Why did Muhyiddin like a thief in the night, convened a special Cabinet meeting to put  Malaysia into a state of emergency totally without any accountability and transparency?

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

Why did  the Prime Minster, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin acted like a thief in the night and  convened a special Cabinet meeting to put Malaysia into a state of emergency totally without any accountability and transparency?

When did Muhyiddin reach the conclusion that a state of emergency is the best solution  to his survival as the eighth Prime Minister of Malaysia, which might otherwise  be shorter than the seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia of 22 months?

As he had a zoom Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, it would appear that he reached this conclusion only on  or after Wednesday. Who were the people who convinced him so?

If Muhyiddin succeeded in his plot to put Malaysia into a state of emergency, he would have successfully followed in the footsteps of  the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu  who is exploiting   the Covid-19 pandemic to his   own political advantage, however temporary.

This is most ironic, when next week, the Covid-19 pandemic is likely to claim the scalp of its foremost political victim, the United States President Donald Trump  as many expect him to be defeated in the US Presidential election on Nov. 3 – not so much by Joe Biden but by the Covid-19 epidemic.

This is because the US Presidential election has been turned into a referendum over Trump’s atrocious handling of the pandemic, resulting in more than  8.8 million Covid-19 infections and over 230,000 fatalities in the United States – although this is  regarded as  under-reporting!

There are three types of national leaders in facing the Covid-19 pandemic. The first are like Donald Trump, who deny the seriousness of the Covid-19 pandemic although over 230,000 Americans have been killed – more than the Vietnam War casualties estimated at over 210,000.

Other leaders in  this mould  are Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro and Mexican President, Lopez Obrador  and they have led Brazil and Mexico to be among the Top Ten countries in  the world with Covid-19 infections. Brazil has nearly 5.4 million cases and 157,000 fatalities while Mexico has over 880,000 Covid-19 cases and over 44,700 deaths.

The second group of national leaders exploited the Covid-19 pandemic for their political survival and is led by Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Most of the national leaders in the world are in the third group, who seek to win the war against the Covid-19 pandemic without politicising the issue, uniting their people and banking on an “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” approach.

The national leaders of the  first two groups are heading for infamy, and I would urge Muhyiddin to come out of the second group and join the third group.

Malaysia must not be put into a state of emergency just  to provide life-support for  Muhyiddin’s political  survival.

Until  today, Muhyiddin has not shared with Malaysians his plan to suspend Parliament and put  Malaysia into  a state of emergency and Malaysians have to rely on the  rumour mills, which  have worked overtime since Friday, and the  social media to  piece together as best as possible what was going on in high affairs of state.

Most unusual and uncharacteristically, Malaysians are getting more information from the Yang di Pertuan Agong than from the Prime Minister on the Prime Minister’s proposal.

Yesterday, for instance, the Yang di Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah advised the people not to make speculations that could create confusion and anxiety and disrupt the people’s cherished harmony.

This followed an audience granted to Muhyiddin  and key ministers with the Yang di Pertuan Agong in Kuantan  after the  special Cabinet meeting on Friday.

No proposal from a Prime Minister as the present one to declare a state of emergency and suspend Parliament to fight the Covid-19 pandemic  had received such universal rejection from all quarters in Malaysia since the country  achieved Merdeka in  1957.

Constitutional experts, lawyers,  political analysts  and university academicians are virtually united in their view that a state of emergency is  unsuitable and not needed in Malaysia to fight  the Covid-19 pandemic and that there could be no justification for  any suspension of Parliament.

Even leaders from within the Perikatan Nasional government coalition are speaking up against the proposal.

UMNO Deputy President, Datuk Seri Mohd Hasan has called on the government to use democratic and scientific means to battle the raging Covid-19 pandemic in the country as Malaysia is not in a state of economy, health and security systems paralysis.

Veteran UMNO leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has warned that a state of emergency may be the “final nail in the coffin” of Malaysia’s battered economy while former Minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz has likened declaring a state of emergency to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic to “killing a few rats using a bomb”.

Even the former Attorney-General Tommy Thomas, who had imposed a ”self-quarantine” on himself since the Sheraton Move in February, had spoken up and warned that a proclamation of emergency by the executive can be reviewed by the courts.

In view of  the almost universal opposition in Malaysia to the proposal to declare a state of emergency to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, and to suspend Parliament, Muhyiddin should summon another emergency meeting of the Cabinet to broaden its option to fight the Covid-19 pandemic without (i) declaring a national emergency; and (ii) the suspension of  Parliament.

The Federal Territories Minister, Annuar Musa, when asking critics to suggest alternatives, said 32 other countries have already declared a state of emergency to address the Covid-19 pandemic, but he did not say how many of these 32 countries suspended their Parliaments  as well.

The world is facing an upsurge of Covid-19 infections and fatalities, but this is no reason for Malaysia to declare a state of emergency and to suspend Parliament.

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

Today, the daily increase of Covid-19 infections is three times the global cumulative total on March 11. A grim record was recorded on 23rd October, when the world daily increase registered the highest-ever total of 490,021 cases.

In terms of Covid-19 infections, Malaysia stands No. 89 in the list of countries with the most number of Covid-19 infections, headed by  United States, India, Brazil, Russia, Spain, Argentina, France, Colombia, Peru. Mexico, United Kingdom, South Africa, Iran, Chile,  Italy, Iraq, Germany, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Philippines as the world’s top 20 countries in terms of infections.

During the second wave of the Covid-19 epidemic in March this year, Malaysia was No. 18 in the word’s list of countries in terms of having the most number of Covid-19 infections.

We have  also done comparatively well in the international arena even in Covid-19 fatalities, as we were in March No. 33 in the world’s ranking of the most Covid-19  fatalities while we are now No.  103 in the world in terms of Covid-19 deaths.

We acknowledge shock and consternation that Malaysia has 214 Covid-19 fatalities, but we are  not in the league of nations whose fatalities qualify them to be the world’s top 10 countries such as United States, Brazil, India, Mexico, United Kingdom, Italy,  Spain, France,   Peru and  Iran,  whose fatalities range from 32,320 to 230,060 deaths.

MPs  such as  Anthony Loke and Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman  and political analysis like Wong Chin Huat have suggested that one way out of the present political impasse was a “confidence-and-supply” agreement to  enable the 2021 Budget to be passed to  allow an “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” approach to the battle  against the Covid-19 pandemic.

All Members of Parliament, regardless of political party, want the war against the Covid-19 epidemic to be successfully waged.

The 2021 Budget will be presented to Parliament on Friday, November 6, 2020, and the first vote on the 2021 Budget will be at the end of the policy debate in the Dewan Rakyat  on Monday, November 23, 2020.

I suggest Muhyiddin be given  time until Budget Day on  Nov. 6 to determine  whether it is possible to ensure political stability through  the “confidence and supply” proposal or  other possible options so that there could be an “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” war against the Covid-19 epidemic led by the 222 MPs in Parliament.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Sunday, October 25, 2020)

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

Mengapakah Muhyiddin bertindak seperti seorang pencuri di waktu malam, memanggil mesyuarat khas Kabinet untuk meletakkan negara kita dalam darurat tanpa sebarang akauntabiliti mahupun ketelusan?

Mengapakah Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, bertindak seperti seorang pencuri di waktu malam, memanggil mesyuarat khas Kabinet untuk meletakkan negara kita dalam darurat tanpa sebarang akauntabiliti mahupun ketelusan?

Bilakah Muhyiddin memutuskan yang perintah darurat adalah solusi terbaik terhadap masalah kelangsungan kerjaya politik beliau sebagai Perdana Menteri kelapan Malaysia, yang mungkin akan menjadi lebih pendek daripada tempoh berkhidmat Perdana Menteri ketujuh selama 22 bulan?

Memandangkan beliau telah mengadakan mesyuarat Kabinet melalui Zoom pada hari Rabu, kelihatan seperti keputusan ini hanya dicapai selepas atau pada hari Rabu. Siapakah mereka yang meyakinkan beliau untuk berbuat demikian?

Jika Muhyiddin berjaya dalam plotnya untuk meletakkan negara kita dalam keadaan darurat, ini bererti beliau telah mengikuti jejak langkah Perdana Menteri Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, yang mengeksploit wabak Covid-19 untuk kepentingan politik sendiri, biarpun hanya untuk sementara waktu.

Perkara ini amatlah ironik, memandangkan wabak Covid-19 ini dijangka akan menuntut mangsa politik terbesarnya dalam pilihan raya presiden Amerika Syarikat, Donald Trump, yang dijangkakan oleh ramai orang akan kalah dalam pilihan raya yang akan berlangsung pada 3 November depan — bukan kerana dikalahkan Joe Biden, tetapi dikalahkan Covid-19.

Ini adalah kerana pilihan raya presiden ini telah dijadikan satu referendum terhadap cara Trump mengendalikan wabak ini dengan sebegitu teruk sekali, membawa kepada lebih daripada 8.8 juta jangkitan Covid-19 dan lebih daripada 230,000 kematian di AS — walaupun angka ini sebenarnya dijangkakan lebih tinggi oleh sesetengah pihak!

Terdapat tiga jenis pemimpin negara dalam berhadapan wabak Covid-19 ini. Pertamanya, mereka yang seperti Donald Trump, yang menafikan keseriusan wabak ini walaupun lebih daripada 230,000 rakyat Amerika Syarikat telah terkorban akibatnya — lebih daripada jumlah korban dalam perang Vietnam yang dijangkakan pada kadar 210,000 kematian.

Pemimpin lain yang berada dalam acuan ini adalah Presiden Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro dan Presiden Mexico, Lopez Obrador, dan mereka berdua telah membawa Brazil dan Mexico menjadi di antara sepuluh negara yang mempunyai jumlah jangkitan tertinggi di dunia

Kumpulan kedua pula adalah mereka yang mengeksploit wabak ini demi kepentingan dan kelangsungan kerjaya politik mereka, kumpulan ini diketuai oleh Perdana Menteri Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Kebanyakan pemimpin negara di dunia berada dalam kumpulan ketiga, yang cuba untuk memenangi peperangan melawan wabak Covid-19 tanpa mempolitikkan isu ini, dengan menyatu-padukan rakyat mereka dan menggunakan pendekatan melibatkan “keseluruhan kerajaan” dan “keseluruhan masyarakat”.

Para pemimpin negara dalam dua kumpulan pertama tadi sedang bergerak ke arah diingati dengan tindakan buruk mereka, dan saya menyeru kepada Muhyiddin untuk keluar daripada kumpulan kedua tadi dan menyertai kumpulan ketiga.

Malaysia tidak boleh diletakkan di bawah perintah darurat semata-mata untuk memberikan bantuan hayat kepada kelangsungan kerjaya politik Muhyiddin.

Sehingga hari ini, Muhyiddin belum berkongsikan rancangan beliau untuk menggantung Parlimen dan meletakkan negara kita di bawah perintah darurat kepada rakyat Malaysia dan rakyat Malaysia terpaksa bergantung kepada kilang khabar angin — yang berkerja keras sejak hari Jumaat lepas — dan media sosial untuk cuba memahami apakah yang sedang berlaku dengan negara kita.

Apa yang paling pelik lagi, rakyat Malaysia mendapati lebih banyak maklumat secara terus daripada Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di Pertuan Agong, berbanding dengan daripada Perdana Menteri mereka sendiri mengenai cadangan Perdana Menteri ini.

