The first item of business of Dewan Rakyat when it reconvenes on Oct. 25 is to amend the Standing Orders to allow the parliamentary special select committee on health, science and innovation to hold weekly public hearings on the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic

(Versi BM)

The first item of business of Dewan Rakyat when it reconvenes on Oct. 25 for the 2022 Budget session is to amend the Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders to allow the parliamentary special select committee on health, science and innovation to hold weekly public hearings on the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic

The Australian Parliament has a Select Committee on Covid-19 pandemic since April 2020 which had held over fifty public hearings in the last 18 months on the Australian government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and this is a parliamentary best practice which should be adopted by the Malaysian Parliament.

May be, if there is such a parliamentary best practice to provide a more effective parliamentary check on the Executive, the government would have been kept on its toes, and Malaysia would have been spared the disastrous last 10 months of the Covid-19 pandemic since the proclamation of an emergency on January 11, 2021 to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

The declaration of an emergency and the suspension of Parliament and the State Assemblies on January 11 were such disastrous decisions that Malaysia had not been able to return to the pre-emergency days of the Covid-19 pandemic after nearly two months of a new Prime Minister.

We had a cumulative total of 138,224 Covid-19 cases and 555 Covid-19 deaths on January 11, 2021 which has increased to the cumulative total of 2,361,529 Covid-19 cases and 27,593 Covid-19 deaths yesterday.

On January 11, 2021, we had a 2,232 daily new Covid-19 cases and four daily Covid-19 deaths. Yesterday, we had 7,950 daily new Covid-19 cases and 68 daily Covid-19 deaths.

Will we be able to return to the pre-emergency days of the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of daily new Covid-19 cases and daily Covid-19 deaths on the First Hundred Days of Ismail Sabri as the ninth Prime Minister on Nov. 28, 2021?

There should also be public hearings as to why Malaysia is the worst-performing nation in ASEAN in the Covid-19 pandemic.

Yesterday is another day when we continue to lose out to Indonesia in daily new cases and daily deaths, with 1,233 new Covid-19 cases and 48 deaths in Indonesia as compared to 7,950 cases and 68 deaths in Malaysia.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Thursday, 14th October 2021)

Aturan Urusan pertama Dewan Rakyat apabila bersidang semula pada 25 Oktober perlulah untuk meminda Peraturan Mesyuarat bagi membolehkan Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Kesihatan, Sains, dan Inovasi untuk mengadakan pendengaran terbuka secara mingguan mengenai respons kerajaan terhadap wabak Covid-19

Aturan Urusan pertama Dewan Rakyat apabila bersidang semula pada 25 Oktober untuk sidang Belanjawan 2022 perlulah untuk meminda Peraturan Mesyuarat bagi membolehkan Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Kesihatan, Sains, dan Inovasi untuk mengadakan pendengaran terbuka secara mingguan mengenai respons kerajaan terhadap wabak Covid-19.

Parlimen Australia mempunyai sebuah jawatankuasa pilihan khas Covid-19 sejak daripada bulan April 2020 lagi, yang telah mengadakan lebih daripada lima puluh pendengaran awam dalam tempoh 18 bulan yang lepas mengenai respons kerajaan Australia terhadap wabak Covid-19, inilah amalan terbaik yang patut dicontohi oleh Parlimen Malaysia.

Mungkin, sekiranya amalan terbaik seperti ini dilaksanakan untuk memastikan terdapatnya semak imbang terhadap tindakan pihak Eksekutif sebelum ini, Malaysia tidak akan berhadapan dengan 10 bulan yang mengerikan sejak daripada proklamasi darurat pada 11 Januari 2021 untuk melawan wabak Covid-19.

Pengisytiharan darurat dan penggantungan sidang Parlimen dan Dewan Undangan Negeri sejak 11 Januari ini adalah satu keputusan yang amat merosakkan untuk negara kita, sehinggakan kita masih belum berjaya untuk kembali ke situasi seperti sebelum darurat selepas hampir dua bulan bertukar Perdana Menteri.

Kita mencatatkan sejumlah 138,224 kes dan 555 kematian akibat Covid-19 pada 11 Januari 2021, yang kini telah meningkat kepada 2,361,529 kes dan 27,593 kematian semalam.

Pada 11 Januari 2021, kita mencatatkan 2,232 kes baharu dan empat kematian baharu. Semalam kita mencatatkan 7,950 kes dan 68 kematian akibat Covid-19.

Adakah kita akan dapat kembali ke situasi seperti sebelum darurat dari segi kes harian dan kematian pada hari ke-100 Ismail Sabri menjadi Perdana Menteri ke-9 pada 28 November 2021?

Kita juga perlu adakan pendengaran untuk mengenal pasti mengapa Malaysia menjadi negara dengan prestasi terburuk dalam mengendalikan wabak Covid-19 di kawasan serantau ASEAN.

Semalam adalah satu lagi hari di mana kita terus kalah dengan Indonesia dari segi kes baharu dan kematian baharu, di mana Indonesia hanya mencatatkan 1,233 kes baharu dan 48 kematian akibat Covid-19 berbanding dengan 7,950 kes dan 68 kematian di Malaysia.

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

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Time  Malaysian Parliament keep abreast of international parliamentary developments and hold regular public hearings to keep the government in check

(Versi BM)

In Parliament last year, the Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun proposed the setting up of nine select committees, namely those on liberty and constitutional rights; finance and economy; security; agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department; agriculture and domestic trade; infrastructure development; education; women and children affairs and social development; and health, science and innovation.

There is now to be an additional select committee on international affairs.

But none of these have been able to function effectively – not only because of the eight-month unconstitutional suspension of Parliament but because of outmoded, obsolete and antiquarian Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders which does not allow the parliamentary select committees to play a more meaningful and significant role to keep the government in check.

The Australian Parliament has a Parliamentary Select Committee on Covid-19 pandemic since April 2020 which had held over fifty public hearings in the last 18 months on the Australian government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and this is a parliamentary best practice which should be adopted by the Malaysian Parliament.

May be, if there is such a parliamentary best practice to provide a more effective parliamentary check on the Executive, the government would have been kept on its toes, and Malaysia would have been spared the disastrous last 10 months of the Covid-19 pandemic since the proclamation of an emergency on January 11, 2021 to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

I am quite at a loss to understand why Malaysia is an even worse-performer than Indonesia, as illustrated by yesterday’s figures where the daily new Covid-19 cases and daily Covid-19 deaths in Indonesia were 1,053 cases and 37 Covid-19 deaths but in Malaysia, it was 8,083 Covid-19 cases and 88 Covid-19 deaths – a situation which had been going on for more than week.

If the Ministry of Health have to appear before a parliamentary select committee, say on health, science and innovation, in a public hearing to explain this anomaly, it will go a long way to ensure a better and more efficient public service.

This is why I suggested yesterday that the first item of business of Dewan Rakyat when it reconvenes on Oct. 25 for the 2022 Budget session is to amend the Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders to allow the parliamentary special select committee on health, science and innovation to hold weekly public hearings on the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This will go a long way to ensure that the Malaysian Parliament can play a meaningful and significant role to ensure an efficient and effective public service, and not allow the Malaysian Parliament to be a mere talk-shop.

In the United Kingdom, all parliamentary select committees take evidence in public with very few exceptions.

Typically committees meet privately for a short period before starting to take evidence, which are accessible to the public.

Why is the Malaysian Parliament unable to keep abreast with international parliamentary developments especially in best parliamentary practices?

I agree with Bersih which has called for a new Parliamentary Standing Committee on Election Matters as an oversight body to the Election Commission (EC), especially as the electoral system is integral to our political system and a lot of reforms need to be explored and implemented.

Bersih had suggested in 2019 for a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Election Matters to be chaired by an elected representative from the opposition and comprised of elected representatives who are committed to clean and fair elections with expertise on election matters.

An effective parliamentary select committee system is also pertinent to the Pandora Papers which should have been debated in the Malaysian Parliament as proposed by the Parliamentary Opposition Leader, Anwar Ibrahim, and not denied by the Speaker who appeared to operate as the defence counsel for the Pandora Papers.

As Azhar had suggested that the Pandora Papers should be looked into by a parliamentary select committee, will this be done?

But it will be a futile exercise if the Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders are not amended to allow for public hearings.

