#kerajaangagal199 – Raise the vaccination target to one million doses a day to save Malaysians from heavy toll of the “pandemic of the unvaccinated”

Malaysians commend the country’s health workers for reaching the target of 500,000 daily Covid-19 vaccinations yesterday, following the announcement that 507,750 Covid-19 vaccinations were given out yesterday.

This is the only good news so far  from the  very depressing development of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the country on the tenth consecutive  day with five-digit numbers for daily new Covid-19 cases while deaths and suicides mount to unprecedented numbers. When emergency was declared on January 11,2021, there were 2,433 new Covid-19 cases and 4 Covid-19 deaths on January 10 – but yesterday, there were 13,034 cases and 134 deaths!

Despite the good news on the vaccination front, we have only  achieved over  15% of people in Malaysia who had been fully vaccinated with two doses of vaccine and some 33% of people who had been given one dose of vaccine after four months of the national vaccination rollout.

We must step up the momentum and even raise the vaccination target to one million doses a day to save Malaysians from the heavy toll of high number of deaths from the “pandemic of the unvaccinated”.

Then Malaysians have something to celebrate for the 64th National Day on August 31 and the 58th Malaysia Day on Sept. 16, as from the present rate of infections, Malaysia is heading towards a gloomy period with cumulative total of over  1.3 million Covid-19 cases and over 11,000 Covid-19 deaths on August 31 and over 1.5 million Covid-19 cases and over 13,000 Covid-19 deaths on Sept. 16.

In fact, if we  can achieve the million doses of vaccine a day in the month of August, we might obviate the most  despondent and depressing development of Covid-19 pandemic on Sept. 16.

But a word of caution – vaccine is not the silver bullet to end all problems of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Brazil and  Spain have higher vaccination rates than Malaysia, both for one or two doses of vaccine, but both have higher  daily new Covid-19 infection cases yesterday than Malaysia – Brazil 49,603 cases, Spain 29,535 and Malaysia 13,034. Brazil also has higher number of daily Covid-19 deaths than Malaysia yesterday but not Spain:  Brazil 1,444 deaths, Spain 28 deaths and Malaysia 134 deaths.

(Media Statement (3) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, 23rd July 2021)

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#kerajaangagal200– Tomorrow will be Malaysia’s Day of Shame  when we  break the million-mark for Covid-19 cases and overtake Pakistan to be ranked No 30 among nations with the most cumulative total of  Covid-19 cases

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

Tomorrow will be Malaysia’s Day of Shame when we break the million-mark for Covid-19 cases and overtake Pakistan to be ranked among nations with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases.

But we must not give in to despondency, despair, hopelessness and even helplessness.

We must continue to live in hope and belief that Malaysia deserves better and take courage from the support of Malaysians for justice, truth and a better Malaysia as demonstrated by the success of Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed ‘Abdul Rahman to crowdfund for his legal cost and bail, raising more than RM700,000 in just 24 hours

The easiest thing is to surrender to despair and hopelessness, especially with Covid-19 pandemic doing its worst havoc in the past 18 months,, destroying lives and livelihoods, and turning Malaysia into a nation of food banks.

But as the surreal opening of Tokyo Olympics last night demonstrated, we must have the will and resolve to turn the present despair into a new hope for a better world – to turn the crisis into an opportunity.

One lesson of the Covid-19 pandemic is that we must unite as Malaysians to face this existential test, as the new coronavirus does not distinguish race, religion, region or politics. We must respond as one people, regardless of race, religion, region or politics to firstly bring the Covid-19 Pandemic under control and build a better, more just and equal tomorrow for all Malaysians.

This is illustrated by the Club of 31 Covid-19 “millionaire” nations we will join tomorrow, for it illustrates that the Covid-19 pandemic inflicts damage on all nations, regardless of race, religion, region or politics.

Headed by three nations with over 10 million Covid-19 cases, United States (35 million cases), India (31 million) and Brazil (19 million) which together account for more than 44% of the global total of 193 million Covid-19 cases, the other nations with more than a million Covid-19 cases are Russia, France, UK, Turkey, Argentina, Colombia, Italy, Spain, Germany, Iran, Indonesia, Poland, Mexico, South Africa, Ukraine, Peru, Netherlands, Czechia, Chile, Philippines, Iraq, Canada, Bangladesh, Belgium, Sweden, Romania and Pakistan. Truly regardless of race, religion, region or politics.

Most of these countries have seen light at the end of the tunnel. USA, for instance, has made the transition from its daily peak of 305,073 cases on January 8 and peak daily deaths of 4,449 dead on January 12, 2021 and reduced by 80% for daily increase of cases and by over 90 per cent in daily Covid-19 deaths despite the recent spike of Covid-19 cases because of the Delta variant. India have made even more progress after the catastrophe of its recent oxygen crisis in the Covid-19 pandemic, reducing both its daily increase of new cases and new deaths by over 90 per cent. Even the United Kingdom, which declared last Monday as “Freedom Day” by removing most Covid-19 restrictions which many experts considered reckless, have come down from a high of 54,674 daily new cases on 17th July to 36,389 cases yesterday.

But there is still no light at the end of the tunnel for Malaysia, which is one of the countries which is still trying to establish a new peak for daily new cases and new deaths.

Is the national vaccination rollout – which has reached half a million doses administered a day – the light at the end of the tunnel?

This depends on whether the rollout could be further accelerated and whether the target of vaccinating every adult by October can be achieved.

The convening of Parliament on Monday has come at a critical moment – whether it will mark the beginning of a new policy and strategy to bring the Covid-19 pandemic under control or whether Malaysia bungles along with past mistakes and disasters.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Saturday, 24th July 2021)

#kerajaangagal200 — Esok akan menjadi hari yang memalukan buat Malaysia apabila kita melepasi paras sejuta kes Covid-19 dan mengatasi kedudukan Pakistan untuk menjadi salah satu daripada 30 negara teratas dengan jumlah kes Covid-19 terkumpul tertinggi di dunia

Esok akan menjadi hari yang memalukan buat Malaysia apabila kita melepasi paras sejuta kes Covid-19 dan mengatasi kedudukan Pakistan untuk menjadi salah satu daripada 30 negara teratas dengan jumlah kes Covid-19 terkumpul tertinggi di dunia.

Namun, kita tidak boleh berputus asa atau berputus harap.

Kita perlu terus hidup dengan harapan dan kepercayaan yang Malaysia patut dapat yang lebih baik, dan mengambil semangat keberanian daripada sokongan yang ditunjukkan rakyat Malaysia kepada Syed Saddiq dengan kejayaannya Ahli Parlimen Muar tersebut untuk meraih bantuan untuk kos guaman dan bayaran ikat jamin, yang berjumlah RM700,000 yang dikumpul dalam masa 24 jam.

Perkara termudah untuk kita lakukan sekarang adalah untuk hanya menyerah kalah kepada kekecewaan dan rasa berputus asa, terutamanya apabila wabak Covid-19 ini telah memporak perandakan kehidupan kita semua dalam 18 bulan yang lepas, menghancurkan punca pendapatan dan kehidupan rakyat, menjadikan Malaysia sebuah negara yang bergantung kepada bank makanan.

Namun, seperti mana semangat acara pembukaan Sukan Olimpik Tokyo semalam, kita juga perlu terus mempunyai semangat dan keazaman untuk mengubah keadaan kita menjadi satu harapan untuk dunia yang lebih baik — mengubah krisis ini menjadi satu peluang.

Salah satu pengajaran pandemik Covid-19 ini adalah di mana kita semua perlu bersatu padu sebagai rakyat Malaysia untuk berhadapan dengan ancaman ini, kerana koronavirus itu tidak membezakan di antara kaum, agama, kawasan, mahupun politik. Kita perlu bertindak sebagai satu bangsa, tanpa mengira kaum, agama, kawasan atau politik, untuk mengawal wabak Covid-19 ini dan membina semua masa hadapan yang lebih baik, lebih adil, dan lebih saksama untuk semua rakyat Malaysia.

Perkara ini dapat dilihat daripada kelab 31 negara “jutawan Covid-19” yang kita akan sertai esok, yang menunjukkan pandemik ini meninggalkan kesan kepada semua negara, tanpa mengira kaum, agama, kawasan, mahupun politik.

Diketuai oleh tiga negara dengan lebih daripada 10 juta kes Covid-19, Amerika Syarikat (35 juta kes), India (31 juta kes), dan Brazil (19 juta kes), yang bersama-sama, mewakili 44% kes global sebanyak 193 juta kes Covid-19. Negara-negara lain dalam kelab jutawan Covid ini adalah Rusia, Perancis, UK, Turki, Argentina, Colombia, Itali, Sepanyol, Jerman, Iran, Indonesia, Poland, Mexico, Afrika Selatan, Ukraina, Peru, Belanda, Czechia, Chile, Filipina, Iraq, Kanada, Bangladesh, Belgia, Sweden , Romania dan Pakistan. Satu senarai yang benar-benar tidak memilih antara kaum, agama, kawasan, mahupu politik.

Kebanyakan negara-negara ini kita telah dapat melihat penghujung kepada kesengsaraan mereka. AS misalnya, telah beralih daripada kemuncak dengan 305,073 kes sehari pada 8 Januari dan 4,449 kematian sehari pada 12 Januari, kini melihat penurunan 80% angka kes baharu dan 90% kadar kematian walaupun dengan penularan varian Delta. India pula telah melakarkan kemajuan yang lebih baik selepas berhadapan dengan krisis kekurangan oksigen baru-baru ini, mengurangkan kadar kes baharu dan kematian dengan kadar lebih dari 90%. Malah, United Kingdom, yang pada hari Isnin lepas mengisytiharkan “Hari Kebebasan” dengan membuang hampir ke semua sekatan Covid-19 yang dianggap sebagai satu tindakan yang tidak berhati-hati oleh kebanyakan pakar, telah mencatatkan penurunan daripada kemuncak 54,674 kes sehari pada 17 Julai kepada 36,389 kes semalam.

Namun, situasi di Malaysia kelihatan berbeza, kita adalah salah satu negara yang masih belum menemui kemuncak peningkatan kes harian dan kematian akibat Covid-19.

Adakah program imunisasi kebangsaan — yang mencapai kadar setengah juta dos diberikan — penyelesaian kepada masalah kita?

Perkara ini bergantung kepada sama ada kita boleh mempercepatkan lagi program ini dan sama ada sasaran untuk memberikan vaksin kepada semua orang dewasa menjelang bulan Oktober dapat dicapai.

Persidangan Parlimen pada hari Isnin depan datang pada satu waktu yang kritikal — sama ada ia akan menandakan permulaan strategi dan dasar baharu untuk mengawal penularan wabak Covid-19 atau sama ada kita akan terus mengulangi kesilapan lampau.

(Kenyataan Media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Gelang Patah pada hari Sabtu, 24 Julai 2021)

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#kerajaangagal201 – Parliament order paper most  improper as it does not provide for voting for each of the Ministerial statements after debate

The Parliamentary Order Paper for the special Parliament meeting beginning on Monday is most  improper as it does not provide for voting for each of the Ministerial statements after debate.