Semalam contohnya, Yang di Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah telah menasihati rakyat untuk tidak membuat spekulasi yang boleh menyebabkan kekeliruan serta kerisauan yang boleh mengganggu keharmonian rakyat.

Perkara ini berlaku susulan selepas Muhyiddin bersama dengan beberapa menteri utama menghadap Baginda Yang di Pertuan Agong di Kuantan selepas mesyuarat khas Kabinet pada hari Jumaat.

Tidak pernah lagi cadangan daripada Perdana Menteri untuk mengumumkan perintah darurat dan menggantungkan Parlimen untuk melawan wabak Covid-19 ini menerima bantahan secara universal daripada semua pihak dalam negara sejak negara kita merdeka pada tahun 1957.

Pakar Perlembagaan, peguam, penganalisis politik, dan ahli akademik universiti hampir semuanya bersetuju dengan pandangan yang perintah darurat tidak bersesuaian dan tidak diperlukan di Malaysia untuk melawan wabak Covid-19 dan tidak ada sebarang sebab untuk Parlimen digantung fungsinya.

Malah, pemimpin daripada kalangan kerajaan Perikatan Nasional sendiri juga telah bersuara membantah cadangan ini.

Timbalan Presiden UMNO, Datuk Seri Mohd Hasan telah menyeru supaya kerajaan untuk menggunakan cara yang demokratik dan saintifik untuk melawan wabak Covid-19 dalam negara kita, memandangkan sistem ekonomi, kesihatan, dan keselematan di Malaysia masih belum lumpuh.

Pemimpin veteran UMNO, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah telah memberikan amaran yang perintah darurat ini akan menjadi “paku terakhir keranda” ekonomi negara, manakala mantan menteri Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz telah menyamakan pengisytiharan darurat ini seakan-akan mencuba untuk “membunuh beberapa ekor tikus menggunakan bom”.

Malah, mantan Peguam Negara Tommy Thomas, yang telah mengenakan “kuarantin kendiri” sejak Langkah Sheraton pada bulan Februari lalu telah mengeluarkan kenyataan dan memberikan amaran yang proklamasi darurat oleh pihak eksekutif ini boleh dicabar dan disemak semula oleh pihak mahkamah.

Memandangkan terdapat bantahan yang hampir universal terhadap cadangan pengisytiharan darurat untuk melawan Covid-19 dan penggantungan Parlimen ini, Muhyiddin perlu memanggil satu lagi mesyuarat khas Kabinet untuk memperluaskan pilihan-pilihan yang ada untuk melawan penularan wabak Covid-19 tanpa (i) mengisytiharkan darurat; dan (ii) menggantung Parlimen.

Menteri Wilayah Persekutuan, Annuar Musa, semasa meminta pengkritik untuk memberikan cadangan alternatif, mengatakan 32 buat negara lain telah mengisytiharkan darurat untuk melawan wabak Covid-19, tetapi beliau tidak mengatakan sama ada 32 negara ini juga menggantung fungsi Parlimen mereka.

Seluruh dunia sedang berhadapan dengan peningkatan jangkitan dan kematian akibat Covid-19, tetapi ini bukanlah alasan untuk mengisytiharkan darurat dan menggantung Parlimen di negara kita.

Semasa Pertubuhan Kesihatan Sedunia (WHO) mengumumkan yang wabak Covid-19 ini adalah satu pandemik pada 11 Mac 2020, terdapat lebih daripada 118,000 kes Covid di sekitar 114 buah negara, dan 4,291 orang telah terkorban semasa itu.

Hari ini, peningkatan harian kes Covid-19 di seluruh dunia sahaja berada pada tahap tiga kali ganda jumlah kes terkumpul pada 11 Mac. Satu rekod yang menyayat hari dicatatkan pada 23 Oktober, apabila jumlah peningkatan kes harian di seluruh dunia mencecah 490,021 kes, rekod tertinggi dalam sejarah.

Dari segi kadar jangkitan, Malaysia berada pada tempat ke-89, senarai negara dengan jumlah jangkitan tertinggi ini didahului oleh Amerika Syarikat, India, Brazil, Rusia, Sepanyol, Argentina, Perancis, Colombia, Peru. Mexico, United Kingdom, Afrika Selatan, Iran, Chile, Itali, Iraq, Jerman, Bangladesh, Indonesia dan Filipina.

Semasa berhadapan dengan gelombang kedua penularan wabak ini pada bulan Mac, negara kita berada di tempat ke-18.

Kita telah berjaya melakukan yang terbaik di peringkat antarabangsa dari segi kematian akibat Covid-19, memandangkan kita berada di tempat ke-33 pada bulan Mac dan kini berada di tempat ke-103 dari segi kematian akibat Covid-19.

Kita perlu mengiktiraf kejutan dan kegelisahan yang Malaysia kini mencatatkan 214 kematian akibat Covid-19. Tetapi, kita tidak berada dalam liga yang sama seperti sepuluh negara dengan kematian tertinggi seperti Amerika Syarikat, Brazil, India, Mexico, United Kingdom, Itali, Sepanyol, Perancis, Peru dan Iran yang mencatatkan di antara 32,320 sehingga 230,060 kematian.

Ahli-ahli Parlimen seperti Anthony Loke dan Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman dan penganalisis politik seperti Wong Chin Huat telah mencadangkan salah satu cara untuk keluar daripada kebuntuan politik semasa adalah dengan membuat satu perjanjian “keyakinan dan perbekalan” untuk membolehkan Belanjawan 2021 diluluskan bagi membolehkan pendekatan melibatkan “keseluruhan kerajaan” dan “keseluruhan masyarakat” digunakan untuk melawan wabak Covid-19.

Semua Ahli Parlimen, tanpa mengira latar belakang parti politik, mahu peperangan melawan wabak Covid-19 ini untuk berjaya.

Belanjawan 2021 ini akan dibentangkan kepada Parlimen pada hari Jumaat, 6 November 2020, dan undian pertama terhadap belanjawan ini akan berlangsung pada pengakhiran perbahasan peringkat dasar di Dewan Rakyat pada hari Isnin, 23 November 2020.

Saya cadangkan Muhyiddin diberikan masa sehingga hari Belanjawan pada 6 November untuk menentukan sama ada boleh untuk beliau memastikan kestabilan politik melalui satu cadangan perjanjian “keyakinan dan perbekalan” ini ataupun cara lain supaya satu pendekatan melibatkan “keseluruhan kerajaan” dan “keseluruhan masyarakat” dapat diambil dalam perang melawan wabak Covid-19 dengan pimpinan kesemua 222 Ahli Parlimen.

(Kenyataan Media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Gelang Patah pada hari Ahad, 25 Oktober 2020)

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 25 October 2020, 10:15 am and is filed under
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Let all Malaysians and political parties agree that a Warisan candidate will take Batu Sapi parliamentary seat  uncontested as a first step in  an “all-of-government” and “whole-of society” war against the third wave of Covid-19 pandemic

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

As a first step to an “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” war against  the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic to save lives and livelihoods in Malaysia , let all Malaysians and political parties reach a national consensus that a Warisan candidate would take  uncontested the parliamentary seat of Batu Sapi, vacated  by the death of former Minister  Liew Vui Keong.

The Election Commission has announced that nomination for the Batu Sapi by-election will be on Nov. 23rd and polling on Dec. 5.

This would  preserve the status quo in Parliament.

The first decision of the special Cabinet meeting today must be  to launch an “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” war against the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic by forging  parliamentary unity and solidarity against the Covid-19 pandemic and making it the foremost agenda in the 27-day budget  Parliament beginning on Nov. 2.

The basis for this “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” approach against the Covid-19 pandemic must be the five principles of Rukun Negara, viz: belief in God, loyalty to King and Country, Supremacy of the Constitution,  Rule of Law and Courtesy and Morality.

The country must move forward and not go backwards to ensure that these five Rukun Negara principles inform every decision and step that is taken to fight  the war against the Covid-19 pandemic and flatten the curve of the third wave.

The second concern of the special Cabinet meeting today must be Sabah, how to  break the back of the problem of Sabah becoming an epicentre in  the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Yesterday’s 823 new Covid-19 cases provided a respite from the four-digit record of 1,228 cases  the previous day. Let us pray and hope that Malaysia only  breached once  the four-digit figure of daily increase of Covid-19 cases and that we see progress to  “flatten the curve” of the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The cumulative total of Covid-19 cases is now 26,565 infections, causing  Malaysia to overtake South Korea from the 89th to 88th position  in the world’s ranking of nations with most Covid-19 infections.

We must not slip any further. In fact, there is no reason why we should not do better than Thailand  in the war against Covid-19 pandemic as Thailand has double our population. Thailand is now ranked No. 146 among nations with the most Covid-19 infections – with 3,736 Covid-19 cases and 59 fatalities as compared to Malaysia’s 26,565 cases and 229 fatalities.

Malaysians deserve better and we must do better in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Monday, 26th October 2020)

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

Seruan kepada semua rakyat Malaysia dan parti-parti politik untuk bersetuju yang seorang calon Warisan dibenarkan menang tanpa bertanding dalam PRK Batu Sapi sebagai langkah pertama perang melawan gelombang ketiga wabak Covid-19 yang melibatkan “keseluruhan kerajaan” dan “keseluruhan masyarakat”

Sebagai langkah pertama perang melawan gelombang ketiga wabak Covid-19 yang melibatkan “keseluruhan kerajaan” dan “keseluruhan masyarakat” untuk menyelamatkan nyawa dan kehidupan di Malaysia, saya seru semua rakyat Malaysia dan parti-parti politik untuk mencapai persetujuan bahawa seorang calon Warisan patut diberikan laluan untuk memenangi pilihan raya kecil Batu Sapi yang telah kosong selepas pemergian mendiang mantan menteri Liew Vui Keong.

Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya telah mengumumkan yang hari penamaan calon akan berlangsung pada 23 November dan hari pengundian akan berlangsung pada 5 Disember.

Perkara ini akan mengekalkan status quo di Parlimen.

Mesyuarat khas Kabinet hari ini perlu menjadi pelancaran peperangan melawan gelombang ketiga Covid-19 yang melibatkan “keseluruhan kerajaan” dan “keseluruhan masyarakat” sebagai agenda pertamanya dengan membentuk penyatuan dan solidariti di Parlimen dan membawa agenda ini ke persidangan Belanjawan yang akan berlangsung selama 27 hari, bermula 2 November.

Pendekatan melibatkan “keseluruhan kerajaan” dan “keseluruhan masyarakat” ini perlulah berasaskan kepada prinsip-prinsip Rukun Negara; Kepercayaan kepada Tuhan, Kesetiaan kepada Raja dan Negara, Keluhuran Perlembagaa, Kedaulatan Undang-undang, dan Kesopanan dan Kesusilaan.

Negara kita perlu bergerak ke hadapan dan bukannya ke belakang untuk memastikan kelima-lima prinsip Rukun Negara ini menjadi asas setiap keputusan dan langkah yang diambil dalam peperangan melawan wabak Covid-19 dan usaha-usaha untuk mendatarkan lekuk penularan jangkitan wabak ini.

Perkara kedua yang harus dibincangkan Kabinet hari ini adalah situasi semasa di Sabah, bagaimana untuk menyelesaikan masalah di mana Sabah kini menjadi pusat penularan utama wabak Covid-19.

