua minggu dari 1 Jun, yang telah dilanjutkan selama dua minggu lagi.

Adakah sekatan pergerakan penuh akan dilanjutkan lagi selepas 28 Jun?

Apakah jenis pelan “pemulihan negara” ini?

Ketiga, Muhyiddin mengabaikan masalah yang terang-terangan di depan mata dan gagal menjelaskan mengapa Malaysia tiba-tiba menjadi salah satu negara dengan prestasi terburuk di dunia dalam menguruskan wabak Covid-19.

Pada 18 November 2020, kita menduduki tempat ke-85 antara negara-negara dengan jumlah kes Covid-19 tertinggi.

Sekarang, kira-kira tujuh bulan kemudian, selepas negara merekodkan 667,876 kes Covid-19, kita telah mengatasi Austria dan kini berada di kedudukan ke-38 antara negara-negara dengan jumlah kes Covid-19 tertinggi. Kita akan mengatasi Switzerland untuk berada di tangga ke-37 dunia sebelum 28 Jun.

China, yang mendahului dunia pada awal penularan wabak ini, kini berada di tangga ke-99 dengan 91,471 kes Covid-19.

Menurut laman sesawang Our World in Data, kes per sejuta penduduk untuk 14 Jun 2021, kita seperti biasa menewaskan 37 negara teratas di dunia dengan jumlah kes Covid-19 tertinggi kecuali empat negara di Amerika Selatan – Brazil, Argentina, Colombia dan Chile.

Kegagalan besar darurat Malaysia untuk melandaikan lekuk wabak Covid-19 dapat diukur menerusi kewujudan jurang besar antara Malaysia dan negara-negara yang pernah dianggap sebagai negara dengan prestasi terburuk dalam menguruskan wabak Covid-19.

Negara-negara dengan prestasi terburuk ini telah menunjukan tanda akan pulih, tetapi Malaysia masih bergelut untuk keluar dari krisis kesihatan ini.

“Kes per sejuta penduduk Malaysia” pada 14 Jun 2021 adalah 178.19 berbanding Amerika Syarikat (41.69), India (59.46), Perancis (58.10), Turki (71.90), Rusia (83.70), UK (107.32), Itali (28.54), Sepanyol (104.63), Jerman (23.57), Iran (115.93), Indonesia (29.52) dan Filipina (60.03).

Setakat ini, 4,069 kematian akibat Covid-19 direkodkan di Malaysia – 3,518 kematian dalam tempoh lima bulan sejak darurat diisytiharkan pada 11 Januari 2021 atau hampir tujuh kali ganda daripada 551 kematian yang dicatatkan dalam tempoh 12 bulan pertama kita berhadapan dengan wabak ini.

Kita juga telah menjadi negara teratas di dunia dari segi jumlah kematian harian per sejuta penduduk.

Adakah Muhyiddin telah menjelaskan mengapa Malaysia menjadi “negara yang gagal” di dunia dalam menguruskan wabak Covid-19, seperti yang dilihat daripada penurunan sebanyak 19 anak tangga dari tangga ke-16 pada Januari ke tangga ke-35 pada Mei 2021dalam Bloomberg Covid Resilience Ranking daripada 53 buah negara dengan ekonomi yang bernilai lebih daripada AS$200 bilion?

Mari kita tinjau laporan global terkini mengenai wabak Covid-19.

Amerika Syarikat, negara terburuk dalam menguruskan wabak Covid-19 dalam 18 bulan terakhir dengan jumlah kes terkumpul lebih dari 34 juta, telah mengurangkan peningkatan kes baharu harian Covid-19 sepanjang empat hari lalu sebanyak sekitar 96-97% dari puncak peningkatan kes harian baharu Covid-19 sebanyak 305,073 yang direkodkan pada 8 Januari 2021.

Bahkan India, yang pada bulan April dan Mei telah mengambil alih kedudkan Amerika Syarikat sebagai negara terburuk dari segi jumlah kes dan kematian akibat Covid-19, telah mengurangkan peningkatan kes baharu harian Covid-19, menurun dari puncak peningkatan kes baharu harian sebanyak 414,433 kes pada 6 Mei 2021 kepada 62,597 kes semalam – penurunan besar sebanyak 85%!

Bagaimana dengan Malaysia?

Puncak peningkatan kes baharu harian yang direkodkan di negara adalah pada 30 Januari 2021, ketika itu kita merekodkan 5,728 kes baharu Covid-19.