Furthermore, it makes a mockery of the Malaysian Constitution and its bedrock principles of a constitutional monarchy based on parliamentary democracy and the doctrine of separation of powers  in denying the DAP MP for Bruas and former Perak State Assembly Speaker, Ngeh Koo Ham, the opportunity to present his motions to annul the Emergency Proclamation and Ordinances.

A special meeting of Parliament does not mean that the parliamentary standing orders, parliamentary practices and conventions can be violated.

The Speaker should ensure that the  Dewan Rakyat standing orders, parliamentary practices and conventions are observed in the special meeting of Parliament beginning on Monday.

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Saturday, 24th July 2021)

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#kerajaangagal202 – Time for government to distance itself from the National Recovery Plan and its blind faith with “total lockdowns” and  to open up all businesses in keeping with “Live with Covid” instead of a “Zero Covid” objective  where targetted lockdowns are resorted to only  in extreme circumstances

The time has come for the government to distance itself from the National Recovery Plan announced by the Prime Minister in a live national telecast on June 15 and its blind faith in “total lockdowns” and to open up all businesses in keeping with “Live with Covid” instead of “Zero Covid” objective and where targeted lockdowns are resorted to only  in extreme circumstances.

The National Recovery Plan was not the result of a “whole-of-society” consultation and deliberation. It bears the mark of the dismal failure of the strategy in the war against Covid-19 pandemic, whether the six-month emergency or the various forms of lockdowns including “total lockdowns”.

The cumulative total of  135,992 Covid-19 cases when Emergency was declared on January 11, 2021 had  increased by more than  seven times in six months to 980,491 yesterday while the 551 Covid-19 deaths on January 10, 2021 had increased 14 times to 7,718 deaths yesterday.

Tomorrow will be Malaysia’s Day of Shame for we will  break the million-mark for Covid-19 cases and overtake Pakistan to be ranked No. 30 among nations with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases – when we were ranked No. 85 in November last year.

What type of an emergency to combat the Covid-19 pandemic is this?

I would like to hear the Prime Minister or any Minister to claim in Parliament next week that the six-month emergency was a great success in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic, for he or she should be booed out of Parliament as he or she would  be worse than the Emperor with no clothes.

This is why the National Recovery Plan was unable to make the transition from Phase One to Phase Two at the end of June, and why there is consternation among health experts over the “haste” of  the Deputy Prime Minister Sabri Yaakob in declaring that the country could move into Phase 2 of the National Recovery Plan because of the improved vaccination rate.

But vaccination rate is only one of three conditions for the country to move from one Phase to another, the other being the threshold of average daily Covid-19 cases below 4,000 and the healthcare system no longer at a critical stage.

In both these two thresholds, we are worse today than when the National Recovery Plan was announced on June 15, when we had 5,419 cases but yesterday we had 15,573 cases – very far from the below-4,000 threshold!

As for the healthcare system no longer in a critical stage, how can anyone in government deny that the public health care system in Malaysia  is on the verge of breakdown – and I hope the government is taking action to ensure that the oxygen crisis that crippled  the healthcare system in India will not come to Malaysia.

Prof Moy Fong Ming of Universiti Malaya’s Social and Preventive Medicine Department has said banking solely on the vaccination rate and ignoring other data on Covid-19’s spread may lead to a new wave of infections that will be even more difficult to deal with, especially when the Delta variant is causing havoc in South-East Asia, particularly Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar.

A National Recovery Council has been established, and if this Council is to be useful, the first thing it must do is to replace the National Recovery Plan with a new strategy and approach which is truly “whole-of-society” and which crafts a strategy to enable Malaysia  to “Live with Covid” without destroying the livelihoods of Malaysians and the Malaysian economy.

We must learn from the successes and failures in other countries – for instance, the example of United Kingdom which declared last Monday as “Freedom Day” by removing all Covid-19 restrictions, which is regarded as overhasty and reckless by health experts.

We must take a more cautious approach which allows the re-opening of all businesses but where  targeted lockdowns are only be resorted to in extreme circumstances.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang after visiting the Vaccination Centre at Nusantara, Iskandar Puteri on Saturday, 24th July 2021 at 11.30 a.m)

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#kerajaangagal203 – No more likelihood but certainty that we will break the million-mark for Covid-19 cases today and overtake Pakistan to be ranked No. 30 among countries with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases

It is no more likelihood – but certainty that we will break the million-mark for Covid-19 cases today and overtake Pakistan to be ranked No. 30 among countries with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases, when eight months ago, we were ranked No. 85.

I have said that Malaysia will be set on  the  path to return to normality when we stop setting dubious records in the Covid-19 pandemic, and today will be no exception in  setting multiple dubious records a day, viz:

·   We will break the million-mark for cumulative total of Covid-19 cases;

·   We will today  overtake Pakistan to be ranked No. 30 among countries with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases;

·   We will today  break the 8,000-mark for Covid-19 deaths;

·   Yesterday, we became the world’s Top 10th country in daily new Covid-19 cases;

·   Yesterday, we also  became the world’s Top 11th country in daily new Covid-1 deaths; and

·  Another dubious record is that yesterday, Malaysia  beat the United States of America in daily new Covid-19 deaths, as the USA reported 149 new deaths while Malaysia reported 184 new deaths.

The time has come for the government to distance itself from the National Recovery Plan announced by the Prime Minister in a live national telecast on June 15 and its blind faith in “total lockdowns” and to open up all businesses in keeping with “Live with Covid” instead of “Zero Covid” objective and where targeted lockdowns are resorted to only in extreme circumstances.

The National Recovery Plan was not the result of a “whole-of-society” consultation and deliberation. It bears the mark of the dismal failure of the strategy in the war against Covid-19 pandemic, whether the six-month emergency or the various forms of lockdowns including “total lockdowns”.

The cumulative total of 135,992 Covid-19 cases when Emergency was declared on January 11, 2021 had increased by more than seven times in six months to 996,393 cases  yesterday while the 551 Covid-19 deaths on January 10, 2021 had increased by more than 14 times to 7,902  deaths yesterday.

A National Recovery Council has been established, and if this Council is to be useful, the first thing it must do is to replace the National Recovery Plan with a new strategy and approach which is truly a  “whole-of-society” product and which crafts a new strategy to enable Malaysians  to “Live with Covid” without destroying their livelihoods and the Malaysian economy.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Sunday, 25th July  2021)

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#kerajaangagal204 – Tomorrow is Azhar’s “Give me liberty or give me death” moment as Speaker of Parliament

Tomorrow is Azhar Azizan Harun’s “Give me liberty or give me death” moment as Speaker of Malaysian Parliament.

He must decide whether  to uphold parliamentary privileges and principles  as the House of Commons Speaker  William Lenthal did in 1642 and famously said to King Charles I: “May it please your majesty. I have neither eyes to see or tongue to speak in this place but as this House is pleased to direct me whose servant I am here; and I humbly beg your majesty’s pardon that I cannot give any other answer than this to what your majesty is pleased to demand of me.”

Tomorrow, Azhar must decide whether he represents  Parliament or  whether he represents  the Executive in the five-day  Parliament special meeting.

It is Azhar’s challenge as Speaker to end the constitutional havoc caused by a government fearing to test its majority in Parliament by upholding the Malaysian Constitution founded on the bedrock principles of a constitutional monarchy based on parliamentary democracy and  the doctrine of the separation of powers or  be prepared to pay the price for his principles.

Why should Azhar flinch from  upholding the Malaysian Constitution principles of constitutional monarchy based on parliamentary democracy and the doctrine of separation of powers and have to  submit to the  dictates of the  Prime Minister?

As Parliament Speaker, he  must fulfil the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Malay rulers’ decree for Parliament to be convened to debate the Emergency Proclamation, the Emergency Ordinances and the National Recovery Plan to end the Covid-19 pandemic or  to resign as Parliament Speaker if he cannot fulfil the decree of the Yang di Pertuan Agong and the Rulers that Parliament should debate the Emergency Proclamation, Emergency Ordinances and the National Recovery Plan.

This should now not pose any problem as the Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin and the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law), Taikyuddin Hassan had given their word that there would be debate when Parliament convenes tomorrow and  the Prime Minister had written to him as the  Dewan Rakyat Speaker requesting for the MPs to be allowed to debate and ask questions.

Azhar must now ensure that there would be voting on each of the five Ministerial statements as well as debate and vote on the Emergency Proclamation and Ordinances.

I am shocked by the rejection of  Opposition Leader, Anwar Ibrahim’s motion on the ridiculous ground that it was submitted too early, when it was fully in conformity with the decree of the Yang Di Pertuan Agong and the Conference of Rulers special meeting, especially as there is no provision for  debate and vote on the Emergency Proclamation and Ordinances in the Parliament special meeting.

I am also shocked by the rejection of the motions of DAP MP for Bruas and former Perak State Assembly Speaker, Ngeh Koo Ham, when his motions are to fulfil the decree of the Yang di Pertuan Agong and the Conference of Rulers special meeting as well as Article 150 of the Constitutioh.

Article 150 (3) stipulates:

“A Proclamation of Emergency and any ordinance promulgated under Clause (2B) shall be laid before both Houses of Parliament and, if not sooner revoked, shall cease to have effect if resolutions are passed by both Houses annulling such Proclamation or ordinance, but without prejudice to anything previously done by virtue thereof or to the power of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to issue a new Proclamation under Clause (1) or promulgate any ordinance under Clause (2B).”

The Speaker should not frustrate the operation of  Article 150 (3) of the Constitution, and priority should be given to any motion to annul  the Emergency Proclamation and Ordinances, as the Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders, as a subsidiary regulation, should NOT be used to frustrate Parliament’s  Constitutional role to provide a supervisory  function over the Executive’s emergency powers.

The Speaker should not be a party to any unconstitutional  Executive attempt to  use the Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders to  disable Parliament from exercising its constitutional functions set out in Article 150(3) of the Constitution.

The five-day Parliament  special meeting starting tomorrow must meet two objectives:

·         firstly, fulfil the decree of the Yang di Pertuan Agong and Conference of Rulers special meeting of June 16 for Parliament to debate and vote on the Emergency Proclamation, the Emergency Ordinances and the National Recovery Plan; and

·         secondly, to make a difference in the losing war against the Covid-19 pandemic, where Malaysia has become one the world’s worst performing nations, by adopting a new policy and strategy of “Live with Covid” instead of “Zero Covid” and to distance from the present  blind-faith on total lockdowns.

This is  the supreme test for the Speaker of Parliament.

At stake is not the life of the Speaker of Parliament but his principles.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, 25th July  2021)

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#kerajaangagal205 –  Call on Muhyiddin to personally intervene to negotiate with the contract doctors to persuade  them not to go on strike tomorrow  and to explain to Parliament his formula to resolve the longstanding problems of the contract doctors

The Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, should personally intervene to negotiate with the contract doctors to persuade them not to go on strike tomorrow, and the Prime Minister should explain to Parliament tomorrow his formula to resolve the longstanding problems of the contract doctors.