I suggest that the Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders be amended as the first item of business on Oct. 25, and that a parliamentary select committee be entrusted with the task of instituting public hearings on the Pandora Papers.#

Let the Malaysian Parliament be the first Parliament in the world to probe into the Pandora Papers.

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

Sudah tiba masanya Parlimen Malaysia bergerak seiring dengan perkembangan parlimen antarabangsa dan mengadakan sesi pendengaran awam secara berkala bagi menyemak setiap tindak tanduk kerajaan

Di Parlimen tahun lalu, Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun mencadangkan pembentukan sembilan jawatankuasa pilihan khas, iaitu Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Kebebasan Asasi dan Hak-hak di bawah Perlembagaan; Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Kewangan dan Ekonomi; Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Keselamatan; Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas bagi Agensi-Agensi di bawah Jabatan Perdana Menteri dan Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Pertanian dan Perdagangan Dalam Negeri, Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Pembangunan Infrastruktur; Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Pendidikan; Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Kesihatan, Sains dan Inovasi; dan Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Hal Ehwal Wanita dan Kanak-Kanak dan Pembangunan Sosial.

Terdapat satu lagi jawatankuasa pilihan khas yang baharu iaitu Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Hal Ehwal Antarabangsa.

Namun, tiada satu pun jawatankuasa ini akan berfungsi secara berkesan — bukan hanya kerana tindakan tidak berpelembagaan kerajaan menggantung Parlimen, malah turut dibatasi oleh Peraturan Mesyuarat yang sudah lapuk dan usang. Peraturan Mesyuarat sedia ada membataskan jawatankuasa pilihan khas Parlimen untuk memainkan peranan yang lebih penting dan bermakna bagi menyemak setiap tindak tanduk kerajaan.

Parlimen Australia mempunyai Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Parlimen berhubung wabak Covid-19 yang ditubuhkan sejak 2020 April dan telah melaksanakan lebih 50 pendengaran awam sepanjang 18 bulan lalu berkenaan respons kerajaan Australia dalam menangani penularan wabak di negara itu, dan ini adalah amalan Parlimen yang terbaik yang harus dicontohi Parlimen Malaysia.

Mungkin, jika amalan Parlimen terbaik diterapkan di negara ini dengan melaksanakan semak dan imbang yang berkesan terhadap tindak tanduk Eksekutif, nescaya Malaysia tidak akan mengalami mimpi ngeri wabak Covid-19 yang menghantui negara sejak 10 bulan yang lalu sejak pengisytiharan darurat pada 11 Januari dengan alasan untuk melawan Covid-19.

Saya agak bingung apabila melihat prestasi Malaysia lebih buruk berbanding Indonesia, seperti yang digambarkan dengan angka jangkitan dan kematian akibat Covid-19 di mana Indonesia mencatatkan 1,053 kes baharu Covid-19 dan 37 korban semalam, sementara Malaysia mencatatkan 8,083 kes baharu dan 88 kematian pada hari yang sama — situasi yang sudah berlarutan lebih seminggu.

Jika Menteri Kesihatan hadir untuk memberi penjelasan di hadapan jawatankuasa pilihan khas, sebagai contoh Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Kesihatan, Sains dan Inovasi, dan memberi penerangan dalam pendengaran awam, ia mampu untuk memastikan prestasi perkhidmatan awam menjadi lebih baik dan cekap.

Ini sebabnya mengapa saya, semalam, mencadangkan aturan urusan pertama Dewan Rakyat apabila bersidang semula pada 25 Oktober perlulah menyentuh mengenai pindaan Peraturan Mesyuarat bagi membolehkan Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Kesihatan, Sains, dan Inovasi untuk mengadakan pendengaran awam secara mingguan mengenai respons kerajaan terhadap wabak Covid-19

Ini akan memastikan Parlimen Malaysia dapat memainkan peranan yang bermakna dan penting bagi mewujudkan perkhidmatan awam yang berkesan dan cekap, dan bukannya sekadar menjadi tempat untuk melepaskan batuk di tangga.

Di United Kingdom, semua jawatankuasa pilihan khas membentang bukti yang sewajarnya kepada umum.

Selalunya, jawatankuasa tersebut akan bertemu dalam mesyuarat tertutup untuk tempoh masa yang singkat sebelum membentangkan bukti-bukti tersebut, yang mana boleh diakses dengan mudah oleh orang awam.

Mengapa Parlimen Malaysia masih tidak mampu untuk bergerak seiring dengan perkembangan Parlimen antarabangsa terutama membabitkan amalan Parlimen yang terbaik?

Saya bersetuju dengan pandangan Bersih yang mencadangkan supaya Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas berhubung Hal Ehwal Pilihan Raya diwujudkan sebagai satu badan bebas yang memantau operasi Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) kerana sistem pilihan raya adalam komponen terpenting malah menjadi tunjang kepada sistem politik di negara kita, selain banyak usaha reformasi yang boleh diteroka serta dilaksanakan.

Sebuah sistem jawatankuasa pilihan khas parlimen yang berkesan juga perlu diwujudkan untuk menyemak dakwaan Pandora Papers. Pendedahan itu juga harus dibahaskan di Parlimen seperti mana yang disarankan Ketua Pembangkang, Anwar Ibrahim, tetapi ditolak oleh Speaker yang dilihat seolah-olah menjadi peguam bela dalam hal tersebut.

Memandangkan Azhar berpandangan bahawa isu dakwaan dalam Pandora Papers perlu disemak oleh jawatankuasa pilihan khas Parlimen, adakah beliau bersedia untuk mewujudkan jawatankuasa sumpanya?

Namun, ia akan menjadi suatu usaha yang sia-sia jika Peraturan Mesyuarat tidak dipinda untuk membenarkan sesi pendengaran awam diadakan.

Justeru itu, saya mencadangkan pindaan Peraturan Mesyuarat diletakkan sebagai perkara pertama dalam Aturan Urusan apabila Dewan Rakyat bersidang semula pada 25 Oktober, dan sebuah jawatankuasa pilihan khas diberikan tugas untuk mengadakan sesi pendengaran awam berhubung dakwaan Pandora Papers.

Jadikan Parlimen Malaysia sebagai Parlimen pertama di dunia yang menyiasat dengan mendalam dakwaan Pandora Papers.

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

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Khairy has succeeded in reducing the upsurge of Covid-19 cases and deaths, but  at too slow a rate as compared to Indonesia, leaving  Malaysia  still wrestling with the longest Covid-19 wave in the world since September last year

Monday, October 18, 2021, will be the half-way mark of the first hundred days of  the new Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin.

On that day, we could have exceeded or be  very near to  a cumulative total of 2.4 million Covid-19 cases and 28,000 Covid-19 deaths.

This makes the prospect of keeping the cumulative total of Covid-19 cases below 2.5 million cases and the cumulative total of Covid-19 deaths below 30,000 during Khairy’s first Hundred Days on Dec. 7 quite a tall order and unlikely to be achieved.

On Dec. 7, 2021 (Khairy’s first Hundred Day)  we are very unlikely to return to January 11, 2021, when emergency was declared to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, and we had 2,232 daily new Covid-19 cases and four Covid-19 deaths.

Malaysians must acknowledge Khairy’s successes  in reducing the upsurge of Covid-19 cases and deaths during the Emergency period, as we are no more in world’s Top Ten countries either for daily new Covid-19 cases or Covid-19 deaths, and we are  no more overtaking other countries with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases.

But the reduction is at too slow a rate and we are still wrestling with the longest Covid-19 wave in the world which started in September last year.

Indonesia reached its daily  peak in its present wave on 15th July, when it recorded, 56,757 new Covid-19 cases but it was able to reduce this five-digit to triple-digit numbers in less than three months when it recorded 894 cases on Oct. 10, 2012.

But Malaysia had been stuck with having more than 6,000 Covid-19 cases for three-and-a-half  months since June  29, 2021.

Yesterday, Indonesia recorded 915 new Covid-19 cases and 41 Covid-19 deaths while Malaysia had 7,420 cases and 89 Covid-19 deaths.

Khairy must come up with a new, nimble and appropriate policy and strategy to win the war against the Covid-19 pandemic and  reduce the daily  increase of new Covid-19 cases to  double-digit numbers  and the daily  Covid-19 death rate to single-digit numbers.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Saturday, 16th October 2021)

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Parliament should set up a special parliamentary select committee to investigate into the Pandora Papers and make recommendations to the government

Parliament should set up a special parliamentary select committee to investigate into the Pandora Papers and make recommendations to the government for four   reasons:

Firstly, the Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun’s admission that the Pandora Papers were important matters of public interest and should be looked into by a Parliamentary Select Committee; and

Secondly, the Prime Minister has given his commitment that the Federal Government will not interfere with any investigation against individuals whose names were implicated in the Pandora Papers.