Angka 823 kes jangkitan baharu Covid-19 semalam memberikan sedikit kelegaan berbanding dengan kadar empat angka hari sebelumnya yang mencatatkan 1,228 kes. Marilah kita terus berdoa dan berharap yang kes Covid-19 di negara kita ini hanya mencecah empat angka buat satu kali ini sahaja dan semoga kita dapat melihat perkembangan yang baik terhadap usaha untuk mendatarkan lekuk penularan wabak ini.

Jumlah kes terkumpul kes Covid-19 dalam negara kita kini berada pada kadar 26,565 kes, mengatasi Korea Selatan, daripada tempat ke-89 di seluruh dunia ke tempat ke-88.

Kita tidak boleh terus lalai. Malah, tidak ada sebab untuk kita gagal melakukan yang lebih baik berbanding dengan Thailand dalam peperangan melawan wabak Covid-19 ini memandangkan Thailand mempunyai dua kali ganda jumlah penduduk berbanding Malaysia. Thailand kini berada di tempat ke-146 dengan 3,766 kes terkumpul Covid-19 dan 59 kematian berbanding dengan 26,565 kes dan 229 kematian di Malaysia.

Rakyat Malaysia berhak untuk mendapat yang lebih baik dan kita perlukan berusaha untuk memberikan yang terbaik dalam usaha melawan wabak Covid-19.

(Kenyataan Media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Gelang Patah pada hari Isnin, 26 Oktober 2020)

                This entry was posted on Monday, 26 October 2020, 8:20 am and is filed under
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Where is the “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” mindset and strategy to fight the third wave of Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia?

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

On Sunday night, the question was whether Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin would resign as Prime Minister following the rejection by the Yang di Pertuan Agong of the Cabinet’s advice to declare a state of emergency and suspend Parliament to fight the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia.

Last night, the question was whether the Muhyiddin Yassin backdoor government would fall if the UMNO Supreme Council resolved to pull UMNO out of the Perikatan Nasional government formed after the infamous Sheraton Move plot in February.

All  the talk use  the language of political reconciliation and national unity, but the action was all about political divisiveness and national polarisation.

It would appear that the Yang di Pertuan Agong’s advice to Malaysians to stop politicking and destabilise the government so that all people, regardless of background and particular ideology, could set aside their differences and disagreements and unite as one against the Covid-19 pandemic and that of the Malay Rulers to translate the principles of constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy into a culture of governance to ensure justice and curtail any abuse of power had fallen on deaf ears.

Where is the “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” mindset to fight the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia, which is the nub of the message from the advice of the Yang di Pertuan Agong and the Malay Rulers on Sunday?

Yesterday, one online news website blared the headline “Spain declares virus emergency as global cases soar” as if to lament “an opportunity lost” for the failure to declare a state of emergency and suspend Parliament in Malaysia.

But has Malaysia become a Spain in the Covid-19 pandemic?

Spain is the first European nation to pass the bleak milestone of one million cases and has now  been joined and overtaken by France.

France is now the world’s top fifth country in Covid-19 infections, with 1,165,278 cases with 35,018 fatalities , while Spain ranks No. 6 with 1,156,498 infections and 35,031 fatalities.

United Kingdom ranks No. 9 in the world with 894,690 Covid-19 cases and 44,998 fatalities while Italy ranks No. 14 with 542,789 cases and 37,479 fatalities.

Four days ago, Spain set a new national record of daily increase of Covid-19 infections  to reach 20,986 cases – which was almost Malaysia’s cumulative total of 27,805 cases after nine months and three waves of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Spain has 24,732 Covid-19 cases and 536 fatalities per million of population  as compared to Malaysia’s 856 Covid-19 cases and 7 fatalities per million of population.

On Sunday night, Spain  declared a state of emergency and  the government ordered a nationwide curfew  that will limit Spaniards’ movement between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., except in the Canary Islands, where there are fewer new cases. The new emergency powers also mean regional officials can impose harsher restrictions on movement between areas and limit gatherings to six people.

The Covid-19 pandemic situation in Malaysia is serious and alarming, but we must bring it under control – but definitely we not in the league of Spain or the top 20 countries with Covid-19 infections, led by the United States, India, Brazil and Russia.

In the last 24 hours, Malaysia’s ranking in the world have worsened from No. 88 to 86th, beating North Macedonia and Australia.

We must  not deteriorate further, in fact, we must strive to be better than Thailand, which is ranked No. 146 in the world with most Covid-19 infections, with 3,743 cases and 59 fatalities – representing 54 cases and 0.8 fatalities per million of population.

But the most important difference is that Spain’s state of emergency does not involve the suspension of the Spanish Parliament. In fact, it would be the Spanish Parliament which would decide whether the decree of a state of emergency would be extended beyond 14 days!

In Malaysia, however, the intention is to suspend Parliament rather than to impose an emergency!

We have wasted two days and should not waste any more time to focus and forge an “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” mindset and approach in the war against the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic Malaysia.

It is heart-breaking that Malaysia had registered a second four-digit daily increase yesterday – 1,240 cases although not in the Spanish league of  daily increase of  20,000 cases or that of United States which recorded more than 84,000 new Covid-19 cases last Friday.

We will be doing a disservice to the frontliners who risked their health and lives to combat the Covid-19 pandemic if we further delay and fail to forge a “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” mindset and  approach in the fight against Covid-19 pandemic.

We must start immediately and now.

Are we going to have  an “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” mindset and strategy  to fight the third wave of Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia?

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Tuesday, October 27, 2020)

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

Di manakah pemikiran dan strategi melibatkan “keseluruhan kerajaan” dan “keseluruhan masyarakat” untuk memerangi gelombang ketiga pandemi Covid-19 di Malaysia?

Pada malam Ahad, persoalannya adalah sama ada Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin akan meletak jawatan sebagai Perdana Menteri berikutan penolakan Yang di Pertuan Agong terhadap cadangan Kabinet untuk mengisytiharkan darurat dan menggantung Parlimen bagi memerangi gelombang ketiga pandemik Covid-19 di Malaysia.

Malam semalam, persoalannya bertukar kepada adakah pemerintahan pintu belakang Muhyiddin Yassin ini akan tumbang sekiranya Majlis Tertinggi UMNO memutuskan untuk menarik keluar UMNO daripada kerajaan Perikatan Nasional yang dibentuk melalui plot Langkah Sheraton pada bulan Februari lalu.

Semua percakapan menggunakan bahasa politik perdamaian dan perpaduan nasional, tetapi tindakan yang dilihat menunjukkan tanda-tanda politik perpecahan dan polarisasi nasional.

Nampaknya, nasihat Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di Pertuan Agong kepada rakyat Malaysia untuk berhenti berpolitik dan menggugat kestabilan kerajaan supaya semua orang, tanpa mengira latar belakang dan ideologi, dapat mengetepikan perbezaan dan perselisihan mereka dan bersatu sebagai satu dalam memerangi wabak Covid-19 dan nasihat Raja-raja Melayu untuk menerjemahkan prinsip-prinsip raja berperlembagaan dan demokrasi berparlimen menjadi budaya pentadbiran untuk memastikan keadilan dan membendung sebarang penyalahgunaan kuasa tidak diendahkan.

Di manakah pemikiran pemikiran melibatkan “keseluruhan kerajaan” dan “keseluruhan masyarakat” untuk melawan gelombang ketiga wabak Covid-19 di Malaysia, yang merupakan intipati pesanan Yang di Pertuan Agong dan Raja-raja Melayu pada hari Ahad lepas?

Semalam, satu laman web berita dalam talian mengeluarkan berita “Sepanyol mengisytiharkan darurat virus semasa kes global melambung tinggi” seolah-olah meratapi “peluang yang hilang” atas kegagalan mengisytiharkan darurat dan menggantung Parlimen di Malaysia.

Tetapi adakah Malaysia telah menjadi seperti Sepanyol dalam wabak Covid-19?

Sepanyol adalah negara Eropah pertama yang berjaya mencapai satu juta kes dan kini telah disertai dan didahului oleh Perancis.

Perancis kini menjadi negara kelima teratas di dunia dengan jangkitan Covid-19, dengan 1,165,278 kes dan 35,018 kematian, sementara Sepanyol berada di tangga ke-6 dengan 1,156,498 jangkitan dan 35,031 kematian.

United Kingdom menduduki tempat ke-9 di dunia dengan 894,690 kes Covid-19 dan 44,998 kematian manakala Itali berada di tempat ke-14 dengan 542,789 kes dan 37,479 kematian.

Empat hari yang lalu, Sepanyol mencatatkan rekod baharu dengan peningkatan harian jangkitan Covid-19 mencapai 20,986 kes – yang hampir dengan jumlah terkumpul 27,805 kes yang dicatatkan di Malaysia selepas berhadapan dengan sembilan bulan dan tiga gelombang wabak Covid-19.

Sepanyol mempunyai 24,732 kes Covid-19 dan 536 kematian per sejuta penduduk berbanding 856 kes Covid-19 dan 7 kematian per sejuta penduduk di Malaysia.

Pada malam Ahad, Sepanyol mengisytiharkan keadaan darurat dan kerajaannya telah mengenakan perintah berkurung di seluruh negara yang akan mengehadkan pergerakan di antara pukul 11 malam sehingga 6 pagi, kecuali di Kepulauan Canary, di mana hanya terdapat sedikit kes baharu. Kuasa darurat yang baru ini juga bermaksud pegawai berkuasa tempatan boleh mengenakan sekatan yang lebih tegas terhadap pergerakan antara kawasan dan menghadkan perhimpunan kepada hanya enam orang.

Situasi wabak Covid-19 di Malaysia adalah serius dan membimbangkan, dan kita perlu mengawalnya — tetapi apa yang pasti, kita masih tidak berada dalam keadaan yang sama seperti Sepanyol atau 20 negara teratas dengan jangkitan Covid-19, yang didahului oleh Amerika Syarikat, India, Brazil dan Rusia.

Dalam 24 jam terakhir, kedudukan Malaysia di dunia bertambah sedikit buruk, daripada kedudukan ke-88 kepada kedudukan ke-86, mengatasi Macedonia Utara dan Australia.

Kita tidak boleh terus merosot, malah, kita harus berusaha untuk menjadi lebih baik daripada Thailand, yang berada di kedudukan ke-146 di dunia dari jumlah jangkitan Covid-19, dengan 3,743 kes dan 59 kematian – kira-kira 54 kes dan 0.8 kematian per sejuta penduduk.

Namun, perbezaan yang paling penting adalah bahawa keadaan darurat di Sepanyol tidak melibatkan penggantungan Parlimen Sepanyol. Malah, Parlimen Sepanyol sendiri akan memutuskan sama ada darurat akan dilanjutkan melebihi 14 hari!

Bagaimanapun, di Malaysia, tujuan darurat adalah untuk menggantung Parlimen daripada dan bukannya melaksanakan perintah darurat!

Kita telah membazirkan dua hari dan tidak boleh membazir masa lagi daripada untuk fokus dan menumpukan perhatian kepada pemikiran dan pendekatan melibatkan “keseluruhan kerajaan” dan “keseluruhan masyarakat” dalam perang melawan gelombang ketiga wabak Covid-19 di Malaysia.

Amat memilukan melihat negara kita mencatatkan peningkatan harian empat angka buat kali kedua semalam – dengan 1,240 kes walaupun tidak seperti keadaan di Sepanyol dengan peningkatan harian sebanyak 20,000 kes atau Amerika Syarikat yang mencatatkan lebih daripada 84,000 kes Covid-19 baharu pada hari Jumaat lepas.