Hartal Doktor Kontrak has said that some 5,000 doctors nationwide are expected to take part in a strike tomorrow which will throw  the public healthcare system into utter chaos, as the system is already on the verge of breaking point.

DAP MP for Klang, Charles Santiago has described the entire Klang Valley as an Intensive Care Unit (ICU)  because of shortage of oxygen, medical equipment and beds.

It would the height of irresponsibility and kakistocracy at its worst if the Prime Minister does  not intervene to negotiate with the contract doctors to prevent them from going on strike and reporting to Parliament tomorrow on his formula to resolve the long-standing problems of the contract doctors.

It would also be most unconscionable in view of the high fatality rates of the Covid-19 pandemic if the Prime Minister does nothing to persuade the contract doctors not to go on a strike.

If there is a strike of the contract doctors and ensuing chaos in a very fragile  public health system as a result of the strike, it would be the predominant issue of Parliament tomorrow – edging all other issues into second place.

I call on Muhyiddin to muster the political will to resolve the longstanding problems of the contract doctors with a fair and just permanent solution.

This is a test of the Prime Ministerial calibre of Muhyiddin Yassin.

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, 25th July  2021)

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#kerajaangagal206 –  Malaysia today breaks million-mark and tears the National Recovery Plan into smithereens

Malaysia broke the million-mark for cumulative total of Covid-19 cases, surging a seemingly unstoppable overtaking of other countries, as we are now ranked No. 30 among nations with the most cumulative total  of Covid-19 cases when 8 months ago, we were ranked No. 85.

The only other country which is increasing  Covid-19 cases by leaps and bounds is Thailand, which was ranked No. 151 at the end of November last year but which is now ranked No. 47, with the exponential increases since April because of the Delta variant. But Thailand has just broke the half-million mark.

We are now six deaths short of breaking the 8,000-mark for cumulative total of Covid-19 deaths – when there were only 551 deaths before the emergency was proclaimed on January 11, 2021.

Let the Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, be honest for once and admit in Parliament tomorrow that the emergency, the various total lockdowns and the National Recovery Plan were dismal failures and we must make a new start in the battle against Covid-19 pandemic.

The National Recovery Plan which was rushed out on the eve of the Conference of Rulers special meeting on June 16 had been torn into smithereens, as otherwise, we will  have a ridiculous situation where the states make the transition from Phase One to Phase Two (and cannot revert back to Phase One even if the states face  exponential  case increases) while the Malaysian nation cannot make the transition to Phase Two as we cannot fulfil threshold of a daily average of less than 4,000 cases. In fact, with 17,045 cases today, we are more than four times this threshold!

It is clear that the National Recovery Plan is not based on science or facts, nor is it the product of a “whole-of-society” consultation and deliberation.

DAP has long expressed its preparedness to work with the government to restore Malaysia to pre-pandemic times, but we must bring the Covid-19 pandemic under control. We cannot eliminate Covid-19 as we have to live with it. We must distance ourselves from the “total lockdown” mentality, open all businesses  and resort to targeted lockdowns only in extreme circumstances, as Malaysia cannot survive if it becomes a nation of food banks.

(Media Statement (3) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, 25 th July 2021)

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#kerajaangagal207  –  The rekindling of the Malaysian Dream

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

This is my last media statement using the hashtag #kerajaangagal. I had said that I will end the series when Parliament is reconvened, which is in two hours’ time.

When I started on the series on 18th April 2021 with the first statement calling on the Health Minister, Adham Baba “to stop his game of semantics and focus on checking the rise in daily increase of new Covid-19 cases and bring it down to double-digit figures or resign”, it seemed like another era.

In a short period of three months and eight day, what seemed possible appeared to be impossible now.

For instance, we were then talking about bringing down the daily new Covid-19 figures to double-digit figures, but this appeared now to be an impossible dream!

In fact, we could not make the transition from Phase One to Phase Two of the National Recovery Plan announced on June 15 because we could not meet one of the three thresholds – an average daily rate of less than 4,000 cases.

We are now over the 17,000-mark for daily new cases and nobody dare to say that we will not be exceeding the 20,000-mark soon.

Yesterday we broke the million-mark for cumulative total of Covid-19 cases and today we achieved another “milestone”, breaking the 8,000-mark for Covid-19 deaths.

We are now the world’s top seventh country in daily new Covid-19 cases, losing out only to India (which had fallen by 91% from its peak of 414.433 cases on May 6, 2021 to 38,153 cases yesterday), Indonesia, United Kingdom, Iran ,Russia and Brazil.

Latest records show that we have beaten the United States of America, which for a year had the world’s worst performing state with a cumulative total of over 35 million Covid-19 cases, in both daily new cases and new deaths.

How low has Malaysia fallen!

The past three months of hashtag #kerajaangagal have proved to be a chronicle of worsening kakistocracy in Malaysia, where the country catapulted to be one of worst-performing nations in Covid-19 pandemic.

When the first #kerajaangagal media statement was written on April 18, we had daily new cases of 2,195 and a cumulative total of 375,054 cases. Yesterday, our daily new cases recorded a new peak of 17,045 cases with a cumulative total of 1,013,438 cases. On April 18, our daily Covid-19 deaths were eight with a cumulative fatality total of 1,378. Yesterday, our daily new Covid-19 fatality was 92 dead and cumulative total of 7,994 deaths.

As a writer noted yesterday:

“The prime minister has this uncanny gift of governing by brinkmanship, making his moves on the eve of a pending challenge to his premiership. The emergency ordinance to shut down Parliament, the NRP before the Yang di-Peruan Agong and rulers met, Pemulih stimulus package before the king’s meeting with the speakers, promoting ministers before the Umno supreme council met, and coming down with diarrhoea before a cabinet meeting.

“We should be expecting a major announcement on the eve of July 26, but we hope this time it will truly be a ‘Rakyat Survival Plan’.

“So, how much science and data could have gone into the NRP? Whose science says that the Covid-19 cases shall neatly and perfectly decline linearly, from about 6,000 to 4,000 to 2,000 and finally 500 and in each two-month period?

“Whose science says that the vaccination rates of 10 percent, 40 percent and 60 percent will cause a proportional decrease in infection exactly every two months? This is an insult to the science of epidemiology.

“I believe the thresholds have been carefully chosen to take the pressure off the government and give a false sense of hope to the people. According to the NRP, it seems coincidental that Parliament can only open in October, probably to table Budget 2022, and then seek dissolution of Parliament. That is why Covid-19 cases are expected to decline to 500 cases in November and December, so the general election can be held.”

What is clear is that there must be a rekindling of the Malaysian Dream to be a world-class great nation for mediocrity and kakistocracy must not be the fate for Malaysia, the confluence of four great human civilisations – Malay/Islamic, Chinese, Indian and Western.

Malaysia deserves better!

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Parliament on Monday, 26 July 2021)

#kerajaangagal207 – Menghidupkan semula Impian Malaysia

Ini adalah kenyataan media #kerajaangagal saya yang terakhir. Saya pernah berkata sebelum ini bahawa saya akan mengakhiri siri ini apabila Parlimen bersidang semula, yang akan berlaku dalam masa dua jam dari sekarang.

Ketika saya memulakan siri ini pada 18 April 2021 dengan kenyataan pertama yang meminta Menteri Kesihatan, Adham Baba “berhenti memainkan hujah semantik dan sebaliknya fokus terhadap angka kadar kenaikan harian Covid-19 untuk memastikan angka ini turun ke julat dua angka, jika tidak, beliau patut letak jawatan”, terasa seperti kenyataan itu dikeluarkan di dalam era yang berbeza.

Dalam jangka masa singkat selama tiga bulan lapan hari, perkara yang sebelum ini kelihatan seperti boleh dicapai, kini menjadi dilihat sebagai satu perkara yang mustahil untuk berlaku.

Sebagai contoh, kita sebelum ini bercakap tentang menurunkan angka kes baharu harian Covid-19 ke julat dua angka, tetapi ini nampaknya menjadi impian yang mustahil untuk dicapai!

Malah, kita tidak dapat beralih dari Fasa Satu ke Fasa Dua Pelan Pemulihan Negara (PPN) yang diumumkan pada 15 Jun kerana kita tidak dapat memenuhi salah satu daripada tiga nilai ambang — kadar purata kes baharu harian kurang dari 4,000 kes.

Kita sekarang merekodkan kes harian baharu melebihi paras 17,000 kes dan tidak ada yang berani mengatakan bahawa kita tidak akan mencapai paras lebih daripada 20,000 kes tidak lama lagi.

Semalam kita memecahkan paras sejuta jumlah kes terkumpul Covid-19 dan hari ini kita mencapai satu lagi “pencapaian”, mencatatkan 8,000 kematian akibat Covid-19.

Kita kini menjadi negara ketujuh teratas di dunia untuk kes baharu harian Covid-19, tewas dengan India (yang mencatatkan penurunan sebanyak 91% dari puncaknya iaitu 414,433 kes pada 6 Mei 2021 kepada 38,153 kes semalam), Indonesia, United Kingdom, Iran, Rusia dan Brazil.

Rekod terbaru menunjukkan bahawa kita telah mengalahkan Amerika Syarikat — yang selama setahun dianggap sebagai negara dengan prestasi terburuk di dunia dengan lebih daripada 35 juta kes Covid-19 terkumpul — dalam kategori kes baru setiap hari dan kematian baru.

Begitu teruk rekod Malaysia!

Sejak tiga bulan lalu, tanda pagar #kerajaangagal telah terbukti menjadi catatan peristiwa kakistokrasi yang semakin buruk di Malaysia, di mana negara ini melonjak menjadi salah satu negara dengan prestasi terburuk dalam pandemik Covid-19.

Semasa kenyataan media #kerajaangagal pertama ditulis pada 18 April, kita merekodkan kes baharu harian sebanyak 2,195 kes dan jumlah kumulatif sebanyak 375,054 kes. Semalam, kes baru harian kita mencatatkan puncak baru sebanyak 17,045 kes dengan jumlah kumulatif sebanyak 1,013,438 kes. Pada 18 April, angka kematian harian akibat Covid-19 adalah seramai lapan orang dengan jumlah kematian terkumpul seramai 1,378 orang. Semalam, kematian baharu harian Covid-19 adalah seramai 92 orang dan jumlah terkumpul seramai 7,994 orang.

Seperti yang dinyatakan oleh seorang penulis semalam:

“Perdana menteri memiliki bakat mentadbir dengan amalan yang menempah bahaya yang luar biasa, mencatur gerakannya menjelang hari yang menentukan nasibnya sebagai perdana menteri. Menguatkuasakan ordinan darurat untuk menutup Parlimen, mengumumkan Pelan Pemulihan Negara sebelum Yang di-Pertuan Agong dan Raja-Raja Melayu bermesyuarat, mengumumkan pakej rangsangan Pemulih sebelum pertemuan Yang di-Pertuan Agong dengan Speaker Parlimen, menaikkan pangkat menteri sebelum Majlis Tertinggi Umno bermesyuarat, dan mengalami cirit-birit sebelum mesyuarat kabinet.