Thirdly, the call by Transparency International to all national governments to

“get their own affairs in order” following the release of the Pandora Papers; and

Fourthly, the connection with the 1MDB scandal, which the US Attorney-General at the time has described as “kleptocracy at its worst”.

The Pandora Papers refers to more than 11 million documents from 14 service providers who assist individuals and companies to set up entities in tax havens.

The data dump was made to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, who shared access to some 600 journalists globally, including at Malaysiakini.

Among prominent Malaysians named in the Pandora Papers were former finance minister Daim Zainuddin, current Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and PKR’s Selayang MP William Leong.

All individuals said their dealings with offshore entities, including owning or sitting on the boards of these companies, were legitimate and that due taxes had been paid for any assets and earnings related to the offshore companies.

In an era of widening authoritarianism and inequality, the Pandora Papers investigation provides an unequalled perspective on how money and power operate in the 21st century – and how the rule of law has been bent and broken around the world by a system of financial secrecy enabled by  wealthy nations.

The Parliamentary Select Committee should investigate how deeply secretive finance has infiltrated Malaysian politics – and offer recommendations what the government should do to end offshore financial abuses.

It should be given six months to complete its work.

The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaffar should undertake the initiative to move a motion for the setting up of such a parliamentary special select committee on the Pandora Papers  as well as to amend the Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders on the first day of Parliament when MPs reconvened on Oct. 25 to allow the  parliamentary select  committees to conduct public hearings.

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

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A word of caution on  full re-opening during the Covid-19 pandemic

The Prime Minister, Ismail Sabri has announced that from tomorrow all states will now be in Phase 3 and beyond of the National Recovery Plan (NRP).

This was not to be under the original NRP announce by the then Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin on June 15, 2021 and  which defined the following criteria for transition from one phase to another:

Phase 1- <4,000 daily cases, moderate ICU use, 10% vaccinated.

Phase 2- <2,000 daily cases, sufficient ICU beds available,40% vaccinated.

Phase 3 – <500 daily cases, sufficient ICU beds available, 60% vaccinated.

Phase 4 – Full re-opening of economy (Nov & Dec).

Five states will transition from Phase 2 to Phase 3 from Monday (Oct 18) onwards, namely Kelantan, Perak, Penang, Sabah, and Kedah.

Also, from tomorrow onwards, Malacca and the Klang Valley – comprising Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur and Selangor – will transition from Phase 3 to Phase 4, joining Negeri Sembilan, Pahang and Labuan.

There is need for a word of caution in  the full re-opening of the country during the Covid-19 pandemic, and as expressed by the medical specialist whom I am in correspondence, who  said:

“We hear daily of ‘living with the virus’. The virus is endemic and we will never have ‘zero covid’. All those statements are correct. BUT have we prepared adequately for ‘living with covid’.

“There are many countries that have now done that. The best examples are the Scandinavian countries like Norway, Denmark, Sweden, also Germany and Ireland. After one week of ‘normal’ living, their numbers are still low and deaths are zero.

“BUT they do have a high vaccination rate (about 80-90% to start ) and their population is obviously more educated with a higher degree of social and societal consciousness.

“To open up and live with Covid must also mean that our vulnerables are fully vaccinated and protected, and that out hospitals have enough beds and ICU beds. A quick check shows that our ICU are at 63% capacity.”

With regard interstate travel for the fully vaccinated, he asked:

“This good for commerce, and also good as a litmus test to see if we are ready for ‘living with the virus’?

“In about 7 days, will we see a surge in Covid cases? And in about 10 days’ time, Covid deaths? With all the ‘holiday spirits’, mask and physical distancing is forgotten. Let us see what happens end October!”

It is a matter of concern that Malaysia has not been able to reduce the daily new Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 deaths as compared to other countries like  Indonesia and India

Yesterday, Malaysia recorded 7,509 new Covid-19 cases and 88 Covid-19 deaths, again losing out to Indonesia in both categories for 12 consecutive days. Indonesia yesterday recorded 997 Covid-19 cases and 44 Covid-19 deaths.

We are even losing out in the  rate of reduction of daily new Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 deaths than India, which reported yesterday 14,051 new Covid-19 cases and 146 Covid-19 deaths.

India had staged a phenomenal reduction of Covid-19 cases and deaths, when  five months ago on May 6, it reached a daily peak of 414, 433 Covid-19 cases and on May 23, it reached a daily peak of 5,015 Covid-19 deaths.

Yesterday, India reduced its daily new cases to just 4% of its daily peak and daily peak of Covid-19 deaths to 3% when India recorded 14,051 new Covid-19 cases and 146 Covid-19 deaths yesterday.

The Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, must devise a  new policy and strategy to bring about a faster reduction of daily new Covid-19 cases and Covid-19  deaths.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Sunday, 17th October 2021)

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Ismail Sabri’s comment on the Pandora Papers shows that he does not fully understand the responsibilities of a  Prime Minister of Malaysia

The Prime Minsiter, Ismail Sabri Yaakob said yesterday that that his government will not  interfere in any investigation against individuals whose name were implicated in the Pandora Papers document leak.

His comments show that Ismail Sabri does not fully understand the responsibilities of a Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Malaysia together with other nations and the international financial community have a responsibility to Malaysians and the world to   leverage on the expose of more than 11.9 million confidential files bv the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) to institute national and international reforms against a system of  financial secrecy which could  bend and break the rule of law in Malaysia and the world.

A 2020 study by the Paris-based Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development reported that at least US$11.3 trillion is held “offshore”, and because of the complexity and secrecy of the offshore system, it is not possible to know how much of the wealth is tied to tax evasion and other crimes and how much of it involves funds that come from legitimate sources and have been reported to proper authorities.

The Pandora Papers have cast a spotlight on how deeply secretive finance have infiltrated global politics and  why governments and global organisations should find ways to the address the problem of  offshore financial abuses.

There are two additional reasons why Malaysia cannot ignore the Pandora Papers.

Firstly, according to latest  10-year report of the Washington-based think tank Global Financial Integrity (GFI), Malaysia ranked third among 147 countries for illicit financial flows – Malaysia lost between US$22.9 billion (RM94.22 billion) and US$33.7 billion (RM138.55 billion) in illicit outflows from 2006 – 2015.

Secondly, unlike the Panama Papers which the ICIJ revealed in  April 2016 exposing financial chicanery and political corruption, Malaysia is specifically highlighted in the Pandora Papers   in particular how a now-fugitive financier, Jho Low, embezzled more than US$4.5 billion in the notorious 1MDB scandal  – described by  the US Attorney-General at the time as “kleptocracy at its worst”.

The Ismail Sabri Cabinet should take a pro-active action on the Pandora Papers, both to investigate the  Malaysians mentioned in them but also what can be done to  end offshore financial abuses.

The Cabinet should direct the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaffar to move a motion for the setting up of a parliamentary special select committee to investigate  the Pandora Papers involving Malaysians and how to end offshore financial abuses.

There should also be  a motion on the first day of Parliament on Oct. 25 to amend the Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders  to allow the  parliamentary select  committee to conduct public hearings.

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Sunday, 17th October 2012)

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Ismail Sabri is wrong if he thinks he is doing a favour to  his former party leader and former Prime Minister, Najib Razak, by adopting an inert instead of a proactive  position on investigations into the Pandora Papers

(Versi BM)

The Prime Minister, Ismail Sabri is wrong if he thinks he is doing a favour to his former party leader and former Prime Minister, Najib Razak by adopting an inert instead of a proactive position on investigations into the Pandora Paper with regard to offshare financial abuses.

One of the personalities highlighted in the Pandora Papers is Najib’s adviser on 1MDB when Najib was the Prime Minister – Jho Low, a fugitive financier who masterminded the 1MBD scandal and wanted by Malaysia, Singapore and the United States.

Najib has claimed innocence in the 1MDB scandal, which the United States Attorney-General Jeff Sessions had described as “kleptocracy at its worst”.

If Najib is completely innocent of the 1MDB scandal – despite the fact that he was described in the US Department of Justice’s kleptocratic litigation in 2016 as “Malaysian Official 1” – wouldn’t Najib welcome an investigation into the Pandora Papers where Najib has a forum to prove his innocence in the 1MDB scandal?