Kita hanya akan mensia-siakan usaha para petugas barisan hadapan yang mempertaruhkan kesihatan dan nyawa mereka untuk memerangi wabak Covid-19 ini jika kita terus berlengah dan gagal membentuk pemikiran dan pendekatan melibatkan “keseluruhan kerajaan” dan “keseluruhan masyarakat” dalam memerangi wabak Covid-19 ini.

Kita mesti bermula dengan segera dan sekarang.

Apakah kita akan mendapat pemikiran dan strategi melibatkan “keseluruhan kerajaan” dan “keseluruhan masyarakat” dalam melawan gelombang ketiga wabak Covid-19 di Malaysia?

(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Gelang Patah pada hari Selasa, 27 Oktober 2020)

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 27 October 2020, 9:37 am and is filed under
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First business of Parliament  on Nov. 2 should be to set up a bipartisan Parliamentary Committee on Covid-19 to set an example of an  “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” mindset and approach in  the war against the Covid-19 pandemic

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

The first business of Parliament  on Nov. 2 should be to set up a bipartisan Parliamentary Committee on Covid-19 to set an example of an  “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” mindset and approach in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Parliaments of other countries have set up parliamentary committees on Covid-19 and submitted reports and recommendations on  how the war against the global Covid-19 pandemic could be more effective as well as the problems faced by most vulnerable sections of the community during the pandemic.

In Malaysia however, there is not only no action to set up a parliamentary select committee on Covid-19, all other parliamentary committees have come to a standstill since the Sheraton  Move plot which toppled the Pakatan Harapan government in February  and brought in the Perikatan Nasional government.

There are ten Special Select Committees, namely on the Consideration of Bills, on Budget, on Defence and Home Affairs, on Gender Equality and Family Development, on States and Federal Relations, on Major Public Appointments, on Election, on Human Rights and Constitutional Affairs, on International Relations and Trade and on Science, Innovation and Environment.

But they have all become “white elephants” as they  are under lockdown and have not been able function since the establishment of the backdoor Muhyiddin Yassin government.

In fact, even the Public Accounts Committee have become a “white elephant”, which is quite an ignominy in world Parliamentary history.

It is no exaggeration to say that Malaysia  at present  has the most Parliament-unfriendly government in the history of Malaysia.

Under such circumstances, how can Parliament act on the advice of the Yang di Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and the Malay Rulers on Sunday when rejecting the advice of the Cabinet for a proclamation of a state of emergency in Malaysia so as to   set an example to spearhead  an “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” mindset and approach in the war against the Covd-19 epidemic?

Obviously, when advising the Yang di Pertuan Agong to declare a state of emergency, what the Muhyiddin  Cabinet wanted  was to use  the Covid-19 pandemic to suspend  Parliament rather than imposing  any state of emergency on the nation.

Is the Muyhyiddin Cabinet  now prepared to accept and act on the advice of the Yang di Pertuan Agong and the Malay Rulers and  launch an “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” war against the Covid-19 pandemic, starting from the first day of Parliament on Nov. 2?

Under  parliamentary  Standing Orders, the motion to set up a bipartisan Parliamentary  Committee on Covid-19 must come from the Government if it is to be the first item of parliamentary business of Nov. 2.

The Covid-19 parliamentary select committee should be allowed hold public hearings for members of the public to present information and to answer questions which is  not allowed under the present Standing Orders although such a practice is quite common in other Commonwealth countries.

The Minister in charge of parliamentary affairs, Takiyuddin Hassan has sufficient time  to consult with all party leaders to finalise the make-up of the parliamentary committee on Covid-19 so as to be able to present the motion on the first day of the parliamentary budget meeting starting on Nov. 2.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Wednesday, 28th October 2020)

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

Perkara pertama yang perlu dilakukan oleh Parlimen pada persidangan 2 November ini adalah untuk menubuhkan Jawatankuasa Parlimen bipartisan pada Covid-19 untuk memberi contoh pemikiran dan pendekatan melibatkan “keseluruhan kerajaan” dan “keseluruhan masyarakat” dalam perang melawan wabak Covid-19

Perkara pertama yang perlu dilakukan oleh Parlimen pada persidangan 2 November ini adalah untuk menubuhkan Jawatankuasa Parlimen bipartisan pada Covid-19 untuk memberi contoh pemikiran dan pendekatan melibatkan “keseluruhan kerajaan” dan “keseluruhan masyarakat” dalam perang melawan wabak Covid-19.

Parlimen di negara-negara lain telahpun menubuhkan jawatankuasa parlimen mengenai Covid-19 dan membentangkan laporan dan cadangan mengenai bagaimana perang melawan pandemik global Covid-19 ini dapat menjadi lebih efektif dan memberikan perhatian terhadap masalah-masalah yang dihadapi oleh komuniti yang memerlukan dalam berhadapan dengan wabak ini.

Namun di Malaysia, bukan sahaja tidak ada sebarang tindakan untuk menubuhkan Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Parlimen mengenai Covid-19, semua jawatankuasa parlimen lain telah terhenti fungsinya sejak plot Langkah Sheraton yang menggulingkan kerajaan Pakatan Harapan pada bulan Februari dan membawa masuk kerajaan Perikatan Nasional.

Terdapat sepuluh Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas mengenai: Pertimbangan Rang Undang-Undang, Belanjawan, Pertahanan dan Hal Ehwal Dalam Negeri, Kesaksamaan Gender dan Pembangunan Keluarga, Hubungan Negeri dan Persekutuan, Pelantikan Utama Perkhidmatan Awam, Pilihan Raya, Hak Asasi Manusia dan Perkara Perlembagaan , Hubungan Antarabangsa dan Perdagangan, dan Sains, Inovasi dan Alam Sekitar.

Namun, semua jawatankuasa ini telah menjadi “gajah putih” memandangkan mereka berada di bawah perintah berkurung dan tidak berfungsi sejak penubuhan kerajaan pintu belakang Muhyiddin Yassin.

Bahkan, Jawatankuasa Kira-Kira Wang Negara juga telah menjadi “gajah putih”, satu perkara yang cukup memalukan dalam sejarah Parlimen dunia.

Tidak keterlaluan untuk dikatakan bahawa Malaysia pada masa kini mempunyai pemerintahan yang paling tidak mesra Parlimen dalam sejarah Malaysia.

Dalam keadaan seperti itu, bagaimanakah Parlimen hendak menjunjung dan bertindak ke atas nasihat Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah dan Raja-raja Melayu pada hari Ahad yang diberikan ketika menolak cadangan Kabinet untuk mengisytiharan keadaan darurat di Malaysia untuk menetapkan contoh dalam menerajui pemikiran dan pendekatan menglibatkan “keseluruhan kerajaan” dan “keseluruhan masyarakat” dalam perang melawan wabak Covid-19?

Apa yang jelas adalah, dengan mencadangkan kepada Yang di Pertuan Agong untuk mengisytiharkan darurat, Kabinet Muhyiddin berhasrat untuk menggunakan wabak Covid-19 ini untuk menggantung Parlimen dan bukannya kerana keadaan benar-benar darurat.

Adakah Kabinet Muyhyiddin kini bersedia untuk menerima dan bertindak ke atas nasihat Yang di Pertuan Agong dan Raja-raja Melayu dan melancarkan perang yang melibatkan “keseluruhan kerajaan” dan “keseluruhan masyarakat” terhadap wabak Covid-19, bermula daripada hari pertama persidangan Parlimen pada 2 November?

Di bawah Peraturan Mesyuarat Parlimen, usul untuk menubuhkan Jawatankuasa Parlimen bipartisan mengenai Covid-19 perlu dibentangkan oleh kerajaan untuk ia menjadi perkara pertama urusan Parlimen pada 2 November.

Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Parlimen Covid-19 ini harus diberikan kuasa untuk mengadakan sesi pendengaran awam bagi membolehkan orang ramai untuk menyampaikan maklumat dan menjawab persoalan yang berkenaan, yang buat pada masa ini tidak dibenarkan di bawah Peraturan Mesyuarat sedia ada walaupun perkara ini satu perkara yang biasa berlaku di negara Komanwel yang lain.

Menteri yang bertanggungjawab mengenai hal ehwal parlimen, Takiyuddin Hassan mempunyai waktu yang cukup untuk berunding dengan semua pemimpin parti untuk memuktamadkan pembentukan Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Covid-19 untuk mengemukakan usul pada hari pertama mesyuarat Belanjawan persidangan Parlimen yang bakal bermula pada 2 November.

(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP untuk Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Gelang Patah pada hari Rabu, 28 Oktober 2020)

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 28 October 2020, 7:36 am and is filed under
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Call for a special humanitarian crisis package for Sabah now as  some 29 people in Sabah may die of Covid-19 if we wait until the 2021 Budget is presented in Parliament next Friday on Nov. 6

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

There is an urgent need for a special humanitarian crisis package for Sabah now as some 29 people in Sabah may die of Covid-19 if we wait until the 2021 Budget is presented in Parliament next Friday on November 6.

The third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia has claimed 102 lives in Sabah in the first 28 days of October, averaging a fatality rate of 3.64 lives daily – and if we wait for another eight days until Nov. 6, we may see another 29.12 fatalities.

In contrast, eight lives were lost in the rest of Malaysia during the past four weeks.

Malaysia-wide, there were 30 fatalities for the five months from April 28, when Covid-19 claimed 100 fatalities, and Sept. 22, when total of fatalities increased to 130.

This state of vulnerability of Sabah to the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic is unacceptable and contrary to all the promises made during last month’s Sabah state general elections to give serious attention to the problems and needs of the people of Sabah.

The impression, especially by the people of Sabah, that they have been left to fend for themselves against the ravages of the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic – which had been brought about by the greed of Perikatan Nasional government in Putrajaya because it wanted to grab power in the Sabah state – must not be allowed to continue.

The third wave is officially regarded as having started on Sept. 20, although it could have started earlier during the Sabah state general election, which had its nomination of candidates on Sept. 12.

It would be most irresponsible and unconscionable to deny Sabahans a special humanitarian crisis package immediately, as Putrajaya must accept responsibility for the skyrocketing of 426 Covid-19 cases and eight deaths on Sept. 1 to 13,701 Covid-19 cases and 114 deaths yesterday – an increase of Covid-19 cases by 32 times and fatalities by more than 14 times.

Sabah’s humanitarian crisis in the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic is also the result of the long-standing neglect of the Federal and Sabah state governments, resulting in Sabah becoming the poorest state in Malaysia with the most backward infrastructure development.

This is the time when Putrajaya should give emergency aid to Sabahans who are facing a humanitarian crisis, keeping in mind that Sabah’s oil and gas revenue has provided billions to the national coffers.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Thursday, 29th October 2020)

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

Seruan untuk satu pakej bantuan bencana kemanusiaan khas untuk Sabah sekarang, memandangkan 29 orang mungkin akan terkorban akibat Covid-19 di Sabah jika kita mahu menunggu pembentangan Belanjawan 2021 pada hari Jumaat depan

Terdapat satu keperluan mendesak untuk mengumumkan satu pakej bantuan bencana kemanusiaan khas untuk Sabah sekarang, memandangkan 29 orang mungkin akan terkorban akibat Covid-19 di Sabah jika kita mahu menunggu pembentangan Belanjawan 2021 yang hanya akan berlangsung pada hari 6 November, Jumaat depan.