“Kita seharusnya mengharapkan pengumuman besar pada malam 26 Julai, tetapi kita berharap kali ini ia benar-benar akan menjadi ‘Pelan Kelangsungan Rakyat’

“Jadi, berapa banyak data dan fakta sains yang mendasari perangkaan PPN? Pengetahuan sains yang mana yang mengatakan bahawa kes Covid-19 akan menurun dari sekitar 6,000 kes kepada 4,000 kepada 2,000 dan akhirnya kepada 500 kes dan dalam setiap tempoh dua bulan?

“Pengetahuan sains yang mana yang mengatakan bahawa kadar vaksinasi 10 peratus, 40 peratus dan 60 peratus akan menyebabkan penurunan jangkitan setiap dua bulan? Ini jelas adalah penghinaan terhadap ilmu epidemiologi.

“Saya percaya nilai ambang telah dipilih dengan berhati-hati untuk mengendurkan tekanan terhadap kerajaan dan memberikan harapan yang salah kepada rakyat. Menurut PPN, nampaknya kebetulan Parlimen hanya boleh dibuka pada bulan Oktober, mungkin untuk membentangkan Belanjawan 2022, dan kemudian membubarkan Parlimen. Itulah sebabnya kes Covid-19 dijangka menurun kepada 500 kes pada bulan November dan Disember, sehingga pilihan raya umum dapat diadakan.”

Apa yang jelas adalah kita mesti menghidupkan semula Impian Malaysia untuk menjadi sebuah negara hebat bertaraf dunia kerana kakistokrasi dan pencapaiannya yang sederhana tidak semestinya dan selamanya menjadi takdir bagi Malaysia — yang menjadi tempat pertemuan empat tamadun manusia yang hebat – Melayu/Islam, Cina, India dan Barat.

Malaysia mampu melakukan yang lebih baik!

(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Parlimen pada hari Isnin, 26 Julai 2021)

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Parliament reconvened for the first day in disaster and ended in catastrophe

After being illegally and unconstitutionally suspended for six months, Parliament reconvened for the first day in disaster and ended in catastrophe.

The Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin’s Ministerial statement on the National Recovery Plan was a disaster.

There was no honest attempt to admit that the government, through it blind faith on total lockdowns, had mishandled the Covid-19 pandemic; that the six-month emergency saw the cumulative total of  Covid-19 cases increased by nearly eight times from 135,992 cases  to 1,027,954 cases and the Covid-19 deaths increased by nearly fifteen times from 551 deaths to 8,201 deaths; and the National Recovery Plan was an instant failure, as the nation was unable to make the transition from Phase 1 to Phase 2 at the end of June as planned.

Yesterday we set a new daily record for new Covid-19 cases  – 17,045 cases – and today, we set a new daily record for new Covid-19 deaths – 207.

But the greatest disaster was the government’s biggest secret – that five days ago, the Cabinet had revoked the six Emergency Ordinance, making Malaysia probably the only country in the world with a Emergency Proclamaiton without any Emergency Ordinance.

But did the Cabinet revoke the Emergency Ordinances, as there is not a single gazette to that effect  and nobody, including the royal household, seems to know?

As the DAP MP for Bukit Mertajam Steven Sim  pointed out in Parliament, if the government can  be frank on the Prime Minister’s  bowel movements, why not the emergency ordinances?

But today’s Parliament ended up as a catastrophe when the Prime Minister bolted from the House and was not present in the winding-up session of the Ministerial statement.

I had after the Ministerial statement  asked the Prime Minister to give a satisfactory explanation why he had misled Parliament  and the nation for five days  about the revocation of the Emergency Ordinances by the Cabinet on 21st July, as  even  the Parliament Speaker was not aware of it or this would be his explanation for rejecting the motions of DAP MP for Bruas, Ngeh Koo Ham, to annul the Emergency Ordinances.

I said in Parliament that if the Prime Minister was unable to give any satisfactory explanation, then he should be referred to the Committee of Privileges for misleading Parliament.

But Muhyiddin wass not in Parliament to respond to  the clarifications sought by Members of Parliament at the winding-up stage and the buck was passed  to Finance Minister, Senator Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz.

It was a day of shame for the Malaysian Parliament.

How can the  National Recovery Plan be  a ”whole-of-nation” Plan as claimed by Muhyiddin,  when it cannot even be a “whole-of-Parliament” Plan?

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Parliament on Monday, 26th July  2021)

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Muhyiddin should make a Ministerial statement in Parliament today on the effect of the Cabinet meeting on July 21 revoking  six Emergency Ordinances

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

The Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, was remiss in his duties as head of the Executive when he failed to turn up in Parliament in the winding-up of his Ministerial statement yesterday, in particular to explain about the Cabinet meeting on July 21, 2021 which purportedly revoked six Emergency Ordinances but which information was kept from Parliament and the nation for five days.

When the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Parliament) Takiyuddin Hassan made the startling revelation yesterday about the Cabinet meeting on July 21 revoking six Emergency ordinances at the end of Muhyiddin’s Ministerial statement in Parliament, the Prime Minster was seen smiling and nodding his head in agreement while seated in his place.

I had after the Ministerial statement asked the Prime Minister to give a satisfactory explanation why he had misled Parliament and the nation for five days about the revocation of the Emergency Ordinances by the Cabinet on 21st July, as even the Parliament Speaker was not aware of it or this would be the proper explanation by the Speaker for rejecting the motions of DAP MP for Bruas, Ngeh Koo Ham, to annul the Emergency Ordinances as events have overtaken with the revocation of the Emergency Ordinances.

I also said that if the Prime Minister was unable to give any satisfactory explanation, then he should be referred to the Committee of Privileges for misleading Parliament.

But Muhyiddin was not in Parliament to respond to the clarifications sought by Members of Parliament at the winding-up stage and the buck was passed to Finance Minister, Senator Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, who was unable to clarify on behalf of the Prime Minister with regard to the revocation of the six Emergency Ordinances as MPs wanted a clarification from the Prime Minister himself.

The Prime Minister should come to Parliament today to make a Ministerial statement on the effect of the Cabinet meeting on July 21 revoking six Emergency Ordinances, and clarify whether and when the Royal Assent had been given and the necessarily gazette published.

Furthermore, why were Members of Parliament not informed of the revocation when the six Emergency Ordinances were laid before the Dewan Rakyat, which tantamount to a serious breach of parliamentary privilege and warranted the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Takiyuddin Hassan, being referred to the Committee of Privileges.

Or do we have a Prime Minister who is afraid of Parliament – which will be the first time in the history of Malaysia.

I had said that the first sitting of Parliament, which had been illegally and unconstitutionally suspended for six months, had started yesterday as a disaster and ended as a catastrophe.

Muhyiddin’s Ministerial statement on the National Recovery Plan was a disaster because there was no honest attempt to admit that the government had mishandled the Covid-19 pandemic which saw the cumulative total of Covid-19 cases increased by nearly eight times in six months from 135,992 cases on January 11, 2021 when emergency was proclaimed to combat Covid-19 to 1,027,954 cases yesterday and the Covid-19 deaths increased by nearly fifteen times from 551 deaths to 8,201 deaths yesterday.

Muhyiddin’s Ministerial statement was in fact rubbished by both the Health Minister, Adham Baba and the Health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah.

Noor Hisham predicted that Malaysia will reach the peak of Covid-19 transmissions in mid-September with 21,000 Covid-19 cases a day and an expected toll of 17,000 deaths daily by-mid August – based on the projection of an infectious rate (RT) of 1.2.

Adham Baba meanwhile has signed a gazette to extend the Health Ordinance related to movement control to December 31, 2021, a clear indication that the Health Ministry has no confidence that the country can make transition from Phase One to Phase Two anytime soon, although this was supposed to take place under the National Recovery Plan at the end of June – let alone to Phase 4!

Lawyers will have to ascertain whether this extension of the third movement-control order (MCO) to the end of the year, including provisions about penalties in cases of violation, is legal if the Cabinet had revoked six Emergency Ordinances on July 21.

The Prime Minister had to “scrape the bottom of the barrel” to have something nice to say about the government’s war against the Covid-19 pandemic in the past 17 months.

Muhyiddin said Malaysia is one of the fastest countries to vaccinate its people against Covid-19 with vaccine injection capacity having reached more than 500,000 doses a day at present.

The Prime Minister was guilty of fudging the facts.

Yes, the latest data shows that the daily rate of doses of vaccine administered in the United States is 590,639 doses a day – not very far from the claimed daily vaccine injection capacity of more than 500,000 doses in Malaysia.

But this is to ignore the peak vaccination rate of more than 3 million Covid-19 shots per day in the United States in early April and the dramatic decline in daily vaccination rate as people who were most eager to get vaccinated received their shots.

Since Covid-19 vaccine distribution began in the United States on Dec. 14, more than than 342 million doses had been administered, fully vaccinating over 163 million people or 49.1% of the total U.S. population.

United States’ vaccination rollout is slowing down although President Biden has urged Americans to get jabbed and infections are rising across the country. In some states, fewer than half of residents have received their first dose.

But after being one of the world leaders in vaccine uptake until the middle of April, the US vaccination rate has slowed down and US now lags behind UK, Italy, France, Germany, Israel and Canada in terms of doses administered as share of total population – and Malaysia is still a long way behind these countries.

The US still hasn’t reached the target set by President Biden of 4 July for getting 70% of those over 18 vaccinated with at least one shot – currently around 68% of adults have received their first dose.

New infections have more than doubled in the US in the past month – and according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the vast majority of new cases and deaths are among the unvaccinated.

In the southern states in America, and in the mountain west states, most of older adults are vaccinated but a lot of the younger ones are not.

This information on the slowing down of the rate of vaccination, together with the latest information that the Delta variant of Covid-19 virus is more transmissible and has pushed up the threshold for herd immunity to as much as 98% of the population to be vaccinated, is something for the authorities to digest.

But we must not proceed on false data, premises and assumptions – which are the fatal mistakes of the National Recovery Plan.

The question is whether the new target of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NIP) for 100 per cent of adults to receive full doses of vaccine by October, compared to the original plan of 80 per cent of adults being fully vaccinated by the first quarter of 2022, is achievable.

In yesterday’s Ministerial statement, the Prime Minister had failed to explain how the National Recovery Plan can be ”whole-of-nation” Plan when it cannot even be a “whole-of-Parliament” Plan!

Malaysia urgently needs a “whole-of-nation” National Recovery Council to plan and execute a new policy and strategy to gain control of the Covid-19 pandemic, based on “Live with Covid” and not “Zero Covid” objective.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Parliament on Tuesday, 27th July 2021)

Muhyiddin harus membuat kenyataan Menteri di Parlimen hari ini mengenai kesan mesyuarat Kabinet pada 21 Julai yang membatalkan enam Ordinan Darurat

Perdana Menteri, Muhyiddin Yassin, culas dalam menjalankan tanggungjawabnya sebagai ketua Eksekutif apabila beliau gagal hadir di Parlimen semasa penggulungan Kenyataaan Menterinya semalam, khususnya untuk menjelaskan mengenai mesyuarat Kabinet pada 21 Julai 2021 yang kononnya membatalkan enam Ordinan Darurat tetapi disembunyikan daripada pengetahuan Parlimen dan seluruh negara selama lima hari.