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Monday, 18th October 2021)

Ismail Sabri tersilap sekiranya beliau fikir beliau sedang menolong mantan pemimpin parti dan mantan Perdana Menteri, Najib Razak, dengan tidak mengambil pendirian yang proaktif mengenai siasatan Kertas Pandora

Perdana Menteri, Ismail Sabri, tersilap sekiranya beliau fikir beliau sedang menolong mantan pemimpin parti dan mantan Perdana Menteri, Najib Razak, dengan tidak mengambil pendirian yang proaktif terhadap siasatan Kertas Pandora mengenai penyalahgunaan sistem kewangan di luar pesisir.

Salah seorang individu yang dikenalpasti dalam Kertas Pandora ini adalah penasihat Najib mengenai 1MDB semasa Najib menjadi Perdana Menteri — Jho Low, seorang pemodal yang diburu polis yang merupakan orang di sebalik skandal 1MDB dan kini dikehendaki di Malaysia, Singapura, dan Amerika Syarikat.

Najib mendakwa bahawa beliau tidak bersalah dengan skandal 1MDB ini, yang digambarkan oleh Ketua Pendakwa Raya Amerika Syarikat, Jeff Sessions, sebagai sebuah “kleptokrasi terburuk”.

Sekiranya Najib benar-benar tidak bersalah dengan skandal 1MDB ini — walaupun beliau telah dinyatakan sebagai “Malaysian Official 1” dalam kertas litigasi Jabatan Kehakiman Amerika Syarikat pada tahun 2016 — bukankah Najib sepatutnya mengalu-alukan siasatan Kertas Pandora ini di mana Najib akan berpeluang untuk membuktikan yang beliau tak bersalah dengan skandal 1MDB ini?

(Kenyataan Media (2) oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri, Lim Kit Siang di Gelang Patah pada hari Isnin, 18 Oktober 2021)

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Malaysia has  moved from the world’s  Top Three to Top 12 countries in daily Covid-19 deaths on the first 50 Days of Khairy as Health Minister and he must improve further in  the first Hundred Days on Dec. 7

Yesterday, Malaysia recorded 6,145 new Covid-19 cases and 63 Covid-19 deaths – bringing the respective cumulative total of 2,390,687 Covid-19 cases and 27,921 Covid-19 deaths.

The number of fresh infections and Covid-19 deaths were the lowest in 106 days since July 4.

Today is the mid-mark of Khairy’s first hundred days.

We have moved from the world’s  Top Three to Top 12 countries in the world in daily Covid-19 deaths on the first 50 Days of Khairy as Health Minister and he must improve further in  the first Hundred Days on Dec. 7, 2021.

In terms of Covid-19 deaths per million of population, Malaysia is still the highest in ASEAN and Asia. We are ranked No. 20 among countries in the world with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases, and apartg from Ukraine, which is ranked No. 19, beat all the other 18 countries in “Covid-19 deaths per million population”  including the United States, India, Russia and Brazil.

If on Khairy’s first 50 days, Malaysia could only go back to July 4 of the Covid-19 pandemic, on Khairy’s first 100 days on December 7, can Malaysia get back to January 11 when emergency was declared to combat the Covid-19 pandemic or  will it have to be 2022 with Malaysia suffering “one wasted year”?

On January 11, 2021, Malaysia had daily 2,232 new Covid cases and four Covid-19 deaths.

Can we fall back to this position by the end of this year?

When emergency was declared in Malaysia in January 2021, there were about two million Covid-19 deaths and headed by (worldometer for 13.1.2021):

United States – 389,599

Brazil –               204,726

India –                151,564

Mexico –            134,368

UK-                    83,203

Italy –                  79, 819

France –              68,802

Russia –              62,804

Iran –                   56,360

Spain –                52,683

Colombia    –       46,782

Argentina   –        44,848

Germany –           43,203

Malaysia                 559

We ranked about a hundredth among nations for daily deaths when the Emergency was declared on January 11, but we reached the top Three before dropping to among  the Top 12 nations  – with France and Germany now recording single-digit daily Covid-19 deaths, Spain and Italy recording  low double-digit deaths and UK mid-double-digit deaths.

Daily double-digit or lower triple-digit  new Covid-19 cases and single-digit Covid-19 deaths must be the Malaysian objective which Khairy must strive to achieve.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Monday, 18th October 2021)

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Let Ismail Sabri present a report on his First Hundred Days as Prime Minister on Nov. 28 on Human Rights in Malaysia

Today is the 60th Day of Ismail Sabri as Prime Minister of Malaysia since he was sworn in by the Yang di Pertuan Agong on August 21, 2021.

On Ismail’s 55th Day as Prime Minister, Malaysia was voted in for a seat in the United Nations (UN)  Human Rights Council (HRC).

On Ismail’s 59th Day, cosmetic entrepreneur Nur Sajat confirmed that she has permanently left for Australia, citing that she did not feel safe in Malaysia amid a syariah court case against her for “dressing as a woman” at a religious event three years ago.

What a contrast for  human rights in  Malaysia!

As International Commission of Jurist member and former Bar Council President Ambiga Sreenevasan had pointed out, Malaysia’s third stint on the United Nations Human Rights Council  is not an endorsement of the country’s human rights record.

As a country’s existing human rights record is not a determinant for candidacy, it is misplaced for Ismail to claim that “Malaysia’s success in taking a seat in the UN Human Rights Council is a great achievement and recognition on the status of human rights”.

As Ismail promised to work closely with the UN Member States to advance the global human rights agenda, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Right, let him present a report on his First Hundred Days  as Prime Minister on Nov. 28 on Human Rights.

He should  start by stating the present human rights position of the fundamental rights stated in nine articles from Article 5 to 13  in Part Two of the Malaysian Constitution, and how his administration proposes to keep human rights “at the centre of our efforts” for a “sustained and inclusive recovery post-Covid-19”.

It is only then that his administration’s advocacy of human rights can monitored, both at home and internationally.

The  past two year were the country’s worst years for human rights in the past six decades – where extremist and intolerant race and religious rhetoric reigned supreme.

The fundamental nation-building principle of Rukun Negara of Malaysia as a united plural nation and “unity in diversity”  were virtually forgotten and abandoned  and first thing that must be done in the Ismail Sabri premiership  is restore the primacy and pre-eminence of Rukun Negara in the schools, universities, the public service and all aspects of Malaysian life.

Is Ismail Sabri prepared to commit his administration to these goals of “unity in diversity”?

In the first Hundred Days Report  on Human Rights by Ismail Sabri, let him state what are the international covenants and conventions which his government proposes to ratify.

There are many outstanding human rights issues that must be addressed by the Ismail Sabri government by  declaring what action it would take to resolve them, like  the deaths of  Teoh Beng Hock and Altantunya Shaariibuu, the disappearances of Pastor Koh and social activist Amri Che Mat and the failure to return to Indira Gandhi her daughter for 12 long years.

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for  Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Tuesday, 19th October 2021)

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 19 October 2021, 10:09 am and is filed under
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The “agony and ecstasy” in daily tracking  Malaysia’s  longest  Covid-19 wave   in the world since September last year

In daily tracking Malaysia’s longest Covid-19 wave in the world since September last year, one suffers from both “agony and ecstasy”.

For instance, there is “ecstasy” when Malaysia recorded a daily drop of the thousand numeral in  daily new Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 deaths in the last three days, as 7,509 new Covid-19 cases and 89 Covid-19 deaths on Oct. 16, 6,145 new Covid-19 cases and 63 Covid-19 deaths on Oct. 17 and 5,434 new Covid-19 cases and 72 Covid-19 deaths on Oct. 18.

If Malaysia drops a thousand numeral a day in daily new Covid-19 cases,  we will on Thursday be near the January 11 figure when emergency was declared to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, when we recorded a daily 2,232 new Covid-19 cases and four Covid-19 deaths.

In such circumstances, we can look forward to daily triple-digit new Covid-19 cases by next week.

But will such a situation eventuate?

The “agony” comes from comparing Indonesia and India’s figures with Malaysian figures, when Indonesia has more than eight times Malaysia’s population and India has more than 42 times’ Malaysia’s population.

For the last three days, Indonesia had 997 daily  new Covid-19 cases and  44 Covid-19 deaths on Oct. 16, 747 new cases and 19 deaths on Oct. 17 and 626 new cases and 47 deaths on Oct. 18.