Dalam peningkatan kes Covid-19 sepanjang bulan lalu, kita telah melepasi puncak yang direkodkan pada Januari selama 21 hari dan mencapai puncak baru pada 29 Mei dengan peningkatan kes baharu harian sebanyak 9,020 kes di tengah-tengah amaran bahawa kita mungkin akan mencapai kenaikan peningkatan harian sebanyak 13,000 kes.

Keempat, keengganan untuk segera memanggil sidang Parlimen dan Dewan Undangan Negeri sehingga negara mencapai Fasa Keempat pelan keluar Covid-19 iaitu yang dijangka pada bulan September atau Oktober.

Ini adalah sebab utama mengapa siaran langsung pengumuman Muhyiddin semalam tidak dapat mengembalikan kepercayaan dan keyakinan masyarakat terhadap kerajaan dalam menangani wabak Covid-19.

Pengisytiharan darurat, penggantungan Parlimen dan DUN yang tidak selaras dengan perlembagaan serta keputusan flip-flop, pusingan-U dan amalan dwi-standard dalam pelaksanaan SOP adalah sebab utama berlakunya defisit kepercayaan dan keyakinan masyarakat terhadap cara kerajaan mengetuai perang melawan wabak Covid-19.

Sama seperti lima bulan selepas pengisytiharan darurat pada 11 Januari 2021, peningkatan kes baharu harian Covid-19 meningkat dua kali ganda semalam – dari 2,232 kes baru pada 11 Januari kepada 5,419 kes baru pada 14 Jun 2021 – apa yang perlu dilakukan untuk memastikan bahawa menjelang September atau Oktober, tiga syarat iaitu purata kes harian COVID-19 menurun di bawah 2,000 kes, sistem kesihatan awam berada di tahap selesa dan 40 peratus populasi negara sudah menerima dua dos suntikan vaksin dapat dipeuhi?

Adakah Parlimen akan digantung selama-lamanya sekiranya ketiga-tiga syarat ini tidak dipenuhi?

Mengapa negara-negara lain, yang dianggap sebagai negara dengan prestasi terburuk pada tahun pertama penularan wabak Covid-19, mampu menunjukkan tanda-tanpa pulih tanpa perlu menggantung sidang Parlimen atau mengisytiharkan darurat?

Kelima, seorang mantan Menteri menghantar pesanan kepada saya bahawa apa yang diumumkan Muhyiddin semalam adalah “pelan kosong”.

Ketika Muhyiddin mengumumkan sekatan pergerakan penuh kurang tiga minggu yang lalu, Beliau bercakap mengenai sekatan pergerakan penuh “tiga fasa”. Sekarang Muhyiddin bercakap mengenai sekatan pergerakan penuh “empat fasa”.

Adakah akan ada lagi fasa-fasa baru menjelang September atau Oktober nanti?

Sekiranya Amerika Syarikat dapat berubah dari negara terburuk dalam menguruskan wabak Covid-19, yang mana merekodkan lebih 6.5 juta kes Covid-19 pada bulan Disember 2020, dan mengurangkan jumlah kes Covid-19 kepada 214,000 kes pada setengah bulan pertama bulan Jun, 2021, mengapa Malaysia mesti menunggu hingga akhir tahun untuk perancangan pembukaan semula ekonomi?

Jelasnya, siaran langsung Muhyiddin semalam tidak lebih sekadar tindak balas terhadap Perbincangan Khas Raja-Raja Melayu yang akan berlangsung hari ini bagi membincangkan mengenai kegagalan kerajaan membendung penularan wabak Covid-19.

Oleh kerana darurat dan penggantungan Parlimen adalah dua sebab utama mengapa Malaysia masih terus mencari cara untuk pulih – ketika negara-negara lain yang menunjukkan prestasi buruk dalam menguruskan pandemik sebelum ini telah berubah dan kini mula menguruskan wabak itu dengan lebih baik terutama dengan pelancaran vaksinasi mereka – darurat dan penggantungan Parlimen dan DUN mesti diakhiri dengan kadar segera agar negara mempunyai harapan untuk pulih daripada wabak Covid-19.

Setakat ini, hanya seorang Menteri secara terbuka menyatakan tentang keperluan untuk memanggil sidang Parlimen dengan kadar segera. Adakah mesyuarat Kabinet pagi ini akan membuat kejutan bersejarah dan mengumumkan penamatan darurat dan memanggil sidang Parlimen dengan kadar segera?

(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri, Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Rabu, 16 Jun 2021)

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