Ketika Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri (Undang-Undang dan Parlimen) Takiyuddin Hassan membuat pendedahan yang mengejutkan semalam mengenai mesyuarat Kabinet pada 21 Julai yang membatalkan enam Ordinan pada akhir pernyataan Menteri oleh Muhyiddin di Parlimen, Perdana Menteri dilihat tersenyum dan mengangguk kepala tanda setuju sambil duduk di tempatnya.

Setelah selesai pernyataan Menteri, saya telah meminta Perdana Menteri memberikan penjelasan yang memuaskan mengapa beliau mengelirukan Dewan dan negara selama lima hari mengenai pembatalan Ordinan Darurat oleh Kabinet pada 21 Julai, sedangkan Speaker Parlimen sendirinya tidak menyedarinya, jika tidak perkara ini pastinya akan menjadi alasan yang tepat oleh Speaker ke atas keputusannya untuk menolak usul Ahli Parlimen DAP Beruas, Ngeh Koo Ham, untuk membatalkan Ordinan Darurat kerana Ordinan Darurat sebenarnya telah terbatal.

Saya juga berkata bahawa jika Perdana Menteri tidak dapat memberikan penjelasan yang memuaskan, maka beliau harus dirujuk kepada Jawatankuasa Hak dan Kebebasan kerana mengelirukan Dewan.

Tetapi Muhyiddin tidak berada di Parlimen untuk memberikan maklum balas terhadap penjelasan yang diminta oleh Ahli Parlimen pada sesi penggulungan dan tugas tersebut diserahkan kepada Menteri Kewangan, Senator Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, yang tidak dapat menjelaskan bagi pihak Perdana Menteri berkenaan pembatalan enam Ordinan Darurat kerana Ahli Parlimen mahu penjelasan daripada Perdana Menteri sendiri.

Perdana Menteri perlu hadir ke Parlimen hari ini untuk membuat Kenyataan Menteri mengenai kesan keputusan mesyuarat Kabinet pada 21 Julai yang membatalkan enam Ordinan Darurat, dan menjelaskan sama ada dan bilakah Perkenan Diraja telah diberikan dan warta diterbitkan.

Selain itu, mengapa Ahli Parlimen tidak diberitahu mengenai pembatalan tersebut ketika enam Ordinan Darurat dibentangkan di Dewan Rakyat, perkara ini merupakan satu pelanggaran hak dan kebebasan Ahli Parlimen yang serius dan sepatutnya Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Takiyuddin Hassan, perlu dirujuk kepada Jawatankuasa Hak dan Kebebasan.

Atau adakah kita mempunyai Perdana Menteri yang takut kepada Parlimen — perkara yang julung kalinya berlaku dalam sejarah Malaysia.

Saya berkata bahawa sidang pertama Parlimen, yang telah ditangguhkan selama enam bulan secara tidak sah dan tidak mengikut perlembagaan, bermula semalam sebagai bencana dan berakhir sebagai malapetaka.

Kenyataan Menteri Muhyiddin mengenai Pelan Pemulihan Negara adalah bencana kerana tidak ada usaha yang jujur untuk mengakui bahawa kerajaan telah gagal menangani wabak Covid-19 yang menyaksikan jumlah kumulatif kes Covid-19 meningkat hampir lapan kali dalam enam bulan dari 135,992 kes pada 11 Januari 2021 ketika darurat diisytiharkan untuk memerangi Covid-19 kepada 1,027,954 kes semalam dan kematian Covid-19 meningkat hampir lima belas kali ganda dari 551 kematian kepada 8,201 kematian semalam.

Kenyataan Menteri Muhyiddin telah “dibakul sampahkan” oleh Menteri Kesihatan, Adham Baba dan Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan Noor Hisham Abdullah.

Noor Hisham meramalkan bahawa Malaysia akan mencapai puncak jangkitan Covid-19 pada pertengahan September dengan 21,000 kes Covid-19 sehari dan jumlah kematian yang dijangkakan sebanyak 17,000 setiap hari pada pertengahan Ogos – berdasarkan unjuran kadar jangkitan (RT) 1.2.

Sementara itu, Adham Baba telah menandatangani pewartaan untuk melanjutkan Ordinan Kesihatan yang berkaitan dengan kawalan pergerakan hingga 31 Disember 2021, petunjuk yang jelas bahawa Kementerian Kesihatan tidak yakin bahawa negara dapat melakukan peralihan dari Fasa Satu ke Fasa Dua dalam waktu dekat, walaupun ini sepatutnya dilaksanakan di bawah Pelan Pemulihan Negara pada akhir bulan Jun — apatah lagi ke Fasa 4!

Peguam harus memastikan sama ada lanjutan pelaksanaan perintah kawalan pergerakan ketiga (PKP) hingga akhir tahun ini, termasuk peruntukan mengenai hukuman dalam kes pelanggaran SOP, adalah sah jika Kabinet membatalkan enam Ordinan Darurat pada 21 Julai.

Perdana Menteri terpaksa menggunakan segala helah untuk untuk menunjukkan kerajaan yang ditabirnya telah berjaya dalam perang terhadap wabak Covid-19 dalam tempoh 17 bulan lalu.

Muhyiddin berkata Malaysia adalah salah satu negara terpantas dalam memberikan suntikan vaksin kepada rakyatnya bagi menyediakan imunisasi terhadap Covid-19 dengan kapasiti suntikan vaksin yang telah mencapai lebih dari 500,000 dos sehari pada masa ini.

Perdana Menteri bersalah kerana memalsukan fakta.

Benar, data terbaru menunjukkan bahawa kadar dos vaksin harian yang diberikan di Amerika Syarikat adalah 590,639 dos sehari – tidak jauh dari kapasiti suntikan vaksin harian yang didakwa melebihi 500,000 dos di Malaysia.

Pun begitu, kenyataan Muhyiddin itu dibuat tanpa mengambil kira kadar vaksinasi harian tertinggi iaitu lebih dari 3 juta dos vaksin diberikan pada awal April di Amerika Syarikat dan penurunan mendadak dalam kadar vaksinasi harian kerana orang yang paling ingin mendapatkan vaksin telah menerima suntikan vaksin yang diperlukan mereka.

Sejak pemberian vaksin Covid-19 bermula di Amerika Syarikat pada 14 Disember, lebih dari 342 juta dos telah diberikan, 163 juta orang atau 49.1% daripada jumlah keseluruhan penduduk A.S telah dilengkapi dua dos vaksin.

Program vaksinasi Amerika Syarikat semakin perlahan walaupun Presiden Biden telah mendesak rakyatnya untuk mendapatkan suntikan vaksin dan angka jangkitan meningkat di seluruh negara. Di beberapa negeri, kurang dari separuh penduduk telah menerima dos pertama.

Tetapi setelah menjadi salah satu negara pendahulu di dunia dalam pengambilan vaksin sehingga pertengahan April, kadar vaksinasi AS menjadi perlahan dan AS kini ketinggalan di belakang UK, Itali, Perancis, Jerman, Israel dan Kanada dari segi dos yang diberikan sebagai bahagian daripada jumlah penduduk – dan Malaysia masih jauh di belakang negara-negara ini.

AS masih belum mencapai sasaran yang ditetapkan oleh Presiden Biden pada 4 Julai untuk 70% daripada mereka yang berusia lebih dari 18 tahun diberi sekurang-kurangnya satu dos vaksin – pada masa ini sekitar 68% orang dewasa telah menerima dos pertama mereka.

Jangkitan baru meningkat lebih dari dua kali ganda di AS pada bulan lalu – dan menurut Pusat Kawalan dan Pencegahan Penyakit AS, sebilangan besar kes dan kematian baru adalah melibatkan pesakit yang tidak divaksin.

Di negeri-negeri selatan di Amerika, dan di negeri-negeri barat negara itu, kebanyakan orang dewasa yang lebih berusia telah divaksin tetapi sebilangan besar yang lebih muda tidak mengambil suntikan tersebut.

Maklumat mengenai kadar vaksinasi yang semakin perlahan dan maklumat terbaru bahawa virus Covid-19 varian Delta lebih mudah menular dan telah meningkatkan nilai ambang imuniti kelompok kepada 98% populasi yang akan divaksinasi, adalah sesuatu yang perlu dihadam oleh pihak berkuasa.

Pun begitu, kita tidak boleh terus menggunakan data, premis dan anggapan yang salah – yang merupakan kesilapan besar Pelan Pemulihan Negara.

Persoalannya; apakah sasaran baru Program Imunisasi Covid-19 Kebangsaan (NIP) untuk 100 peratus orang dewasa mendapat dos vaksin sepenuhnya pada bulan Oktober, berbanding dengan rancangan asal 80 peratus orang dewasa yang sepenuhnya diberi vaksin pada suku pertama tahun 2022, dapat dicapai.

Dalam pernyataan Menteri semalam, Perdana Menteri gagal menjelaskan bagaimana Pelan Pemulihan Negara dapat menjadi Pelan “keseluruhan negara” sedangkan ia sendiri gagal menjadi Pelan “keseluruhan Parlimen”!

Malaysia sangat memerlukan Majlis Pemulihan Negara yang melibatkan “keseluruhan negara” untuk merancang dan melaksanakan dasar dan strategi baru untuk mengendalikan pandemik Covid-19, berdasarkan objektif “Hidup di samping Covid” dan bukannya “Sifar Covid”.

(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Parlimen pada hari Selasa, 27 Julai 2021)

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Parliament special meeting on Covid-19 pandemic has turned into a test whether Malaysia has a  responsible Prime Minister and de facto Law Minister over the revocation of six Emergency Ordinances

The five-day Parliament special meeting on the Covid-19 pandemic has met  for two days, but it has turned into a test whether Malaysia has a responsible Prime Minister and de facto Law Minister instead of an inquiry into the mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic which saw the country joining 31 countries with a cumulative total of a million Covid-19 cases and setting new record for daily new Covid-19 deaths.

Much time yesterday and today in Parliament  were spent on the purported “revocation” of the six Emergency Ordinances by the Cabinet on July 21, and despite many attempts by Pakatan Harapan leaders and Opposition Members of Parliament, no clarification had been forthcoming about the so-called “revocation” of six Emergency Ordinances by the Cabinet on July 21, and many questions remained unanswered, including:

(i)            Whether six Emergency Ordinances were properly “revoked” on July 21, 2021;

(ii)          Whether the revocation of the six  Emergency Ordinances had been given the Royal Assent;

(i)            Whether the revocation and when the revocation of the Emergency Ordinances had been gazetted;

(ii)          Whether the compound fines, penalties and prosecutions under the six Emergency Ordinance from July 21, 2021 were lawful and valid;

(iii)         Why the nation and Parliament were not informed of the “revocation” of the six Emergency Ordinances when they were laid before  the Dewan Rakyat until it was “blurted out” by the de facto Law Minster in Parliament five days later on July 26, 2021.