The comparison with India also does no credit to Malaysia’s health system, as in last three days, India had 14,051 new cases and 146 deaths on Oct. 16, 14,280 new cases and 165 deaths on Oct. 17, and 12,242 cases and 164 deaths on Oct. 18.

It is an Achilles’ heel in Malaysia’s  war against the Covid-19 pandemic  that the “all-of-nation” strategy and approach has not yet been fully implemented in the ground, and the reason why Pakatan Harapan’s health committee has urged the Health Ministry to set a clear rollout strategy for Covid-19 vaccine booster shots.

The PH health committee said the booster rollout needs to be properly planned, specific, and well-coordinated among all stakeholders including private general practitioners (GPs) who are tasked to handle booster shots for frontliners and senior citizens.

The committee’s echoing of the  Malaysian Medical Association (MMA)’s concerns that the GPs  had not been engaged by state health departments on the rollout of the booster programme should be immediately addressed.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Tuesday, October 19, 2021)

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 19 October 2021, 7:33 am and is filed under
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Malaysia passed two grim milestones in Covid-19 pandemic yesterday –  cumulative totals of 2.4 million Covid-19 cases and 28,000 Covid-19 deaths

(Versi BM)

Malaysia passed two grim milestones in Covid-19 pandemic yesterday – cumulative totals of 2.4 million Covid-19 cases and 28,000 Covid-19 deaths yesterday when we recorded daily 5,745 new Covid-19 cases and 69 Covid-19 deaths.

The cumulative totals for Covid-19 cases and deaths in Malaysia are now 2,401,866 cases and 28,062 deaths respectively.

My “ecstasy” yesterday that Malaysia could reduce new Covid-19 cases by dropping a thousand numeral a day in daily new Covid-19 cases, as happened on Oct. 16 with 7,509 new Covid-19 cases, Oct. 17 with 6,145 new Covid-19 cases and Oct. 18 with 5,434 new Covid-19 cases was dashed when Malaysia recorded 5,745 new Covid-19 cases on Oct. 19, 2021.

This was replaced by the “agony” and the prospect that it is going to be quite a while before Malaysia can reduce daily new Covid-19 cases to three-digit and then double-digit numbers.

It is ironical and shocking that when we declared an Emergency to combat Covid-19 pandemic on January 11, 2021, there were a cumulative total of 138,224 Covid-19 cases and 555 Covid-19 deaths.

When the National Recovery Plan was announced on June 15, 2021, the cumulative total of Covid-19 cases have increased to 667,876 cases and Covid-19 deaths increased to 6,613 deaths.

Now, with cumulative totals of over 2.4 million Covid-19 cases and over 28,000 Covid-19 deaths, all states are in the process of fully re-opening as they are now in Phase 3 (Kelantan, Perak, Penang, Sabah, Kedah, Perlis, Terengganu, Sarawak, Johor) or the final Phase 4 (Malacca, Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Pahang, Negri Sembilan, Labuan) of the National Recovery Plan although the country is recording over new 5,000 Covid-19 cases daily and in high double-digit fatality figures daily.

At the present rate of infection, it seems to be tall order for the new Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, to achieve by his first hundred days on Dec. 7 the targets of ensuring that the cumulative totals of Covid-19 cases and deaths do not reach three million cases and 30,000 deaths respectively.

Malaysia has wasted almost one year in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, 20th October 2021)

Malaysia melepasi dua 2.4 juta kes terkumpul dan 28,000 kematian terkumpul akibat Covid-19 semalam

Malaysia melepasi dua 2.4 juta kes terkumpul dan 28,000 kematian terkumpul akibat Covid-19 semalam apabila kita mencatatkan sejumlah 5,745 kes dan 69 kematian akibat Covid-19.

Jumlah kes terkumpul untuk Malaysia kini adalah 2,401,866 kes dan 28,062 kematian akibat Covid-19.

“Kegembiraan” saya semalam dengan negara kita mencatatkan penurunan seribu angka sehari dari jumlah kes baharu, seperti yang berlaku pada 16 Oktober dengan 7,509 kes, disusuli dengan 6,145 kes pada 17 Oktober, dan 5,434 pada 18 Oktober, jelas sekali terlalu awal, apabila negara kita mencatatkan peningkatan kepada 5,745 kes pada 19 Oktober.

Perkara ini digantikan dengan “penderitaan” mengenai kemungkinan yang negara kita bakal mengambil masa yang lama sebelum kita dapat menurunkan kadar kes baharu ini kepada julat tiga angka dan kemudiannya dua angka.

Amat ironi dan mengejutkan semasa kita mengisytiharkan darurat untuk melawan wabak Covid-19 ini pada 11 Januari 2021, kita hanya mencatatkan sejumlah 138,224 kes dan 555 kematian akibat Covid-19.

Semasa Pelan Pemulihan Negara diumumkan pada 15 Jun 2021, jumlah kes terkumpul ini telah meningkat kepada 667,876 kes dan kematian akibat Covid-19 pula meningkat kepada 6,613 kematian.

Kini, dengan lebih daripada 2.4 juta kes dan 28,000 kematian akibat Covid-19, semua negeri berada dalam proses untuk pembukaan semula di dalam Fasa 3 (Kelantan, Perak, Pulau Pinang, Sabah, Kedah, Perlis, Terengganu, Sarawak, Johor) atau berada dalam fasa terakhir, Fasa 4 (Melaka, Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Pahang, Negeri Sembilan, Labuan) Pelan Pemulihan Negara walaupun kita masih mencatatkan lebih daripada 5,000 kes sehari dan kadar kematian dalam julat dua angka tinggi.

Dengan kadar jangkitan sedia ada ini, kelihatan sukar untuk Menteri Kesihatan baharu, Khairy Jamaluddin, untuk mencapai sasaran kes dan kematian terkumpul tidak melepasi paras 3 juta dan 30,000 menjelang 100 hari pertama beliau pada 7 Disember.

Kita telah membazirkan hampir setahun dalam perang melawan wabak Covid-19.

(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri, Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Rabu, 20 Oktober 2021)

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 20 October 2021, 6:32 am and is filed under
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Why was MP Tony Pua’s passport impounded and banned from travel overseas while Najib allowed to travel abroad when convicted?

(Versi BM)

Yesterday, the Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) demanded an explanation as to why the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) did not object to the former prime minister’s application for his travel document despite a corruption conviction and ongoing criminal trials and how the government would ensure Najib would not abscond.

C4’s question is all the more pertinent as Tony Pua, then MP for PJ Utara, was prevented from leaving the country at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2) on July 2, 2015 for Yogyakarta although his passport was valid until April 23, 2020.

C4 has raised a legitimate public interest question which should be answered by the Attorney-General himself if he believes and upholds the rule of law and the principles of good governance on transparency and accountability.

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, 20th October 2021)

Mengapakah pasport Ahli Parlimen Tony Pua disekat dan beliau dihalang daripada ke luar negara sedangkan Najib dibenarkan berjalan ke luar negara selepas didakwa?

Semalam, Pusat Melawan Rasuah dan Kronisme (C4), menuntut penjelasan mengenai mengapa Pejabat Peguam Negara tidak membantah permohonan daripada mantan perdana menteri untuk mendapatkan semula dokumen perjalanan beliau walaupun selepas disabit bersalah dan juga mempunyai perbicaraan yang sedang berlangsung, serta bagaimanakah kerajaan akan memastikan Najib tidak akan melarikan diri.

Persoalan C4 ini bertambah relevan lagi memandangkan sebelum ini Tony Pua, Ahli Parlimen PJ Utara, dihalang daripada meninggalkan negara di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur 2 (KLIA2) pada 2 Julai 2015 ke Yogyakarta walaupun pasport beliau masih sah sehingga 23 April 2020.

C4 telah membangkitkan persoalan berkepentingan awam yang perlu dijawab oleh Peguam Negara sendiri sekiranya beliau berpegang dan percaya kepada prinsip kedaulatan undang-undang serta prinsip-prinsip tadbir urus yang baik mengenai ketelusan dan kebertanggungjawaban.