Gelombang ketiga wabak Covid-19 ini telah mengorbankan 102 nyawa di Sabah dalam 28 hari pertama bulan Oktober, secara purata, 3.64 kematian sehari — dan jika menunggu untuk lapan hari lagi sehingga 6 November, kita mungkin akan melihat sebanyak 29.12 kematian baharu.

Sebagai perbandingan, hanya lapan nyawa sahaja yang terkorban di keseluruhan Malaysia dalam tempoh empat minggu yang lepas.

Di seluruh Malaysia, terdapat 30 kematian dalam tempoh lima bulan di antara 28 April, semasa wabak ini mengorbankan nyawa keseratusnya sehingga 22 September apabila jumlah kematian mencecah genap 130.

Keadaan Sabah yang amat terdedah kepada bencana yang dibawa Covid-19 ini adalah tidak boleh diterima sama sekali dan berlawanan dengan segala janji-janji yang telah dibuat semasa kempen PRN Sabah yang berlangsung pada bulan lepas untuk memberikan perhatian yang serius terhadap masalah dan keperluan rakyat Sabah.

Gambaran, terutamanya kepada rakyat Sabah, seakan-akan mereka dibiarkan untuk mempertahankan diri mereka sendiri dalam melawan gelombang ketiga wabak ini — yang telah dicetuskan oleh ketamakan kerajaan Perikatan Nasional di Putrajaya yang cuba merampas kerajaan negeri Sabah — tidak boleh dibiarkan berterusan.

Gelombang ketiga ini secara rasmi dikira sebagai bermula pada 20 September, walaupun ia mungkin telah bermula lebih awal lagi semasa berlangsungnya pilihan raya negeri Sabah dengan hari penamaan calon pada 12 September.

Menjadi satu perkara yang sangat tidak bertanggungjawab dan tidak bermoral untuk menafikan rakyat Sabah bantuan khas bencana kemanusiaan sesegera yang mungkin, memandangkan Putrajaya perlu bertanggungjawab terhadap peningkatan kes mendadak daripada 426 kes dan lapan kematian di Sabah pada 1 September, kepada 13,701 kes dan 114 kematian setakat semalam — peningkatan kes jangkitan 32 kali ganda dan 14 kali ganda kematian.

Krisis kemanusiaan di Sabah dalam gelombang ketiga wabak Covid-19 ini juga berlaku kerana pengabaian kerajaan Persekutuan dan kerajaan Negeri Sabah yang menyebabkan Sabah menjadi negeri termiskin di Malaysia dengan pembangunan infrastruktur termundur.

Masanya telah tiba untuk Putrajaya memberikan bantuan kecemasan kepada rakyat Sabah yang sedang berhadapan dengan krisis kemanusiaan, janganlah kita lupa yang hasil minyak dan gas Sabah telah menyumbangkan berbilion ringgit kepada pendapatan negara.

(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Gelang Patah pada hari Khamis, 29 Oktober 2020)

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 29 October 2020, 9:01 am and is filed under
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Sabah general election is Malaysia’s Covid-19 super-spreader event but  Malaysians must show unity and discipline to   prove wrong the modelling projection of academicians that there will be 15,000 active cases in Malaysia by Nov. 8

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

It is bizarre following the United States Presidential election.

Malaysia is struggling to ensure that we avoid four-digit daily increase of Covid-19 infections, although we have failed twice  on the 24th and 26th October  when we recorded 1,228 and 1,240 Covid-19 new  cases respectively.

The United States is not struggling to avoid a  four-digit daily increase, but to  avoid seven-digit daily increase, recording more than 84,000 new Covid-19 cases last Friday – which is about thrice of the cumulative total of Covid-19 cases in Malaysia after nine months of the Covid-19 pandemic, viz: 29,441 cases.

Yesterday in one single day,  1,038 Americans died of Covid-19, which is about four times the cumulative total of Malaysians casualties after nine months.

Yesterday was a day of many  grim milestones for the Covid-19 pandemic. For the first time, global daily increase of Covid-19 infections exceeded the half-a-million mark, as the Covid-19  world-o-meter website recorded a daily increase of 500,764 cases.

It took 13 weeks for the first million Covid-19 cases to be recorded in the world, but the exponential increase of the Covid-19 pandemic is such that it now takes two days for the global million mark of daily increase to be recorded.

The second global grim milestone is that the United States has crossed the nine million mark for total Covid-19 infections, together with more than 230,000 fatalities. India, the second top nation in the world for the most Covid-19 cases, has passed the eight  million mark, while there are eight countries with over a million cases – after United States and India are Brazil, Russia, France, Spain, Argentina and Colombia.

Yet we have Donald Trump closing his re-election campaign by pleading with voters to ignore the evidence of a calamity unfolding before their eyes and trust his word that the disease is already disappearing as a threat to their personal health and economic well-being.

If Trump  loses  in next week US presidential election, as most analysts predict,   he will be defeated not so much by Joe Biden but by the Covid-19 epidemic.

The United States and Europe are not examples for Malaysians to follow in the war against the Covid-19 epidemic.

We already have the recent Sabah state general election as a Covid-19 super-spreader event.

Malaysians must show greater unity and  discipline to forge an “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” war against the Covid-19 epidemic and prove wrong the  modelling projection of academicians that there will be 15,000 active cases by Novemer 8, 2020.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, 29th October 2020)

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

Pilihan Raya Negeri Sabah adalah satu peristiwa penyebar super Covid-19 di Malaysia, tetapi rakyat Malaysia perlu menunjukkan perpaduan dan disiplin untuk membuktikan salah jangkaan ahli akademik yang mengatakan akan terdapat 15,000 kes aktif menjelang 8 November

Perkembangan terkini pilihan raya presiden Amerika Syarikat amatlah pelik.

Malaysia sedang berusaha untuk mengelakkan peningkatan harian empat angka, walaupun kita gagal dua kali pada 24 dan 26 Oktober apabila kita mencatatkan 1,228 dan 1,240 kes baharu.

Namun, Amerika Syarikat kelihatan seperti tidak berusaha untuk mengelakkan peningkatan harian empat angka, tetapi sedang mencuba untuk mengelakkan peningkatan harian tujuh angka, mencatatkan lebih daripada 84,000 kes baharu Covid-19 pada hari Jumaat lepas — lebih kurang tiga kali ganda jumlah kes terkumpul di Malaysia selepas sembilan berhadapan dengan wabak ini, iaitu 29,441 kes.

Semalam, dalam masa sehari sahaja, 1,038 rakyat Amerika terkorban akibat wabak ini, kira-kira empat kali ganda jumlah korban terkumpul di Malaysia.

Semalam adalah satu hari yang mencatatkan banyak rekod suram Covid-19 di seluruh dunia. Buat pertama kalinya, jumlah kes baharu harian dunia melepasi paras setengah juta, lama web World-o-meter mencatatkan peningkatan harian sebanyak 500,764 kes.

Wabak ini mengambil masa 13 minggu untuk mencatatkan sejuta kes pertamanya, tetapi peningkatan mendadak wabak Covid-19 ini telah mencapai satu tahap di mana wabak ini hanya mengambil masa dua hari untuk mencatatkan peningkatan sejuta kes.

Rekod suram kedua adalah Amerika Syarikat yang telah melepasi paras sembilan juta kes Covid-19, bersama dengan sejumlah lebih daripada 230,000 kematian akibat Covid-19. India, negara kedua dengan jumlah kes tertinggi telah melepasi paras lapan juta kes, manakala terdapat lapan negara dengan lebih daripada sejuta kes, selepas Amerika Syarikat dan India; Brazil, Rusia, Perancis, Sepanyol, Argentina dan Colombia.

Namun begitu, kita dapat lihat Donald Trump yang menutup kempen pemilihan semula beliau dengan merayu kepada para pengundi untuk mengabaikan bukti-bukti bencana yang sedang berlaku di hadapan mata mereka sendiri dan untuk percaya kepada beliau yang ancaman terhadap kesihatan dan ekonomi yang dibawa oleh wabak ini sedang menurun.

Jika Trump kalah dalam pilihan raya presiden AS pada minggu hadapan, seperti yang dijangkakan oleh ramai penganalisis politik, beliau bukannya akan dikalahkan oleh Joe Biden, tetapi dikalahkan oleh wabak Covid-19.

Amerika Syarikat dan Eropah bukanlah satu contoh yang baik untuk diikuti oleh rakyat Malaysia dalam perang melawan wabak Covid-19.

Kita sudahpun mempunyai Pilihan Raya Negeri Sabah yang baru sahaja berlangsung sebagai kejadian penyebaran super.

Rakyat Malaysia perlu menunjukkan perpaduan dan disiplin untuk membentuk satu usaha yang melibatkan “keseluruhan kerajaan” dan “keseluruhan masyarakat” dalam melawan wabak Covid-19 dan membuktikan salah jangkaan ahli akademik yang menjangkakan negara kita akan mencatatkan 15,000 kes aktif menjelang 8 November ini.

(Kenyataan Media (2) Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Gelang Patah pada hari Khamis, 29 Oktober 2020)

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Can the  Perikatan Nasional parties rise above  narrow politics of race and religion to have a larger Malaysian vision to be able to respond to the Yang di Pertuan Agong’s call and forge  an “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” approach and mindset to inspire  national unity and single-mindedness in the war against Covid-19 epidemic?

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

We are in unprecedented times.

Five days have been wasted  since the Yang di Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and the Malay Rulers rejected the advice of the Muhyiddin Cabinet to proclaim a state of emergency nine months after the Covid-19 epidemic  and  the Perikatan Nasional parties in government have yet to prove that they can  rise above  narrow politics of race and religion to  have a larger Malaysian vision to be able to respond to the Yang di Pertuan Agong’s call and forge  an “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” approach and mindset to inspire national unity and single-mindedness in the war against Covid-19 epidemic.

The Covid-19 pandemic has registered  30,090 infections and killed 246 people in Malaysia, placing the country in the 87th position for nations with the most Covid-19 cases and 103rd  ranking among countries in terms Covid-19 fatalities.

A  state of emergency is not the answer to the Covid-19 epidemic. The answer is  to have  a larger  Malaysian vision to inspire single-minded national unity and solidarity regardless of race, religion, region, class or politics to fight the Covid-19 pandemic and not to  plant greater national divisiveness and polarisation in the country.

This is time to put nation above party and even self and not to jockey for political positions and benefit.

We are not in the league of nations like the eight countries with a million Covid-19 infections, especially the first three top countries like United States, which has more than  9.2 million Covid-19 infections, India which has passed the 8-million mark of Covid-19 cases or Brazil which has  registered  near 5.5 million Covid-19 cases.

We are also not  among the league of nations with the most Covid-19 fatalities, led by the United States with more than 232,000 deaths,  Brazil with nearly  160,000 deaths, India with more than 120,000 deaths, Mexico with more than 89,000 deaths and the United Kingdom with more than 45,000 deaths.

But the public and economic situation in Malaysia are  dire and we must mobilise national unity and solidarity among all races, religions and cultures to bring the Covid-19 epidemic in Malaysia under control.

Malaysia is in uncharted territory for we do not have a leader  who commands the majority support of the Members of Parliament while facing  a deadly Covid-19 epidemic, which some experts say may last till 2022.

What  dp we do under these circumstances?

Those who advocate a state of emergency argue that although there are enough laws, whether to impose strict lockdowns or act against Covid-19-infected undocumented migrants attempting to sneak into the country, this is the only way to stop more Covid-19 spikes caused by  the holding of elections after the recent  Sabah state general election had become  a  Covid-19 super-spreader event.