(iv)         Why the country and Parliament must continue to be  kept in the dark on the issue until next Monday on August 2, when the Deputy Prime Minister presents a Ministerial statement in Parliament;

(v)          Whether and when the Speaker of Dewan Rakyat and the President of Dewan Negara were respectively and properly informed that the six Emergency Ordinances had been “revoked”;

(vi)         Whether the Prime Minister and the de facto Law Minister had been guilty of serious  breaches of privilege and should be referred to the  Committee of Privileges in not informing the Dewan Rakyat on the revocation of the six Emergency Ordinances.

Yesterday, at the end of the Prime Minister’s Ministerial statement on the National Recovery Plan, the Prime Minister was smiling and nodded his head when the de facto Law Minister made the startling revelation that six Emergency Ordinances had been revoked by the Cabinet on July 21 although Parliament and the nation knew  nothing about it.

I had asked the Prime Minister to give a satisfactory explanation why he had misled Parliament and the nation for five days about the revocation of the Emergency Ordinances by the Cabinet on 21st July, as even the Parliament Speaker was not aware of it or this would be the proper explanation by the Speaker for rejecting the motions of DAP MP for Bruas, Ngeh Koo Ham, to annul the Emergency Ordinances as events have overtaken with the revocation of the Emergency Ordinances.

I also said that if the Prime Minister was unable to give any satisfactory explanation, then he should be referred to the Committee of Privileges for misleading Parliament.

But Muhyiddin was not in Parliament to respond to the clarifications sought by Members of Parliament at the winding-up stage and the buck was passed to Finance Minister, Senator Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, who was unable to clarify on behalf of the Prime Minister with regard to the effect of the revocation of the six Emergency Ordinances by the Cabinet on July 21.

The Prime Minister came into Parliament this morning when DAP MP for Puchong, Gobind Singh Deo raised a point of order on the revocation of the six Emergency Ordinances.

All that the de facto Law Minister, Takiyuddin Hassan, would say, with the knowledge and consent of the Prime Minister who was present, was that he was bound by the ruling by the Parliament Speaker to answer such questions next Monday.

This is the height of irresponsibility, for the issue whether the six Emergency Ordinances had been properly revoked, as in getting the Royal Assent and published in gazettes, is not only a Parliamentary issue but of national importance.

How can Parliamentary standing orders stand in the way of the right of 33 million Malaysians to know whether the six emergency Ordinances  had been properly revoked?

Even if  the Parliamentary standing order prohibits it, which I do not agree, why the Prime Minister failed to exercise leadership and responsibility by stepping outside the chamber to inform the media the true nature of the revocation of the six Emergency Ordinances in view of its larger national importance?

There are only two scenarios: firstly, that the six Emergency Ordinances had been properly revoked, i.e.decided by the Cabinet, given the Royal Assent by the Yang di Pertuan Agong and gazetted; secondly, that the six Emergency Ordinances had NOT been properly revoked, that it was decided  by the Cabinet but  not yet given the Royal Assent nor gazetted.

Which is which?

If it is the former scenario, why is the Prime Minister and de facto Law Minister shy in admitting it and want to wait until Parliament meets on Monday.

Is it the latter scenario? Is the de facto hoping that by Monday, he can report to Parliament that the six Emergency Ordinances have been given the Royal

Assent and gazetted?

Whatever the scenario, this is an important  lesson of the  need to exercise good leadership and responsibility at all times.

The  events have proved that Malaysia has a most irresponsible Prime Minister and de facto Law Minister, both of whom should be referred to the Dewan Rakyat Committee of Privileges.

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Parliament on Tuesday, 27th July 2021)

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Are we going to let some 20,000 people in Malaysia die of Covid-19 before we can  complete the national immunisation rollout in October?

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

Recently, daily Covid-19 are set to rise even further after they hit a record 17,045 infections a few days ago, but the public have been advised not be alarmed over the rise in infections over the next few days as the surge in cases, especially in the Klang Valley, is caused by an increase of tests, especially in the use of RTK-Antigen test kits and self-test kits.

The public can understand the daily increase of Covid-19 cases as a result of increased Covid-19 testings to identify as many cases as possible to reduce transmission in the community so that as more of these positive cases and their contacts are isolated and quarantined, cases will start to gradually come down in the weeks to come.

What is of great concern however is the increase in daily Covid-19 deaths, with Malaysia yesterday maintaining the new daily record of 207 Covid-19 deaths set on Monday.

When the six-month Emergency was declared on January 11, 2021, there were a cumulative total of 551 Covid-19 deaths for the past 12 months.

At the present rate of Covid-19 deaths, this figure of 551 will be exceeded in three days.

When the Emergency ends on August 1, more than 8,500 people would have died during the emergency, bring the cumulative total of Covid-19 deaths in Malaysia over 9,000 deaths.

At the present rate of Covid-19 infection and deaths, when Malaysia marks the 64th National Day on August 31, we would have exceeded 1.5 million Covid-19 cases and 15,000 Covid-19 deaths and when we mark the 58th Malaysia Day on Sept. 16, we would be approaching two million Covid-19 cases and 20,000 Covid-19 deaths.

Malaysians are entitled to know what actions the government is taking to avert such calamitous figures.

Are we going to let some 20,000 people in Malaysia to die of Covid-19 before we can complete the national immunisation rollout in October?

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Parliament on Wednesday, 28th July 2021)

Adakah kita akan biarkan 20,000 orang terkorban akibat Covid-19 sebelum vaksinasi program vaksinasi kebangsaan dapat dilengkapkan pada bulan Oktober?

Baru-baru ini, angka kes harian Covid-19 dijangkakan akan meningkat lebih tinggi selepas mencapai kemuncak baharu sebanyak 17,045 kes beberapa hari yang lepas, tetapi orang awam telah dinasihati supaya tidak cemas dengan peningkatan ini kerana ia disebabkan oleh peningkatan kadar ujian saringan melalui ujian saringan RTK-Antigen dan kit ujian saringan kendiri.

Rakyat secara amnya boleh faham yang peningkatan ini disebabkan oleh peningkatan aktiviti ujian saringan yang lebih kerap supaya kita dapat kenal pasti mereka yang positif Covid-19 untuk mengasingkan dan kuarantin mereka ini, dan angka kes dijangkakan akan mula turun dalam beberapa minggu yang akan datang.

Namun apa yang lebih membimbangkan adalah kadar peningkatan kematian akibat Covid-19, di mana negara kita mengekalkan rekod baharu 207 kematian yang pertama kali dicatatkan pada hari Isnin.

Semasa darurat selama enam bulan diisytiharkan pada 11 Januari 2021, terdapat sejumlah 551 kematian terkumpul akibat Covid-19 dalam tempoh 12 bulan sebelumnya. Pada kadar kematian akibat Covid-19 sekarang, angka ini akan diatasi dalam masa tiga hari.

Apabila darurat tamat pada 1 Ogos, lebih daripada 8,500 dijangkakan akan terkorban dalam tempoh darurat ini, membawa jumlah korban terkumpul akibat Covid-19 dalam negara kita melepasi paras 9,000 nyawa.

Pada kadar sedia ada, negara kita akan mencatatkan 1.5 juta kes menjelang sambutan Hari Kebangsaan ke-64 pada 31 Ogos dan mencatatkan 2 juta kes menjelang Hari Malaysia pada 16 September 2021, dengan hampir 20,000 kematian akibat wabak ini.

Rakyat Malaysia berhak untuk mengetahui apakah tindakan yang diambil oleh kerajaan untuk mengelakkan bencana sebegini.

Adakah kita akan membiarkan sehingga 20,000 nyawa melayang akibat wabak ini sebelum kita berjaya melengkapkan program imunisasi kebangsaan pada bulan Oktober?

(Kenyataan Media (2) Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Rabu, 28 Julai 2021)

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Malaysia will face a major constitutional crisis if there is no Royal Assent and gazette  to the revocation of six Emergency Ordinances by Saturday

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

Malaysia will face a major constitutional crisis if there is no Royal Assent and gazette to the revocation of six Emergency Ordinances by Saturday distracting focus on preventing the country having more than 1.5 million cases on 64th National Day on August 31 and reaching two million Covid-19 cases on 58th Malaysia Day on Sept. 16

Malaysia will face a major constitutional crisis if there is no Royal Assent and gazette to the revocation of six Emergency Ordinances.

This will further distract the primary focus which should be on preventing the country having more than 1.5 million cases when the country is marking its 64th National Day on August 31 and reaching two million Covid-19 cases on 58th Malaysia Day on Sept. 16, 2021.

We are today among the world’s top dozen countries in daily new Covid-19 cases and among the world’s top 10 countries in daily new Covid-19 deaths.

What is the government doing to dissociate Malaysia from such dubious company?

How many more deaths and suicides in Malaysia before we see light at the end of the tunnel in the Covid-19 pandemic?

The Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin must make a Ministerial statement in Parliament on what his government is doing to prevent the country from suffering such a double whammy – a major constitutional crisis and a worsening Covid-19 pandemic.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Parliament on Wednesday, 28th July 2021)

Malaysia akan berhadapan dengan satu lagi krisis berperlembagaan yang besar sekiranya tidak ada persetujuan diraja dan pewartaan pembatalan enam Ordinan Darurat menjelang hari Sabtu ini

Malaysia akan berhadapan dengan satu lagi krisis berperlembagaan yang besar sekiranya tidak ada persetujuan diraja dan pewartaan untuk pembatalan enam Ordinan Darurat.

Perkara ini akan mengalihkan perhatian negara daripada fokus kepada usaha untuk memastikan negara kita tidak mencatatkan 1.5 juta kes menjelang Hari Kebangsaan ke-64 pada 31 Ogos atau mencatatkan 2 juta kes menjelang Hari Malaysia ke-58 pada 16 September 2021.

Buat masa ini, kita adalah antara 12 negara teratas dari segi kes baharu setiap hari, manakala dari segi kematian baharu akibat Covid-19, kita berada di tempat ke-10.

Bagaimanakah kerajaan hendak mengubah kedudukan negara kita dari tempat yang buruk sebegini?

Berapa ramai lagi yang akan mati dan membunuh diri di Malaysia sebelum kita dapat menglihat penghujung kepada wabak Covid-19 ini di negara kita?

Perdana Menteri, Muhyiddin Yassin, perlu membuat Kenyataan Menteri di Parlimen mengenai apa yang kerajaan beliau akan lakukan untuk mengelakkan negara kita berhadapan dengan masalah berganda — satu krisis perlembagaan yang besar dan juga keadaan wabak Covid-19 yang semakin memburuk.

(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Parlimen pada hari Rabu, 28 Julai 2021)

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Sixty  hours to a major constitutional  crisis in Malaysia and double whammy for Malaysians?

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

Are we some sixty hours to a major constitutional crisis in Malaysia – which will be a double whammy for Malaysians on top of the mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic which has catapulted Malaysia to be one the world’s dozen countries which are the worst performers in the pandemic whether because of daily new cases or daily Covid-19 deaths.

If by Saturday midnight – some sixty hours from now – there is no Royal Assent to the revocation of six Emergency Ordinances announced in Parliament on Monday by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Parliament), Takiyuddin Hassan, Malaysia will be plunged into a major constitutional crisis.