(Kenyataan Media (2) oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri, Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Rabu, 20 Oktober 2021)

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Khairy should make a Ministerial statement on the first day of the 2022 Budget meeting of Parliament on Monday  why Malaysia has more Covid-19 deaths than any other ASEAN country since he became Health Minister 51 days ago

(Versi BM)

I have made numerous calls on Khairy Jamaluddin since he was sworn in as the new Health Minister on August 30 to explain the high Covid-19 fatality rate in Malaysia but he has failed to do so.

I am again calling on Khairy to make a Ministerial statement on the first day of the 2022 Budget meeting of Parliament on Monday, 25th October as to why Malaysia has more Covid-19 deaths than any other ASEAN nation since he became Health Minister 51 days ago.

Yesterday, Malaysia recorded 5,516 new Covid-19 cases and 76 Covid-19 deaths and for the first time, Malaysia beat all ASEAN nations with the most daily Covid-19 deaths – as Indonesia had 28 Covid-19 deaths, Myanmar 28, Vietnam 72, Thailand 26 and Philippines the astounding single-digit of five Covid-19 deaths.

In the 51 days since Khairy was sworn in as Health Minister by the Yang di Pertuan Agong on August 30, Malaysia leads ASEAN in having the most number of 11,756 Covid-19 deaths, as compared to Indonesia (10,586), Philippines (7,647), Thailand (7,087), Vietnam (10,352), Myanmar (3,157), Cambodia (801) Singapore (191), Brunei (68) and Laos (33).

In fact, Malaysia is performing atrociously in handling the Covid-19 pandemic in the last 51 days as compared to India, which was more than 42 times the population of Malaysia, which recorded 14,252 Covid-19 deaths as compared to Malaysia’s 11,756 Covid-19 deaths since August 30.

Most unbelievably, Malaysia has lost out to larger Asian countries during the last 51 days like South Korea (414 Covid-19 deaths), Japan (2,200) and China (zero deaths).

Khairy owes to all Malaysians a full explanation for the high Covid-19 fatality rates 51 days after he became Health Minister and when he expects to reduce the daily Covid-19 death numbers to single-digit figures.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, 21st October 2021)

Khairy perlu membuat Kenyataan Menteri pada hari pertama sidang Belanjawan 2022 pada hari Isnin yang akan datang menjelaskan mengapa Malaysia mencatatkan lebih banyak kematian akibat Covid-19 berbanding mana-mana negara ASEAN sejak beliau menjadi Menteri Kesihatan 51 hari yang lepas

Saya telah menyeru berkali-kali kepada Khairy Jamaluddin sejak beliau angkat sumpah sebagai Menteri Kesihatan yang baru pada 30 Ogos untuk menjelaskan kadar kematian akibat Covid-19 yang tinggi di Malaysia, tetapi beliau masih gagal berbuat demikian.

Sekali lagi, saya menyeru Khairy untuk membuat Kenyataan Menteri pada hari pertama sidang Belanjawan 2022 pada hari Isnin, 25 Oktober 2021 yang akan datang menjelaskan mengapa Malaysia mencatatkan lebih banyak kematian akibat Covid-19 berbanding mana-mana negara ASEAN sejak beliau menjadi Menteri Kesihatan 51 hari yang lepas.

Semalam, Malaysia mencatatkan 5,516 kes baharu dan 76 kematian akibat Covid-19, dan buat pertama kalinya kita mengalahkan semua negara ASEAN dengan lebih banyak kematian baharu akibat Covid-19 — Indonesia mencatatkan 28 kematian, Myanmar 28, Vietnam 72, Thailand 26, dan Filipina yang mencatatkan hanya lima kematian akibat Covid-19.

Dalam 51 hari selepas Khairy mengangkat sumpah sebagai Menteri Kesihatan di hadapan Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di Pertuan Agong pada 30 Ogos, Malaysia terus mendahului negara-negara ASEAN dengan mencatatkan kadar kematian akibat Covid-19 tertinggi, 11,756 kematian, berbanding dengan 10,586 kematian di Indonesia, 7,647 di Filipina, 7,087 di Thailand, 10,352 di Vietnam, 3,157 di Myanmar, 801 di Kemboja, 191 di Singapura, 68 di Brunei, dan 33 kematian di Laos.

Malah, rekod Malaysia dalam 51 hari yang lepas juga agak buruk jika dibandingkan dengan India, yang mempunyai 42 kali ganda lebih ramai penduduk berbanding Malaysia, yang mencatatkan hanya 14,252 kematian akibat Covid-19, berbanding dengan 11,756 di Malaysia untuk tempoh daripada 30 Ogos.

Apa yang lebih sukar diterima adalah apabila Malaysia juga kalah dengan negara-negara Asia yang lebih besar dalam 51 hari yang lepas, seperti Korea Selatan yang mencatatkan 414 kematian Covid-19, Jepun dengan 2,200 kematian dan China dengan sifar kematian.

Khairy perlu menjelaskan perkara ini kepada semua rakyat Malaysia dan juga menyatakan bilakah beliau menjangkakan dapat menurunkan kadar kematian harian ini ke julat satu angka.

(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri, Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Khamis, 21 Oktober 2021)

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Malacca General Election a double test of Malaysia’s resilience as a democracy  and  the integrity of political parties

The Malacca General Election is a double test of Malaysia’s resilience as a democracy and the consistency and integrity of political parties.

A new political landscape is struggling to be born and that is why what is unheard-of in Malaysian politics, such as the confidence-supply-reform (CSR) memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between the Prime Minister Ismail Sabri and the four Pakatan Harapan leaders, Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Guan Eng, Mohamad Sabu and Wilfred Madius Tangau on Sept. 13 has happened.

Malaysian political parties and Malaysians are still struggling to find an equilibrium in this new political landscape and this will take some time – months may be years.

For instance, the nation’s founding fathers never envisaged a political scenario where no one political party can exercise political hegemony or even command a majority of the seats in Parliament to form a government, and Malaysia may be entering an era where political parties must learn to co-operate with each other for the nation’s sake as no single party can command a majority in Parliament.

This calls for a genuine coalition form of politics, not the so-called coalition government which had been seen in Malaysia in the first six decades of nationhood, requiring a new set of thinking and conception of what is politically acceptable and achievable in multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural Malaysia.

The Malacca state general election will have far-reaching implications not only for the state but also for the nation.

The Malacca general election should not be held, as the worry of Malaccans and Malaysians whether Malacca general election could spark a fourth wave of the

Covid-19 pandemic, as happened with the Sabah state general election in September last year causing the longest Covid-19 wave in the world and which had not been surmounted, is most pertinent and legitimate.

However, if general election in Malacca is unavoidable, it must be a clean and honest general election, which will be a credit to the four great civilisations which meet in Malaysia in confluence.

It has been said that to achieve victory in Malacca, we must tactically join with anyone that can give Pakatan Harapan victory.

If given the choice of victory by teaming with kleptocrats, opportunists and crooks or defeat by being consistent with political principles and integrity, I will opt for the latter.

It is for this reason that I am of the view that the four former State Assemblymen who had caused the Malacca state general election should not be fielded as Pakatan Harapan candidates in the Malacca state general election .

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, 21t October 2021)

Pilihan Raya Negeri Melaka menjadi ujian terhadap ketahanan Malaysia sebagai sebuah demokrasi dan juga ujian terhadap integriti parti-parti politik

Pilihan Raya Negeri Melaka akan menjadi ujian terhadap ketahanan Malaysia sebagai sebuah demokrasi dan juga ujian terhadap integriti parti-parti politik.

Landskap politik baharu sedang bergelut untuk dilahirkan dan kerana itulah satu perkara yang belum didengari dalam arena politik negara kita sebelum ini, memorandum persefahaman kepercayaan-perbekalan-reformasi telah ditandatangani di antara Perdana Menteri Ismail Sabri dan empat orang pemimpin Pakatan Harapan, Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Guan Eng, Mohamad Sabu, dan Wilfred Madius Tangau pada 13 September.

Parti-parti politik dan rakyat Malaysia masih bergelut untuk mencari titik pertengahan dalam landskap politik baharu ini dan perkara ini akan mengambil masa yang lama — mungkin berbulan atau bertahun lamanya.

Misalnya, tokoh-tokoh penubuhan negara kita tidak pernah membayangkan situasi di mana tidak ada satu pun parti politik yang boleh mempunyai hegemoni politik, mahupun situasi di mana tidak ada satu pun parti yang mempunyai majoriti di Parlimen untuk membentuk kerajaan. Negara kita mungkin sedang memasuki era di mana parti-parti politik perlu bekerja sama antara satu sama lain demi negara apabila tidak ada mana-mana parti dapat mencapai majoriti di Parlimen.