This is a poor argument.

There is a Batu Sapi parliamentary by-election slated for December 5, 2020.

I have suggested that as a first step to an “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” war against the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic to save lives and livelihoods in Malaysia , all Malaysians and political parties should reach a national consensus that a Warisan candidate would take uncontested the parliamentary seat of Batu Sapi, vacated by the death of former Minister Liew Vui Keong.

There is the Sarawak and the 15th national general elections. This could be resolved by a parliamentary agreement by all political parties that there should be no general election, whether at the national or state level, until the Covid-19 pandemic is brought under control.

This could be done by the necessary amendments of the relevant laws requiring the holding of national or state general election, including a Constitutional amendment which requires the support of  two-thirds majority of Members of Parliament.

The only question is whether the political parties forming the national or state governments can  rise  above  narrow politics of race and religion to have a larger Malaysian vision to be able to respond to the Yang di Pertuan Agong’s call and forge  an “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” approach and mindset to inspire  national unity and single-mindedness in the war against Covid-19 epidemic.

The Opposition parties are ready to respond positively if the political parties in government are capable of responding with a vision of unity and solidarity, rising above  race, religion, region,  class or politics, in the war against the  Covid-19 epidemic.

Yesterday, the Pakatan Harapan Presidential Council agreed  in principle to support the proposal of a “Confidence and Suppy Agreement”  to enable the 2021 Budget to be passed and we are awaiting specific government proposals.

However, the Government should not expect a blank cheque to disregard the legitimate views and needs of the people but must enter into positive and constructive discussion  with Pakatan Harapan leaders to reach a Confidence and Supply Agreement for the 2021 Budget to  be passed by Parliament.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, October 30, 2020)

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

Mampukah parti-parti Perikatan Nasional untuk mengetepikan politik sempit perkauman dan keagamaan untuk membentuk satu visi Malaysia yang lebih luas untuk menjunjung seruan Yang di Pertuan Agong untuk membentuk usaha yang melibatkan “keseluruhan kerajaan” dan “keseluruhan masyarakat” dalam melawan wabak Covid-19?

Kita berada dalam satu era yang tidak pernah dilalui sebelum ini.

Lima hari telah dibazirkan sejak daripada titah Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah dan Raja-raja Melayu yang menolak cadangan Kabinet Muhyiddin untuk mengisytiharkan darurat sembilan bulan selepas bermulanya epidemik Covid-19. Namun parti-parti Perikatan Nasional masih belum berjaya membuktikan yang mereka mampu untuk mengetepikan politik sempit perkauman dan keagamaan untuk membentuk satu visi Malaysia yang lebih luas untuk menjunjung seruan Yang di Pertuan Agong untuk membentuk usaha yang melibatkan “keseluruhan kerajaan” dan “keseluruhan masyarakat” dalam melawan wabak Covid-19.

Wabak Covid-19 ini telah mencatatkan 30,090 kes jangkitan dan mengorbankan sejumlah 246 nyawa di Malaysia, meletakkan negara kita di tempat ke-87 dari segi jumlah kes jangkitan dan ke-103 dari segi korban akibat Covid-19 di dunia.

Perisytiharan darurat bukanlah jawapan kepada epidemik Covid-19 ini. Penyelesaian kepada epidemik ini boleh dicapai dengan membentuk usaha kerjasama dan bersatu padu tanpa mengira latar belakang kaum, agama, kawasan, kelas, mahupun politik, untuk melawan wabak ini sebagai satu negara dan bukannya dengan menyebarkan perpecahan dan polarisasi dalam negara kita.

Sekarang adalah masa untuk meletakkan kepentingan negara di atas kepentingan politik kepartian dan diri sendiri, dan sekarang bukanlah masanya untuk mendapatkan jawatan dan kepentingan politik.

Kita tidak berada di dalam liga yang sama seperti lapan negara teratas yang mencatatkan lebih daripada sejuta kes Covid-19, terutamanya tiga negara di tempat teratas seperti Amerika Syarikat yang mencatatkan 9.2 juta kes Covid-19, disusuli oleh India yang baru sahaja melepasi paras 8 juta kes, mahupun Brazil yang mencatatkan hampir 5.5 juta kes Covid-19.

Kita juga bukanlah berada di antara negara-negara yang mencatatkan jumlah kematian tertinggi, yang didahului oleh Amerika Syarikat dengan lebih daripada 232,000 kematian, diikuti oleh Brazil dengan hampir 160,000 kematian, India dengan lebih daripada 120,000 kematian, Mexico dengan 89,000 kematian, dan United Kingdom yang mencatatkan 45,000 kematian akibat Covid-19.

Tetapi keadaan negara dan ekonomi kita tidaklah baik dan kita perlu menggerakkan solidariti dan perpaduan kebangsaan dalam kalangan semua rakyat Malaysia tanpa mengira kaum, agama, dan budaya untuk mengawal wabak ini.

Malaysia kini berada dalam satu era yang baharu, yang tidak pernah dilalui sebelum ini, di mana kita tidak mempunyai seorang pemimpin yang mempunyai majoriti di Parlimen semasa negara kita sedang berhadapan dengan wabak Covid-19, yang dijangkakan oleh sesetengah pakar untuk terus melanda dunia sehingga 2022.

Apakah yang boleh kita buat dalam situasi seperti ini?

Mereka yang menyokong idea untuk mengisytiharkan darurat mengatakan walaupun kita mempunyai undang-undang yang memadai untuk mengendalikan wabak ini, — sama ada untuk melaksanakan kawalan pergerakan, mahupun untuk bertindak terhadap pendatang tanpa izin yang cuba untuk menyelinap masuk ke dalam negara — darurat adalah satu-satunya cara untuk menangguhkan sebarang pilihan raya selepas Pilihan Raya Negeri Sabah yang terbukti menjadi satu kejadian penyebaran meluas.

Ini  adalah satu hujah yang lemah.

Kita bakal berhadapan dengan Pilihan Raya Kecil Batu Sapi pada 5 Disember 2020 ini.

Saya telah cadangkan, sebagai langkah pertama untuk mencapai usaha melibatkan “keseluruhan kerajaan” dan “keseluruhan masyarakat” dalam melawan gelombang ketiga Covid-19 untuk menyelamatkan nyawa dan kehidupan rakyat Malaysia, semua rakyat Malaysia dan parti-parti politik harus mencapai satu konsensus kebangsaan bahawa Warisan perlu diberikan ruang untuk menang tanpa bertanding di Batu Sapi, memandangkan kekosongan ini berlaku kerana pemergian mantan menteri Liew Vui Keong.

Terdapat juga PRN Sarawak dan PRU-15. Perkara ini boelh diselesaikan melalui perjanjian di antara semua parti politik untuk tidak mengadakan pilihan raya, sama ada di peringkat negeri ataupun kebangsaan, sehingga keadaan pandemik Covid-19 ini terkawal.

Perkara ini boleh dicapai melalui pindaan berpatutan undang-undang berkaitan yang memerlukan pilihan raya, termasuklah pindaan Perlembagaan yang memerlukan sokongan dua pertiga ahli Parlimen.

Persoalannya sekarang, adakah parti-parti politik yang membentuk kerajaan persekutuan ataupun negeri ini boleh mengetepikan politik sempit perkauman dan keagamaan untuk membentuk visi Malaysia yang lebih luas untuk menjunjung seruan Yang di Pertuan Agong untuk membentuk usaha yang melibatkan “keseluruhan kerajaan” dan “keseluruhan masyarakat” dalam melawan wabak Covid-19.

Parti-parti Pembangkang bersedia untuk memberikan respons positif jika parti-parti dalam kerajaan mampu untuk membentangkan visi perpaduan dan solidariti, tanpa mengira kaum, agama, kawasan, kelas, mahupun latar belakang politik, untuk bersatu melawan Covid-19.

Semalam, Majlis Presiden Pakatan Harapan telah bersetuju untuk menyokong cadangan “Perjanjian Perbekalan dan Keyakinan” untuk membolehkan Belanjawan 2021 diluluskan dan PH terus menunggu cadangan daripada pihak Kerajaan.

Bagaimanapun, pihak kerajaan tidak boleh menjangkakan satu cek kosong untuk mengabaikan pandangan dan keperluan rakyat, tetapi perlu menyertai satu perbincangan yang positif dan konstruktif dengan para pemimpin Pakatan Harapan untuk mencapai persetujuan perjanjian perbekalan dan keyakinan ini supaya Belanjawan 2021 dapat diluluskan dalam Parlimen.

(Kenyataan Media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Gelang Patah pada hari Jumaat, 30 Oktober 2020)

                This entry was posted on Friday, 30 October 2020, 7:46 am and is filed under
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Muhyiddin should advise Hajiji not to violate the Yang di Pertuan Agong’s advice to stop politicking and to end discriminating against Opposition voters by ensuring that the RM2 million allocated for food in Penampang is given to all voters regardless of politics

The Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin  should advise the Sabah Chief Minister and Bersatu chief in Sabah, Hajiji Mohd Noor not to violate the Yang di Pertuan Agong’s advice to stop politicking and to end  discriminating against Opposition voters by ensuring that the RM2 million allocated for food in Penampang is given to all voters regardless of politics.

The Hajiji Sabah State Government should be advised not to spoil the possibility of launching a “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” approach and mindset to fight the war against the Covid-19 pandemic.

DAP Sabah State Assemblywoman for Kepayan Jannie Lasimbang has complained of discrimination by the Sabah State Government with regard to the RM2 million allocation for food for Penampang, and she had to rely on donations from local groups like the Pacos Trust and the Touching Live club to get around 200 food baskets to meet residents’ requests for help.

She also established her own team called the Kapayan Foodbank group and would be distributing 326 more food baskets to vulnerable groups there next week.

Lasimbang said many of her poor constituents are lamenting that the Gabungsan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government appears to be inefficient, slow and uncaring.

Drawing comparison to the previous Warisan-led Sabah government, Lasimbang said the Kapayan state assembly office was able to distribute 13,000 food baskets to the local constituency at a cost of RM600,000.

Media Comment by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, October 31, 2020

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Postpone the budget presentation in Parliament by one week so that the 2021 Budget could  incorporate proposals by both the  Perikatan Nasional government and the Pakatan Harapan opposition to ensure that it could be adopted by Parliament

The presentation of the 2021 Budget in Parliament on Friday, 6th November 2020 should be postponed by one week to 13th November 2020 so that the 2021 Budget could incorporate the proposals by both the Perikatan Nasional government and the Pakatan Harapan opposition to ensure  that the 2021 Budget could be adopted by Parliament.

It is almost one week since the Yang di Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and the Malay Rulers rejected the advice of the Muhyiddin Cabinet to proclaim a state of emergency nine months after the Covid-19 epidemic, but Malaysians cannot see any result in the Yang di Pertuan Agong and the Malay Rulers’ call to the political leadership to inspire Malaysians to rise above considerations of  race, religion, region, class and politics with a larger Malaysian vision to unite in a single-minded manner to launch an “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” approach and mindset in the war against Covid-19 epidemic.

Globally, the  Covid-19 pandemic has become more catastrophic, with the last three days from Wednesday to Friday  consecutively  registering the highest global daily increase of Covid-19 infection of over half-a-million cases, with yesterday registering the highest record of a  daily increase of  573,616 cases (nearly five times the global cumulative total on March 11 when the World Health Organisation declared Covid-19 as a pandemic).