The statement by the UMNO President, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, that UMNO had no prior knowledge that the emergency ordinances had been “revoked” is one of many indications of a major constitutional crisis in-the-making.

There are at least six other indications to show that a major constitutional crisis is in-the-making, viz:

1. Statement by the Federal Territories Minister Annuar Musa that the revocation of the six Emergency Ordinances are still in the process of revocation.

2. The absence of gazette of the Royal Assent and revocation of the six Emergency Ordinances in the past week;

3. The inability of the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and the Prime Minister himself to declare that Royal Assent had been given to the revocation of the six Emergency Ordinances, despite being questioned in Parliament daily for the last three days;

4. The letter by the Parliament Speaker to the MP for Bruas, Ng Koo Ham, rejecting his motion to annul the Emergency Ordinances on technical grounds, instead of on the ground that the emergency Ordinances had been revoked; and

5. The failure to inform MPs of the revocation when the six Emergency Ordinances were laid before the House.

This is a national tragedy for it had distracted Parliament, in its special meeting, to focus singly on the Covid-19 pandemic, as the issue of whether six Emergency Ordinances had been properly revoked had haunted the last three days of Parliament.

It showed a government in paralysis, unable to plan and to take action to ensure that when the country is marking its 64th National Day on August 31, the country will not be having more than 1.5 million Covid-19 cases and 1,500 Covid-19 deaths and reaching two million Covid-19 cases and nearly 20,000 Covid-19 deaths when marking the 58th Malaysia Day on Sept. 16, 2021.

Why is the position of the Attorney-General, Idris Harun on whether the six Emergency Ordinances have been revoked – to the Government, to the Yang di Pertuan Agong and to the people of Malaysia?

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Parliament on Thursday, July 29, 2021)

Adakah Malaysia berhadapan dengan krisis perlembagaan yang besar dan masalah berganda dalam kurang dari 60 jam?

Adakah kita sedang menuju ke arah sebuah krisis perlembagaan di Malaysia dalam tempoh kurang daripada 60 jam dari sekarang — yang mana akan menjadi masalah berganda buat rakyat Malaysia selain daripada kesilapan dalam mengendalikan isu pandemik Covid-19 yang mana telah meletakkan kedudukan Malaysia sebaris dengan negara-negara yang menunjukkan prestasi terburuk dalam pengendalian wabak berkenaan sama ada dalam kategori kes harian baru mahupun kematian harian akibat Covid-19.

Jika menjelang tengah malam Sabtu ini — atau 60 jam dari sekarang — tiada Perkenan Diraja diberikan untuk pembatalan enam Ordinan Darurat yang diumumkan oleh Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri (Undang-undang dan Parlimen), Takiyuddin Hassan pada Isnin lalu di Parlimen, tidak mustahil Malaysia akan terjerumus ke dalam krisis perlembagaan.

Kenyataan oleh Presiden UMNO, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, bahawa UMNO tidak mengetahui Ordinan Darurat telah “dibatalkan” adalah salah satu petanda bahawa krisis perlembagaan bakal berlaku.

Terdapat enam lagi petanda yang menunjukkan bahawa krisis perlembagaan bakal berlaku dalam masa terdekat, antaranya:

1. Kenyataan oleh Menteri Wilayah Persekutuan Annuar Musa bahawa pembatalan enam Ordinan Darurat berkenaan masih dalam proses.

2. Tiadanya pewartaan Perkenan Diraja dan pembatalan enam Ordinan Darurat sejak seminggu yang lalu;

3. Kegagalan Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri dan Perdana Menteri sendiri untuk menyatakan bahawa Perkenan Diraja telah diberikan untuk pembatalan enam Ordinan Darurat tersebut, meskipun perkara itu dibangkitkan setiap hari di Parlimen sejak tiga hari lalu;

4. Surat oleh Speaker kepada Ahli Parlimen Bruas, Ng Koo Ham, yang menolak usul untuk membatalkan Ordinan Darurat dengan alasan teknikal, dan bukannya dengan alasan bahawa Ordinan Darurat telah dibatalkan; dan

5. Kegagalan untuk memaklumkan kepada Ahli Parlimen mengenai pembatalan tersebut semasa enam Ordinan Darurat berkenaan dibentangkan di Dewan yang mulia.

Ini adalah sebuah tragedi buat negara kerana isu ini telah mengalihkan perhatian Parlimen, dalam sidang khasnya, daripada pengendalian wabak Covid-19, kerana isu sama ada pembatalan enam Ordinan Darurat telah dibuat melalui proses yang wajar telah menjadi topik hangat yang dibangkitkan di Parlimen sejak tiga hari lalu.

Ini menunjukkan kerajaan kini dalam keadaan lumpuh, tidak dapat merancang dan mengambil tindakan untuk memastikan bahawa negara kita tidak akan merekodkan lebih dari 1.5 juta kes Covid-19 dan 1,500 kematian akibat wabak itu menjelang Hari Kebangsaan ke-64 pada 31 Ogos, mahupun mencapai dua juta kes Covid-19 dan hampir 20,000 kematian akibat wabak berkenaan menjelang Hari Malaysia ke-58 pada 16 September 2021.

Apakah pendirian Peguam Negara, Idrus Harun berkenaan sama ada enam Ordinan Darurat telah dibatalkan — kepada kerajaan, kepada Yang di-Pertuan Agong dan kepada seluruh rakyat Malaysia?

Rabu, 28 Julai 2021:

*Malaysia akan berhadapan dengan satu lagi krisis berperlembagaan yang besar sekiranya tidak ada persetujuan diraja dan pewartaan pembatalan enam Ordinan Darurat menjelang hari Sabtu ini, mengalihkan perhatian negara daripada fokus kepada usaha untuk memastikan negara kita tidak mencatatkan 1.5 juta kes menjelang Hari Kebangsaan ke-64 pada 31 Ogos atau mencatatkan 2 juta kes menjelang Hari Malaysia ke-58 pada 16 September*

Malaysia akan berhadapan dengan satu lagi krisis berperlembagaan yang besar sekiranya tidak ada persetujuan diraja dan pewartaan untuk pembatalan enam Ordinan Darurat.

Perkara ini akan mengalihkan perhatian negara daripada fokus kepada usaha untuk memastikan negara kita tidak mencatatkan 1.5 juta kes menjelang Hari Kebangsaan ke-64 pada 31 Ogos atau mencatatkan 2 juta kes menjelang Hari Malaysia ke-58 pada 16 September 2021.

Buat masa ini, kita adalah antara 12 negara teratas dari segi kes baharu setiap hari, manakala dari segi kematian baharu akibat Covid-19, kita berada di tempat ke-10.

Bagaimanakah kerajaan hendak mengubah kedudukan negara kita dari tempat yang buruk sebegini?

Berapa ramai lagi yang akan mati dan membunuh diri di Malaysia sebelum kita dapat menglihat penghujung kepada wabak Covid-19 ini di negara kita?

Perdana Menteri, Muhyiddin Yassin, perlu membuat Kenyataan Menteri di Parlimen mengenai apa yang kerajaan beliau akan lakukan untuk mengelakkan negara kita berhadapan dengan masalah berganda — satu krisis perlembagaan yang besar dan juga keadaan wabak Covid-19 yang semakin memburuk.

(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Parlimen pada hari Khamis, 29 Julai 2021)

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Let the first item of business of Dewan Rakyat on Monday be a test of whether Muhyiddin Yassin still commands the confidence and majority support of Members of Parliament

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

On Monday evening, I said that the first day of the five-day Parliament special meeting started as a disaster and ended in catastrophe. It has now become a farce on the fourth day as result of the parliamentary lockdown and the repeated adjournments of Parliament yesterday.

The Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin’s Ministerial statement on the National Recovery Plan on Monday was a disaster.

There was no honest attempt to admit that the government, through it blind faith on total lockdowns, had mishandled the Covid-19 pandemic; that the six-month emergency saw the cumulative total of Covid-19 cases increased by nearly eight times from 135,992 cases on January 10 to 1,027,954 cases on July 26 and the Covid-19 deaths increased by nearly fifteen times from 551 deaths to 8,201 deaths; and the National Recovery Plan was an instant failure, as the nation was unable to make the transition from Phase 1 to Phase 2 at the end of June as planned.

On the eve or Parliament special meeting, Malaysia set a new daily record for new Covid-19 cases – 17,045 cases – and on the first day of the Parliament special meeting, Malaysia set a new daily record for new Covid-19 deaths – 207 deaths.

But the greatest disaster was the government’s biggest secret – that for five days, the Cabinet claimed that it had revoked the six Emergency Ordinances, making Malaysia probably the only country in the world with an Emergency Proclamation without any Emergency Ordinance.

But were the six Emergency Ordinances properly revoked on July 21, 2021 when nobody knew about it – a simple legal question which the Attorney-General Idris Harun should have no difficulty in advising the Yang di Pertuan Agong, the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and the people of Malaysia.

This was the issue which haunted the four days of the five-day Parliament special meeting, consuming most of the parliamentary time, and not the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the first four days of the Parliament special meeting, the country was caught in a double whammy, the biggest constitutional crisis a-brewing while the Covid-19 pandemic continued to worsen – setting a new record for daily new Covid-19 cases; breaking the million mark of the eve of Parliament special meeting and setting a new record of achieving the 11th 100,000 cases six days when we had taken 12 months to reach the first 100,000 Covid-19 cases in Malaysia. On the death-toll front, we took 14 months to reach the first 1,000 deaths, but we will achieve the ninth 1,000 deaths in five days during the Parliament special meeting.

A perusal of the Istana Negara and the Prime Minister’s Office statements show that the Istana Negara statement was right and the PMO statement wrong.

Furthermore, they also showed that both the Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin and the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Parliament), Takiyuddin Hassan, had misled Parliament in claiming that the six Emergency Ordinances were revoked on July 21, 2021 and that the Speaker on Parliament, Azhar Azizan Harun was wrong in rejecting the motions of the DAP MP for Bruas, Ngeh Koo Ham, to annul the Emergency Proclamation and Ordinances.

Both Muhyiddin and Takiyuddin should be referred to the Dewan Rakyat Committee of Privileges for misleading Parliament. Azhar should also resign as Speaker as clearly he cannot be the Chairman of the Dewan Rakyat Committee of Privileges.

I agree with the Parliamentary Opposition Leader, Anwar Ibrahim that the Parliament lockdown was a ruse for the government to obstruct the Dewan Rakyat sitting yesterday because of the motion of no confidence against Muhyiddin as Prime Minister had been tabled following the Istana Negara’s reprimand of the Perikatan Nasional government for unconstitutional conduct and this action must be deplored.

All these developments stems from the fact that the Muhyiddin government does not have the majority support of Members of Parliaments and the need to resort to parliamentary “games and tricks” to obviate the parliamentary reality.

Takiyuddin and Muhyiddin should honourably resign.

If the Prime Minister is not prepared to resign, let the first item of parliamentary business of Dewan Rakat on Monday be a test as to whether Muhyiddin Yassin still commands the confidence and majority support of Members of Parliament.