Perkara ini memerlukan satu bentuk pembentukan gabungan politik yang jujur, bukannya kerajaan gabungan yang dilihat dalam enam dekad sebelum ini, di mana pemikiran baharu diperlukan untuk menentukan apakah yang boleh dan tidak boleh diterima dan dicapai dalam masyarakat berbilang kaum, berbilang bahasa, berbilang agama, dan berbilang budaya.

Pilihan Raya Negeri Melaka ini akan mempunyai kesan yang lebih meluas, bukan sahaja untuk negeri itu sendiri, tetapi juga untuk negara.

PRN Melaka ini tidak sepatutnya diadakan, kerisauan dan kebimbangan penduduk di Melaka dan rakyat Malaysia yang PRN ini mungkin akan menyebabkan berlakunya gelombang penularan keempat seperti yang berlaku selepas PRN Sabah pada bulan September tahun lepas adalah satu kebimbangan yang perlu diambil berat.

Tetapi, sekiranya pilihan raya di Melaka ini tidak dapat dielakkan, ia perlulah dijalankan secara bersih dan jujur, yang akan menjadi bukti kejayaan pertemuan empat tamadun hebat dunia di Malaysia.

Ada dikatakan yang untuk mencapai kemenangan di Melaka, kita perlu bersama secara taktikal dengan sesiapa yang boleh membawa kemenangan kepada Pakatan Harapan.

Sekiranya diberikan pilihan di antara untuk bekerjasama dengan kleptokrat, oportunis, dan mereka yang jahat atau kalah dengan berpegang kepada prinsip politik dan integriti, saya memilih pilihan yang kedua.

Atas sebab inilah saya berpendapat bahawa empat mantan Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri yang telah menjadi punca kepada berlakunya pilihan raya negeri Melaka ini tidak patut dicalonkan sebagai calon Pakatan Harapan dalam PRN Melaka.

(Kenyataan Media (2) oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri, Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Khamis, 21 Oktober 2021)

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 21 October 2021, 12:21 pm and is filed under
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Khairy must explain why in the 53 days since he was sworn in as new Heath Minister on August 30, Malaysia had been having more  new Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 deaths than Indonesia?

(Versi BM)

Khairy Jamaluddin must explain why in the 53 days since he was sworn in as new Heath Minister on August 30, Malaysia had been having more daily new Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 deaths than Indonesia?

On August 30, the cumulative total of Covid-19 cases in Malaysia was 1,725,357 cases. Yesterday, it rose by 688,235 cases to 2,413,592 cases.

On August 30, the cumulative total of Covid-19 cases in Indonesia was 4,079,267 cases. Yesterday, it rose by 158,567 cases to 4,237,834 cases.

This means that during the 53 days that Khairy had been Health Minister, Malaysia recorded more than half-a-million more cases than Indonesia?

Has Khairy any explanation?

But this is not confined to new Covid-19 cases, as it is also the case with Covid-19 deaths.

On August 30, the cumulative total of Covid-19 deaths was 16,382 deaths. This increased by 11,852 deaths to yesterday’s cumulative total of Covid-19 deaths of 28,234 deaths.

The cumulative total of Covid-19 deaths in Indonesia on August 30 was 132,491 deaths. This increased by 10,629 deaths to yesterday’s cumulative total of 143,120 deaths.

Khairy must be reminded that it is not good enough to be a better Health Minister than his immediate predecessor, but he must ensure that Malaysia is not the worst performing nation in Covid-19 pandemic in ASEAN region.

It is a matter of concern for all Malaysians that Malaysia has not been able to reduce daily new Covid-19 cases to below 5,000 cases for 19 days since falling to four-digit numbers on Oct. 3, while Indonesia has been chalking up triple-digit daily Covid-19 cases for seven consecutive days.

Yesterday, Malaysia recorded 6,210 new Covid-19 cases and 96 Covid-19 deaths (including 21 Brought-in-Dead) while Indonesia recorded 633 new Covid-19 cases and 43 deaths – one tenth of Malaysia’s daily new Covid-19 cases and 45% of Malaysia’s daily Covid-19 deaths when Indonesia’s population is more than eight times that of Malaysia!

Is Malaysia’s public health system so bad and pathetic as compared to that of Indonesia? Has Khairy no explanation?

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, October 22, 2021)

Khairy perlu menjelaskan mengapa dalam tempoh 53 hari sejak beliau mengangkat sumpah sebagai Menteri Kesihatan yang baharu pada 30 Ogos, Malaysia mempunyai jumlah jangkitan dan korban Covid-19 lebih tinggi berbanding Indonesia?

Khairy Jamaluddin perlu menjelaskan mengapa dalam 53 hari sejak beliau mengangkat sumpah sebagai Menteri Kesihatan yang baharu pada 30 Ogos, Malaysia mempunyai jumlah jangkitan dan korban Covid-19 lebih tinggi berbanding Indonesia?

Pada 30 Ogos, jumlah keseluruhan kes Covid-19 di Malaysia adalah sebanyak 1,725,357. Semalam, angka itu meningkat sebanyak 688,235 kes kepada 2,413,592 kes.

Pada 30 Ogos, jumlah keseluruhan kes Covid-19 di Indonesia pula adalah sebanyak 4,079,267 kes. Semalam, angka itu meningkat sebanyak 158,567 kes kepada 4,237,832 kes.

Ini bermakna sepanjang 53 hari Khairy menjadi Menteri Kesihatan, Malaysia merekodkan lebih setengah juta kes lebih banyak berbanding Indonesia?

Adakah Khairy mempunyai penjelasan mengenai perkara ini?

Namun, masalah ini bukan sahaja membabitkan kes baharu Covid-19, ia juga membabitkan angka kematian akibat Covid-19.

Pada 30 Ogos, kes kematian terkumpul akibat Covid-19 adalah sebanyak 15,382. Angka ini meningkat sebanyak 11,852 kepada 28,234 semalam.

Jumlah kematian terkumpul akibat Covid-19 di Indonesia pada 30 Ogos adalah sebanyak 132,491. Ia meningkat sebanyak 10,629 kepada 143,120 semalam.

Khairy harus diingatkan bahawa tidak cukup hanya sekadar menjadi menteri Kesihatan yang lebih baik berbanding pendahulunya, namun beliau juga perlu memastikan Malaysia tidak menunjukkan prestasi terburuk dalam menguruskan wabak Covid-19 di rantau ASEAN.

Menjadi kebimbangan semua rakyat Malaysia bahawa negara kita masih tidak mampu untuk menurunkan jumlah kes harian baharu Covid-19 ke bawah paras 5,000 untuk tempoh 19 hari sejak angka kes menurun ke paras julat empat angka pada 3 Oktober, sementara Indonesia telah mencatatkan jumlah kes harian baharu Covid-19 pada paras julat tiga selama tujuh hari berturut-turut.

Semalam, Malaysia merekodkan 6,210 kes baharu Covid-19 dengan 96 kematian (termasuk 21 kematian di luar facility (BID)) sementara Indonesia merekodkan 633 kes baharu Covid-19 dengan 42 kematian — satu pertiga kes baharu Covid-19 di Malaysia dan 45% daripada kematian harian baharu akibat Covid-19 di Malaysia, sedangkan jumlah penduduk Indonesia adalah lapan ganda lebih ramai berbanding Malaysia!

Adakah sistem kesihatan awam Malaysia begitu teruk dan menyedihkan jika dibandingkan dengan Indonesia? Adakah Khairy tidak mempunyai sebarang penjelasan mengenai perkara ini?

(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri, Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Jumaat, 22 Oktober 2021)

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Pakatan Harapan must not  lose the moral high ground to allow  three of the “immoral Malacca quartet” to stand as Pakatan Harapan candidates in the Malacca state general election

(Versi BM)

For nearly two years, ever since the Sheraton Move conspiracy which toppled a democratically elected Pakatan Harapan government and snatched away the people’s mandate for the first time in Malaysian history, ushering in a backdoor, undemocratic and illegitimate government at the end of February 2020, a pall of immorality had been cast over Malaysian politics.

This is why the Malacca state general election of Nov. 20 has many significance and implications – one of which must be to restore and raise the moral tone of Malaysian politics.

Politics has been wrongly described as “dirty” but it is not politics which is dirty and but dirty politicians who make politics “dirty”.