There is a new surge of  Covid-19 cases in the Middle East, Europe and the United States, where whole countries are in the red zone and the  colours of red, orange and green  cease to have any more meaning.

It is both pathetic and tragic that the United States presidential election, which is entering the final days to a November 3 voting, is ending up in a contest of “Mask or No Mask” battle, with the United States again becoming the epicentre of the Covid-19 epidemic despite having 9.3 million Covid-19 cases and more than 230,000 fatalities – almost four time the number of Americans killed in the Vietnam war.

The Covid-19 pandemic is not having any let-up in the United States for on Friday, it recorded the largest number of new daily cases and fatalities – exceeding 100,000 new  cases and exceeding 1,000 deaths.

Malaysia is also facing a grim challenge from the Covid-19 pandemic, but we are not in the league of other nations, like the top ten countries with a cumulative total of over a million Covid-19 cases, led by the United States with more than 9.3 million cases, followed by India and Brazil with more than 8.1 million and 5.5 million cases respectively.

We are now No. 87th in the world among the countries with most number of Covid-19 infections although in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic we were ranked No18.

In terms of total cases per 1 million population, however, we are ranked No. 130.

Malaysia has 926 Covid-19 cases per 1 million population, while the  top 15 countries in terms of total cases per 1 million population are:

1

Andorra

59,077

2

Bahrain

47,237

3

Qatar

47,065

4

Aruba

41,827

5

French Guiana

34,615

6

Israel

34,043

7

Belgium

31,736

8

Panama

30,447

9

Kuwait

29,052

10

Czechia

28,936

11

Armenia

28,678

12

Montenegro

28,254

13

United States

27,770

14

San Marino

27,330

15

Peru

27,100

When will  the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia  peak?  Will there be more waves of the Covid-19 pandemic before it is brought under control, some say 2022?

Malaysia is struggling to ensure that we avoid four-digit daily increase of Covid-19 infections, although we have failed twice on the 24th and 26th October when we recorded 1,228 and 1,240 Covid-19 new cases respectively.

There is a modelling projection by academicians in Malaysia that there will be 15,000 active  Covid-19 cases by November 8, 2020.

But the reports of Covid-19 cases  by the Health Director-General, Noor Hisham Abdullah in the last two days seem to provide some light at the end of the tunnel.

In the last two days –  629 new cases and no new deaths on Thursday and 799 new cases and three deaths on Friday – may be signs of the beginning of a slowdown of the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic where there are no more  new daily increases in four-digit figures.

At this juncture, let Parliament have a  2021 Budget to save lives and livelihoods in Malaysia in the Covid-19 pandemic, which should reflect  for the first time an “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” approach and mindset  representing the views of both the Government and the Opposition in the war against Covid-19 epidemic.

Media statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, October 31, 2020

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A “all-of-government” and “whole of society” mentality and approach to the war against Covid-19 pandemic can only be predicated on a larger Malaysian vision recognising that Malaysia is a multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-religious, multi-cultural and multi-civilisational country and not land of one race, one language, one religion, one culture and one civilisation

The past nine months were depressing time for Malaysians who want Malaysia to take her rightful place in the international community of nations,  building on the diversity of the nation of many races, languages, religions, cultures and civilisations to become a world top class nation in various fields of human endeavour.

Malaysia produced  a political miracle in the 14th General Elections to end the national trajectory leading towards a kleptocracy, and the new Pakatan Harapan government   laboured to break from the past abuses and misuses of power to build a New Malaysia based on the five Rukun Negara principles recognising that the diversities of race, language, religion, culture and civilisation were assets and not liabilities in the  building of a modern, democratic, just and united Malaysian nation.

But before the Pakatan Harapan government could produce lasting impact in its nation-building efforts, it was overthrown by an illegitimate, backdoor Sheraton Move plot which plunged the country into despair and hopelessness, driving the country into the trajectory of a kakistocracy and the second wave, followed by a third wave, of the Covid-19 pandemic.

As a result, it is not only Malaysians but people outside the nation who are asking the question: Does the country have a future?

Is it possible for Malaysia to break away from the trajectory of a failed state, kleptocracy and kakistocracy and to become a world top-class nation in various fields of human endeavour, a leading nation of integrity among the world’s top 30 nation in integrity, where the best, brightest, and the  morally upright build  – in the words of Bapa Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman – a “beacon of light in a difficult and distracted world”?

Although many Malaysians had been subjected to bouts of despair and even  a sense of hopelessness, we must not  give up hope for a better Malaysia. We must be courageous and brave to put nation above all other considerations,  not based on position, wealth or office, but what is good for the country.

Is a kleptocracy good for the future of Malaysia? Is a kakistocracy good for Malaysia’s tomorrow?

The answers are so obvious that they need not be belaboured.

A “all-of-government” and “whole of society” mentality and approach to the war against Covid-19 pandemic can only be predicated on a larger Malaysian vision recognising that Malaysia is a multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-religious, multi-cultural and multi-civilisational country and not land of one race, one language, one religion, one culture and one civilisation.

It has been argued that a state of emergency is the only way to prevent the upcoming Batu Sapi by-election in Sabah and a possible Sarawak state election from becoming Covid-19 super-spreader events like the recent Sabah state general election .

The Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who had expressed such fears, could not  be more wrong.

If all Malaysians and political parties could  reach a national consensus that a Warisan candidate should take uncontested the parliamentary seat of Batu Sapi, vacated by the death of former Minister Liew Vui Keong and further, that any general election, whether state or national, should not be held until the Covid-19 pandemic is brought under control, both these concerns could be resolved without a state of emergency.

It is clear that what the advocates of a state of emergency want is not so much special powers to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic – as the government has all along such powers under the present laws – but to avoid parliamentary scrutiny and accountability by suspending Parliament altogether.

The  Sarawak state general election  has to be held no later than Aug 6, 2021.  If Malaysia adopts a “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” mindset and approach to the war against Covid-19 epidemic, I am confident  that the Covid-19 epidemic can be brought under control well before the nine-month time span for the holding of the Sarawak state general election.

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, 1st November 2020)

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Why is my question on the PAS  Minister who broke the Covid-19  quarantine SOP  ranked No 38 in Dewan Rakyat question time tomorrow instead of an earlier placing with a chance of it being answered orally  in Parliament?

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

Yesterday, the Health Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah declined to answer the flip flop in law enforcement where  the PAS Minister for Plantation Industries and Commodities, Khairuddin Aman Razali, was  only fined for violation of the Covid-19 quarantine SOP after returning from Turkey on July 7.

I had posed a parliamentary question on the very same  issue when Parliament starts tomorrow  for its 27-day budget session, but the question is placed at the  bottom of the queue and would not be answered orally.

Why is my question on the PAS  Minister who broke the Covid-19  quarantine SOP  ranked No 38 in Dewan Rakyat question time tomorrow  instead of an earlier placing with a chance of it being answered orally  in Parliament?

I had asked the Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to explain the latest status of the investigation into the violation of the Covid-19 quarantine SOP by Khairuddin.

It is obvious that  the question about the flip-flop law enforcement of the Covid-19 SOP  in the case of the PAS Minister is of major national importance, and there would be many supplementary questions by unhappy Members of Parliament on both sides of the House who are waiting to jump in on the floor of Parliament, for it would determine the  degree of public trust and support for any “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” mindset and approach launched by the government in the war against Covid-19 pandemic.

The placing of parliamentary questions, to determine as to whether they would be answered orally to be followed by supplementary questions by MPs or to be answered later in the form of written reply,  should not  be an  arbitrary one,  depending  on the likes or dislikes of the Ministers  but should depend on the degree of its public interest and importance.

Of course, the Muhyiddin Cabinet does not want the flip-flop of the enforcement of  Covid-19 quarantine SOP in the case of the PAS Minister to come up in Parliament during Question Time, but this will be interference with the doctrine of separation of powers among the Executive, the Legislature and  the Judiciary.

There must be clear and proper guidelines for the positioning of parliamentary questions for Question Time which could withstand public scrutiny and which should be decided by the House Select Committee or any other parliamentary select committee to be implemented by the parliamentary administrators.

This is one area of parliamentary reform which warrants attention.

The drawing up of the order of business for the parliamentary meeting beginning tomorrow is quite controversial.

Two weeks ago, one of the hottest properties on the social media was  a 2015 talk show video titled “Art of the Matter: How to Overthrow a Government (Legally)”, where the Speaker of Parliament,  Azhar  Azizan Harun in his capacity as Art Harun said a no confidence motion, “by convention or constitutional practice, not by law”, must be the first item of parliamentary business.

But this is not reflected in the Order Paper  for the parliamentary meeting tomorrow.

Even while  maintaining that under the parliamentary Standing Orders, any non-government business can only leap over government business if it receives backing from a minister, the Speaker had not complied with his own commandment that a no confidence motion must be the first item of parliamentary business among  non-government business.

Under the parliamentary Order Paper tomorrow, it is obvious that two government MPs have filed motions of confidence in support of the Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin while 25 opposition MPs have filed no confidence motions against the Prime Minister.

But none  of these 27 items have been placed as the first item of parliamentary business after official business in the Order Paper for tomorrow’s Parliamentary meeting.

The first of these 27 motions, whether of confidence or no confidence, is listed as Item No. 19 – a no confidence motion  filed by the Pejuang MP for Kubang Pasu, Amiruddin Hamzah.

The first four items are official business, and the rest are private business of Members of Parliament.

According to Art Harun’s 2015 video, a confidence motion or a no-confidence motion  should be placed as No.5 of the Order of Business tomorrow, even if it does not make it as the No. 1 item!

An explanation from the Speaker is in order.

The report by Noor Hisham on the state of the Covid-19 pandemic third wave yesterday is most heartening as Malaysia seemed to be turning the corner of the surge of Covid-19 infections  and fatalities in the country.

This is a “turning the corner” which is completely different from Donald Trump’s disinformation about “turning the corner”  in the United States Presidential campaign – as Trump is using the term when the daily Covid-19 cases and fatalities have risen sharply in the United States, breaching 100,000 infections  and 1,000 fatalities a single day while Malaysia is registering a  consecutive three-day reduction of Covid-19 infections and fatalities.

On Friday, the world registered  the highest record of a  daily increase of  573,630 cases (nearly five times the global cumulative total on March 11 when the World Health Organisation declared Covid-19 as a pandemic).

There is a new surge of  Covid-19 cases in the Middle East, Europe and the United States, where whole countries are in the red zone and the  colours of red, orange and green  cease to have any more meaning.

In the United Kindom,  Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered England back into a national lockdown after the United Kingdom passed the milestone of one million COVID-19 cases in  a second wave of infections which threatened to overwhelm the UK  health service.

Malaysia is also facing a grim challenge from the Covid-19 pandemic, but we are not in the same league of other nations, like the top nine  countries with a cumulative total of over a million Covid-19 cases, led by the United States with more than 9.4 million cases, followed by India and Brazil with nearly 8.2 million and over 5.5 million cases respectively.

With 31,548 cases, we are now No. 88th in the world among the countries with most number of Covid-19 infections although in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic we were ranked No18.

In terms of total cases per 1 million population, however, we are ranked No. 130.

Malaysia has 971 Covid-19 cases per 1 million population, while the  top 10 countries in terms of total cases per 1 million population ranged from 30,838 cases to 60,345 cases per 1 million population.

When will  the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia  peak?  Will there be more waves of the Covid-19 pandemic before it is brought under control, some say 2022?