The German Parliament contributed the Reichstag fire in 1933 to global parliamentary infamy but let the Malaysian Parliament not contribute to global parliamentary infamy with a parliamentary Covid-19 lockdown in 2021!

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

Penentuan sama ada Muhyiddin Yassin masih mempunyai sokongan majoriti Ahli Parlimen perlu menjadi perkara pertama dalam aturan mesyuarat sidang khas Parlimen pada Isnin hadapan

Pada Isnin lepas, saya berkata bahawa hari pertama sidang khas Parlimen selama lima hari, bermula dengan bencana dan berakhir dengan malapetaka. Namun, pada hari keempat, situasi di Parlimen berubah dan diselubungi sandiwara dengan menyaksikan Parlimen ditutup sementara dan sidang Parlimen ditangguhkan untuk beberapa kali.

Kenyataan Menteri yang disampaikan Perdana Menteri, Muhyiddin Yassin berhubung Pelan Pemulihan Negara boleh disifatkan sebagai suatu bencana.

Tiada usaha yang jujur untuk mengakui bahawa kerajaan hari ini, menerusi kepercayaan membuta tuli terhadap strategi sekatan pergerakan, telah melakukan kesilapan dalam mengendalikan wabak Covid-19; darurat selama enam bulan yang menyaksikan jumlah kumulatif kes Covid-19 meningkat hampir lapan kali ganda daripada 135,992 kes pada 10 Januari kepada 1,027,954 kes pada 26 Julai dan angka korban akibat wabak itu meningkat hampir 15 kali ganda daripada 551 orang kepada 8,201 orang; dan Pelan Pemulihan Negara adalah suatu kegagalan, kerana negara tidak mampu untuk beralih dari Fasa 1 ke Fasa 2 menjelang hujung Jun seperti yang dirancang.

Menjelang sidang khas Parlimen, Malaysia mencipta satu lagi rekod baharu kes Covid-19 — 17,045 kes — dan pada hari pertama sidang berkenaan, Malaysia mencipta satu lagi rekod baharu untuk kematian akibat wabak itu iaitu seramai 207 orang.

Pun begitu, bencana maha dahsyat sebenarnya adalah berkenaan rahsia besar yang disimpan kerajaan daripada pengetahuan pelbagai pihak — selama lima hari, Kabinet mendakwa bahawa mereka telah membatalkan enam Ordinan Darurat, sekaligus menjadikan Malaysia salah satu negara yang mungkin mempunyai Proklamasi Darurat tanpa sebarang Ordinan Darurat.

Namun, tiada siapa yang mengetahui sama ada enam Ordinan Darurat tersebut telah dibatalkan menerusi proses yang sah pada 21 Julai 2021 — suatu persoalan perundangan yang sepatutnya menjadi tugas Peguam Negara, Idris Harun untuk menasihati Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Perdana Menteri, Kabinet dan rakyat Malaysia.

Isu ini mengalihkan perhatian Parlimen daripada krisis Covid-19 yang membelenggu negara ketika ini. Empat hari sidang khas Parlimen dibazirkan begitu sahaja untuk membincangkan isu Ordinan Darurat ini.

Sepanjang empat hari pertama sidang khas Parlimen, negara berdepan dengan masalah berganda, krisis perlembagaan terbesar selain situasi penularan Covid-19 yang semakin memburuk — mencatat rekod baru untuk kes harian baru Covid-19; memecahkan rekod satu juta kes menjelang sidang khas Parlimen dan mencatat rekod baru untuk mencapai 100,000 kes yang ke-11 dalam masa enam hari sedangkan kita mengambil masa selama 12 bulan untuk mencapai 100,000 kes Covid-19 pertama di Malaysia. Dari segi jumlah kematian, kita mengambil masa 14 bulan untuk mencapai 1,000 kematian pertama, namun idak lama lagi kita akan mencapai 1,000 kematian kesembilan semasa berlangsungnya sidang khas Parlimen selama lima hari.

Kenyataan daripada Istana Negara dan kenyataan daripada Pejabat Perdana Menteri (PMO) menunjukkan bahawa kenyataan Istana Negara itu benar dan kenyataan daripada PMO salah.

Ia juga menunjukkan bahawa Perdana Menteri, Muhyiddin Yassin dan Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri (Undang-Undang dan Parlimen), Takiyuddin Hassan, telah mengelirukan Parlimen dengan mendakwa bahawa enam Ordinan Darurat telah dibatalkan pada 21 Julai 2021 dan bahawa Speaker Parlimen, Azhar Azizan Harun telah melakukan kesilapan dalam menolak usul Ahli Parlimen DAP Bruas, Ngeh Koo Ham, untuk membatalkan Perisytiharan dan Ordinan Darurat.

Muhyiddin dan Takiyuddin harus dirujuk ke Jawatankuasa Hak dan Kebebasan kerana mengelirukan Parlimen. Azhar juga harus meletakkan jawatan sebagai Speaker kerana jelas beliau tidak layak untuk menjadi Ketua Jawatankuasa Hak dan Kebebasan Dewan Rakyat.

Saya bersetuju dengan Ketua Pembangkang Parlimen, Anwar Ibrahim bahawa penutupan sementara Parlimen adalah tipu muslihat bagi kerajaan untuk menghalang persidangan Dewan Rakyat semalam kerana usul tidak percaya terhadap Muhyiddin sebagai Perdana Menteri telah diajukan berikutan teguran Istana Negara terhadap Kerajaan Perikatan Nasional kerana melakukan perkara yang tidak selari dengan perlembagaan.

Semua perkembangan ini berpunca daripada hakikat bahawa kerajaan Muhyiddin tidak memiliki sokongan majoriti Ahli Parlimen sehingga sanggup mempergunakan parlimen untuk melaksanakan agenda “tipu muslihat” mereka.

Takiyuddin dan Muhyiddin harus meletakkan jawatan secara terhormat.

Sekiranya Perdana Menteri tidak bersedia untuk mengundurkan diri, maka penentuan sama ada Muhyiddin Yassin masih mempunyai sokongan majoriti Ahli Parlimen harus menjadi aturan mesyuarat pertama dalam sidang khas Parlimen pada Isnin hadapan.

(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Jumaat, 29 Julai 2021)

                This entry was posted on Friday, 30 July 2021, 9:55 am and is filed under
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Is Parliament lockdown Muhyiddin’s answer to the worsening Covid-19 Pandemic situation?

I find no pleasure whatsoever but great sadness that my predictions about the worsening Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia have been proven true – that today, Malaysia breaks the 1.1 million-mark for Covid-19 cases setting a new daily peak of 17,786 new Covid-19 cases, breaks the 9,000 mark for Covid-19 deaths and is No.28 among countries with the most cumulative cases of Covid-19 cases.

We were ranked No. 31 at the start of the five-day Parliament special meeting, but we have over taken Pakistan, Romania and Sweden, and tomorrow will be ranked No. 27 after overtaking Belgium in having the most the cumulative total of Covid-19 cases.

But is the Prime Minister, Muhyhiddin Yassin bothered?

In fact, if 235,952 Covid-19 cases and 551 Covid-19 deaths on January 10, 2021 was justification to declare emergency to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, then today’s figures of 1,113,272 Covid-19 and 9,024 Covid-19 deaths would provide even more reason to continue the  emergency – as the Covid-19 cases is five times and Covid-19 deaths is 16 times more than when the Emergency was first declared.

But the emergency was not the solution to the Covid-19 pandemic, but a subterfuge for Muhyiddin to hang on to power  just as the Parliament lockdown on  Monday was an excuse to use  the Covid-19 pandemic to extend his rule without parliamentary majority support.

Just as Hitler in 1933 contributed to global parliamentary lore with the German Reichstag (Parliament) first, it would appear that  Muhyiddin is   fully intent on contributing to infamous  parliamentary lore with a Malaysian  Parliament lockdown allegedly because of Covid-19 pandemic.

It is a tragedy for Malaysia that Muhyiddin thinks a Parliamentary lockdown is now the answer to the worsening Covid-19 pandemic situation in Malaysia.

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

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 31 July 2021, 8:40 pm and is filed under
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On top of a major constitutional crisis, Malaysia has worsened further in Covid-19 pandemic in the five-day parliament special meeting, overtaking four countries to be ranked No. 27 among nations with most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases

On top of a major constitutional crisis, Malaysia has worsened further in Covid-19 pandemic in the five-day parliament special meeting, overtaking four countries to be ranked No. 27 among nations with most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases.

Tomorrow, the emergency proclaimed on January 11, 2021  to combat Covid-19 pandemic, ends as the Cabinet on July 21 decided not to ask the Yang di Pertuan Agong to extend the emergency.

Was the emergency a success in its intended objective?

When the emergency was proclaimed on January 11, there were 235,992 total Covid-19 cases and a total of 551 Covid-19 deaths. Now, on July 29th, there is a cumulative total of  1,095,485 cases and  8,859 Covid-19 deaths.

We will break the 1.1 million mark for cumulative total of Covid-19 cases today and may break the 9,000-mark for cumulative total of Covid-19 deaths – an increase by eight times the cumulative total of Covid-19 cases and increase of sixteen times the cumulative total of Covid-19 deaths. I cannot think of a more catastrophic failure than these!

On January 10, there were 2,433 daily new Covid-19 cases and the single-digit nine new Covid-19 deaths.

Yesterday there were 16,840 new Covid-19 cases and new 134 new Covid-19 deaths.

The  seven-times increase of daily new Covid-19 cases and 15-times increase in daily new Covid-19 deaths is the strongest evidence that an emergency is not the antidote to the Covid-19 pandemic and why no country in the world proclaims an emergency to fight the Covid-19 pandemic except in the most extraordinary of circumstances.

By Monday, we will have overtaken Pakistan, Romania, Sweden and Belgium to be ranked No. 27 among countries with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases, and this bears re-examination why Malaysia is doing so badly in the fight against Covid-19 pandemic when in November we were ranked Nol. 85, and China, which was the world’s top No. 1 worst country is the first two months of the Covid-19 pandemic is now ranked No. 107 with 92,875 cases and 4,636 deaths.

With the end of emergency tomorrow, a new scenario emerges, along with many questions.

The first question is whether the Cabinet decision on July 21 will receive the Royal Assent before midnight today.

If there is no Royal Assent by midnight, and the six Emergency Ordinances continue to be in force for six months, can Parliament annul the Emergency Ordinances?

But will Parliament be sitting on Monday?

There are no answers now, but there is  no reason why the Dewan Rakyat should not meet as scheduled on Monday.

Hitler in 1933 contributed to global parliamentary lore with the German Reichstag (Parliament) fire. Let not Muhyiddin contribute to global parliamentary lore with a Parliament lockdown allegedly because of Covid-19 pandemic.

Malaysia is in unchartered waters, for this a constitutional crisis which is not envisaged by the founding fathers of the nation who wrote the Malaysian Constitution and provided  the bedrock principles of good governance based on constitutional monarchy based on parliamentary democracy and the doctrine of the separation of powers among the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary.

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

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 31 July 2021, 9:15 am and is filed under
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