Malaysia is struggling to ensure that we avoid four-digit daily increase of Covid-19 infections, although we have failed twice on the 24th and 26th October when we recorded 1,228 and 1,240 Covid-19 new cases respectively.

There is a modelling projection by academicians in Malaysia that there will be 15,000 active  Covid-19 cases by November 8, 2020.

The reports of Covid-19 cases  by the Health Director-General, Noor Hisham Abdullah in the last three  days seem to provide some light at the end of the tunnel.

In the last three days –  629 new cases and no new deaths on Thursday,  799 new cases and three deaths on Friday and 659 new cases and no new deaths yesterday  – may be signs of the beginning of a slowdown of the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic where there are no more  new daily increases in four-digit figures.

At this juncture, let Parliament have a  2021 Budget to save lives and livelihoods in Malaysia in the Covid-19 pandemic, which should reflect  for the first time an “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” approach and mindset  representing the views of both the Government and the Opposition in the war against Covid-19 epidemic.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, 1st November 2020)

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

Mengapakah soalan saya berkenaan Menteri PAS yang melanggari SOP kuarantin Covid-19 ini diletakkan di tempat ke-38 dalam Dewan Rakyat esok dan bukannya di satu kedudukan yang lebih awal bagi membolehkannya dijawab secara lisan dalam Parlimen?

Semalam, Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah telah enggan untuk menjawab persoalan mengenai kekeliruan dalam penguatkuasaan undang-undang di mana Menteri Perusahaan Perladangan dan Komoditi PAS, Khairuddin Aman Razali, hanya didenda selepas melanggar SOP kuarantin Covid-19 sejurus selepas kembali dari Turki pada 7 Julai.

Saya telah mengemukakan soalan parlimen mengenai masalah yang sama dalam persidangan Parlimen sesi Belanjawan yang berlangsung selama 27 hari bermula esok, tetapi soalan itu tidak diberikan keutamaan dan tidak akan dijawab secara lisan.

Mengapakah soalan saya berkenaan Menteri PAS yang melanggari SOP kuarantin Covid-19 ini diletakkan di tempat ke-38 dalam Dewan Rakyat esok dan bukannya di satu kedudukan yang lebih awal bagi membolehkannya dijawab secara lisan dalam Parlimen?

Saya telah meminta Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin untuk menjelaskan status terkini siasatan terhadap pelanggaran SOP kuarantin Covid-19 oleh Khairuddin.

Jelas bahawa persoalan mengenai penguatkuasaan undang-undang SOP Covid-19 secara tidak teratur dalam kes Menteri PAS ini adalah perkara berkepentingan tinggi, dan pastinya akan ada banyak pertanyaan tambahan oleh Ahli-ahli Parlimen yang tidak berpuas hati daripada kedua-dua belah Dewan yang sedang menunggu untuk menanyakan berkenaan isu ini, kerana perkara ini akan menentukan tahap kepercayaan dan sokongan masyarakat terhadap pemikiran dan pendekatan melibatkan “keseluruhan kerajaan” dan “keseluruhan masyarakat” yang dilancarkan oleh kerajaan dalam perang melawan wabak Covid-19.

Penyusunan soalan Parlimen, untuk menentukan sama ada ia akan dijawab secara lisan yang kemudiannya disusuli dengan pertanyaan tambahan oleh ahli-ahli Parlimen atau untuk dijawab kemudian dalam bentuk jawapan bertulis, perlu bergantung kepada kepentingan awam soalan tersebut dan bukannya sama Menteri yang menjawab tersebut suka atau pun tidak kepada soalan tersebut.

Semestinya, Kabinet Muhyiddin tidak mahu perkara mengenai kegagalan penguatkuasaan SOP kuarantin Covid-19 Menteri PAS ini dibangkitkan dalam Waktu Pertanyaan Jawab Lisan, tetapi sebarang campur tangan Kabinet dalam perkara ini melanggari doktrin pemisahan kuasa di antara pihak Eksekutif, Badan Perundangan dan Kehakiman.

Harus ada garis panduan yang jelas dan berpatutan untuk menentukan kedudukan soalan Parlimen untuk Waktu Pertanyaan yang boleh diteliti oleh semua pihak dan diputuskan oleh Jawatankuasa Dewan atau mana-mana Jawankuasa Pilihan Khas Parlimen yang berkenaan  untuk pelaksanaan oleh pihak pentadbiran Parlimen.

Ini adalah salah satu bidang reformasi parlimen yang memerlukan perhatian.

Penyusunan aturan urusan mesyuarat untuk persidangan Parlimen yang bermula pada hari esok ini agak berkontroversi.

Dua minggu lalu, salah satu perkara yang hangat diperkatakan di media sosial adalah satu keratan rancangan bual bicara 2015 yang bertajuk “Art of the Matter: How to Overthrow a Government (Legally)”, di mana Yang di Pertua Dewan Rakyat, Azhar Azizan Harus  yang juga dikenali sebagai Art Harun mengatakan yang sebarang usul tidak percaya kepada kerajaan, “melalui konvensyen atau amalan berpelembagaan, dan bukan melalui undang-undang”, haruslah menjadi perkara pertama urusan mesyuarat Parlimen.

Namun perkara ini tidak dapat dilihat diamalkan dalam aturan urusan mesyuarat Dewan esok.

Walaupun dengan mengekalkan pendapat yang mengatakan bahawa di bawah Peraturan Mesyuarat Parlimen sebarang usul bukan kerajaan hanya dapat akan dapat dilompatkan kehadapan usul-usul kerajaan jika mendapat sokongan daripada seorang menteri, Azhar telah melawan kata-katanya sendiri yang mengatakan usul tidak percaya mesti menjadi perkara pertama urusan Parlimen dalam kalangan usul-usul bukan daripada kerajaan.

Dalam Aturan Urusan Mesyuarat Parlimen untuk hari esok, jelas bahawa dua ahli Parlimen kerajaan telah mengemukakan usul kepercayaan untuk menyokong Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin manakala 25 ahli Parlimen pembangkang telah mengemukakan usul tidak percaya terhadap Perdana Menteri.

Tetapi, tidak ada satu pun daripada 27 usul ini yang diletakkan sebagai perkara pertama selepas kesemua usul-usul kerajaan dalam aturan urusan mesyuarat persidangan hari esok.

Daripada 27 usul ini, sama ada dalam bentuk usul kepercayaan atau usul tidak percaya kepada Perdana Menteri, yang pertama disenaraikan adalah usul daripada Ahli Parlimen Pejuang untuk Kubang Pasu, Amiruddin Hamzah di tempat ke-19.

Empat usul pertama adalah usul-usul rasmi kerajaan, dan yang lain semua adalah usul peribadi daripada ahli-ahli Dewan.

Menurut video tahun 2015 Art Harun, sebarang usul berkaitan dengan keyakinan dan kepercayaan terhadap Perdana Menteri sepatutnya diletakkan di tempat ke-5 dalam aturan urusan mesyuarat untuk hari esok jika ia tidak dapat diletakkan sebagai perkara pertama!

Speaker perlu memberikan penjelasan.

Laporan daripada Dr Noor Hisham mengenai keadaan gelombang ketiga wabak Covid-19 semalam amat memberansangkan kerana Malaysia nampaknya sedang beralih arah dari segi jumlah jangkitan dan kematian baharu akibat Covid-19.

Ini adalah “alih arah” yang berbeza sama sekali dengan apa yang dikatakan oleh Donald Trump dalam kempen pilihan raya presiden Amerika Syarikat — di mana Trump menggunakan istilah itu semasa jumlah kes dan kematian harian Covid-19 meningkat mendadak di Amerika Syarikat, melebihi 100,000 jangkitan dan 1,000 kematian dalam satu hari manakala Malaysia pula sedang mencatatkan pengurangan jangkitan dan kematian Covid-19 selama tiga hari berturut-turut.

Pada hari Jumaat, dunia mencatat rekod tertinggi peningkatan harian sebanyak 573.630 kes (hampir lima kali ganda jumlah kes terkumpul global pada 11 Mac ketika Pertubuhan Kesihatan Sedunia mengisytiharkan Covid-19 sebagai satu pandemik).

Terdapat lonjakan baharu kes-kes Covid-19 di Timur Tengah, Eropah dan Amerika Syarikat, di mana seluruh negara berada kini berada dalam zon merah dan klasifikasi zon berwarna merah, oren dan hijau tidak lagi mempunyai makna.

Di United Kindom, Perdana Menteri Boris Johnson melaksanakan kawalan pergerakan di England selepas United Kingdom mencapai tahap baharu dengan satu juta kes Covid-19 dalam gelombang kedua yang berpotensi untuk melumpuhkan perkhidmatan kesihatan di UK.

Malaysia juga menghadapi cabaran suram daripada wabak Covid-19, tetapi kita tidak berada di dalam liga yang sama seperti negara lain, seperti sembilan negara teratas dengan jumlah kes terkumpul lebih dari satu juta, yang didahului oleh Amerika Syarikat dengan lebih daripada 9.4 juta kes, diikuti oleh India dan Brazil masing-masing dengan hampir 8.2 juta dan 5.5 juta kes.

Dengan 31,548 kes, kita sekarang berada di kedudukan ke-88 di dunia dari segi jumlah jangkitan Covid-19 walaupun pada masa awal Covid-19 kita berada di kedudukan ke-18.

Dari segi jumlah kes per sejuta penduduk, kita berada di kedudukan ke-130.

Malaysia mencatatkan 971 kes Covid-19 per sejuta penduduk, sementara 10 negara teratas pula mencatatkan di antara 30,838 kes hingga 60,345 kes per sejuta penduduk.

Bilakah gelombang ketiga wabak Covid-19 di Malaysia ini akan memuncak? Adakah akan terdapat lebih banyak gelombang wabak Covid-19 sebelum wabak ini dapat dikawal, yang dijangkakan oleh sesetengah pihak, hanya akan berlaku menjelang 2022?

Malaysia sedang berusaha untuk memastikan kita mengelakkan peningkatan harian jangkitan Covid-19 empat angka, walaupun kita telah gagal dua kali pada 24 dan 26 Oktober di mana negara kita mencatatkan 1,228 dan 1,240 kes baru Covid-19.

Terdapat unjuran model oleh ahli akademik di Malaysia yang mengatakan akan ada 15,000 kes Covid-19 aktif pada 8 November 2020.

Laporan kes Covid-19 oleh Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan, Noor Hisham Abdullah dalam tiga hari memberikan sedikit kelegaan.

Dalam tiga hari lepas — 629 kes baharu tanpa sebarang kematian pada hari Khamis, 799 kes baharu dan tiga kematian pada hari Jumaat, dan 659 kes baharu tanpa sebarang kematian semalam — kelihatan seperti petanda permulaan penurunan gelombang ketiga wabak Covid-19, di mana tidak ada lagi peningkatan harian empat angka.

Pada saat ini, marilah kita bawa ke Parlimen, Belanjawan 2021 untuk menyelamatkan nyawa dan kehidupan di Malaysia dalam berhadapan dengan wabak Covid-19, yang sepatutnya buat kali pertama, menunjukkan pendekatan yang melibatkan “keseluruhan kerajaan” dan “keseluruhan masyarakat”, yang mengambil kira pandangan kedua-dua belah pihak, baik Kerajaan mahupun Pembangkan dalam perang melawan wabak Covid-19.

(Kenyataan Media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang pada hari Ahad, 1 November 2020)

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