Politics throughout history is a noble path to serve humanity to take human beings to a higher plane of justice, freedom, equality and humanity. But it has also been debased to serve the selfish interests of kleptocrats, opportunists and crooks to amass wealth and power for their own personal aggrandizement.

This is why I welcome the decision of the Pakatan Harapan presidential council rejecting the overtures of one of the four former Malacca state assemblymen who caused the Malacca state general election on Nov 20.

But I am of the view that the other three former Malacca state assemblymen who constituted “the immoral Malacca quartet” who caused the Malacca state general election should also not become Pakatan Harapan candidates.

It has been said that to achieve victory in Malacca, we must tactically join with anyone that can give Pakatan Harapan victory.

If given the choice of victory by teaming with kleptocrats, opportunists and crooks or defeat by being consistent with political principles and integrity, I will opt for the latter.

Pakatan Harapan must not lose the moral high ground to allow three in the “immoral Malacca quartet” to stand as Pakatan Harapan candidates in the Malacca state general election on Nov. 20, 2021.

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, October 22, 2021)

Pakatan Harapan tidak boleh hilang kedudukan tinggi moral dengan membenarkan tiga orang daripada “empat serangkai Melaka” yang tidak bermoral untuk bertanding sebagai calon PH dalam PRN Melaka yang akan datang

Untuk hampir dua tahun, sejak daripada konspirasi Langkah Sheration yang telah menumbangkan kerajaan Pakatan Harapan yang dipilih secara demokratik dan merampas mandat rakyat buat pertama kali dalam sejarah Malaysia, lalu membawa masuk kerajaan pintu belakang yang tidak sah dan tidak demokratik pada hujung bulan Februari 2020, awan kelam suasana tidak bermoral telah menyelubungi politik tanah air.

Kerana inilah Pilihan Raya Negeri Melaka pada 20 November ini mempunyai banyak kepentingan dan implikasi — salah satunya adalah untuk mengembalikan moral dalam politik di Malaysia.

Politik telah digambarkan secara salah sebagai “kotor”, tetapi sebenarnya bukan politik itu yang kotor, ahli politik yang kotorlah yang mengotorkannya.

Sepanjang sejarah, politik adalah satu jalan mulia untuk berkhidmat demi rakyat untuk membawa peradaban manusia ke era keadilan, kebebasan, kesaksamaan, dan sifat kemanusiaan yang lebih tinggi. Tetapi pada masa yang sama juga, politik juga telah dicemari dengan kepentingan sendiri golongan kleptokrat, oportunis, dan orang jahat yang menggunakan politik untuk mengumpulkan kekayaan dan kekuasaan untuk diri sendiri.

Kerana inilah saya mengalu-alukan keputusan Majlis Presiden Pakatan Harapan untuk menolak sebarang kemungkinan untuk mencalonkan seorang daripada empat orang mantan ADUN Melaka yang telah menyebabkan perlunya diadakan PRN Melaka pada 20 November ini.

Tetapi, saya juga berpendapat bahawa tiga mantan ADUN Melaka yang lain itu juga, yang bersama-sama membentuk “empat serangkai tidak bermoral” dari Melaka ini yang telah menyebabkan tercetusnya PRN Melaka ini juga tidak patut dicalonkan oleh Pakatan Harapan.

Ada yang mengatakan yang untuk mencapai kemenangan di Melaka, kita perlu menyertai mereka yang boleh membawa kemenangan secara taktikal.

Sekiranya diberikan pilihan di antara menang dengan bekerjasama dengan kleptokrat, oportunis, dan orang jahat atau pun kalah kerana berpegang kepada prinsip politik dan berintegriti, saya memilih pilihan yang kedua.

Pakatan Harapan tidak boleh hilang kedudukan tinggi moral kita dengan membenarkan “empat serangkai tidak bermoral” ini untuk bertanding sebagai calon Pakatan Harapan dalam Pilihan Raya Negeri Melaka pada 20 November 2021.

(Kenyataan Media (2) oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri, Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Jumaat, 22 Oktober 2021)

                This entry was posted on Friday, 22 October 2021, 12:18 pm and is filed under
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It is not enough for Khairy to be a better Health Minister than his immediate predecessor, as  he must be the best Health Minister in the history of Malaysia – better than all his 20 predecessors who had helmed the Health Ministry before

I am disturbed by the  persistent high Covid-19 fatality rate in Malaysia.

Yesterday, Malaysia recorded 6,630 new Covid-19 cases and 78 Covid-19 deaths, including 17 Brought-in-Dead (BID) cases.

In contrast, Indonesia recorded  760 new Covid-19 cases (eighth consecutive day where the daily new Covid-19 cases in triple-digit numbers) and 33 deaths – 42% of Malaysia’s death figures although Indonesia  has eight times’ Malaysia’s population.

I congratulate Khairy Jamaluddin as there is no doubt that he has proved that he is a better and more  effective Health Minister than his immediate predecessor, but I want to tell Khairy that this is not good enough as he must prove himself to be the best Health Minister in Malaysia, better than all his 20 predecessors who had helmed the Health Ministry since 1957, namely V.T. Sambanthan, Ong Yoke Lin, Abdul Aziz Ishak, Lim Swee Aun, Abdul Rahman Talib, Bahaman Samsuddin, Ng Kam Poh, Sardon Jubir, Lee Siok Yew, Chong Hong Nyan, Mak Hon Kam, Chan  Siang Sun, Ng Cheng Kiat, Lee Kim Sai, Chua Jui Meng, Chua Soi Lek, Liow Tiong Lai, S. Subramaniam, Dzulkefly Ahmad and Adham Baba.

I am still waiting for Khairy’s long-delayed explanation about Malaysia’s high Covid-19 fatality rates,  the high BID rates and  why Malaysia is the worst-performing nation in ASEAN on Covid-19 fatality rates.

In fact, on both the categories of “total Covid-19 deaths per million population” and  “daily Covid-19 deaths per million population” Malaysia is above the Asian and world averages.

The Asian average for “total Covid-19 deaths per million population” for Oct. 21 is 247.78 and the “daily Covid-19 death per million population” is 22.58, while the world average for “total Covid-19 deaths per million population” is 626.01 and the “daily death per million population” is  58.05.

Malaysia is above both the Asian and the world averages, as Malaysia’s “total Covid-19 deaths per million population” is 861.42 and “daily Covid-19 death per million population”’ is  189.47.

Can Khairy explain these shockingly high  Covid-19 fatality rates in Malaysia, both with regard to total deaths and daily deaths, when Parliament reconvenes for the 2022 Budget on Monday on 25th October?

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

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The best campaign theme for Pakatan Harapan in the Malacca general election  is to ask the Malacca voters to restore the mandate  for PH to  rule Malacca state under Chief Minister Adly Zahari

The best campaign theme for Pakatan Harapan in the Malacca state general election is to ask the Malacca voters to restore the mandate for Pakatan Harapan to rule Malacca state  under Chief Minister, Adly Zahari.

Pakatan Nasional Chief Muhydidin Yassin has announced that PN coalition will likely contest all 28 state seats in the upcoming Malacca polls.

Muhyiddin said he expected  Umno would reject cooperation with his party, and Bersatu is prepared  to face them in two, three, or four-cornered fights.

UMNO president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said UMJNO general assembly  had made a decision never to work with Bersatu and said he  was confident that BN will be able to win the Malacca  state election based on the other side’s “problems” at this time.

We do not know whether all this are  mere posturing by the PN and BN parties, but it is important that come what may,  Pakatan Harapan be  prepared for all eventualities on Nomination Day and the Malacca general election on November 18.

I had not expected Pakatan Harapan to win the Malacca State Government in the 14th General Election, but PH won 15 of the 28 state assembly seats – DAP 8, PKR 3, Bersatu 2 and Amanah 2 and Ädly Zahari became the Malacca Chief Minister in  the 14th general election.

The Malacca general election will not be just a state referendum but it will have many implications for  national politics.

One important issue will be the Prime Minister, Ismail Sabri’s slogan of Keluarga Malaysia.

Will it go the way of the 1Malaysia slogan  which was abandoned after UMNO’s setbacks in the 13th General Election in 2013, or is it going to be a belated realisation that Malaysia had taken the wrong turn in nation-building which must be corrected and rectified if Malaysia is to fulfil Bapa Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman’s aspiration of Malaysia to be a “beacon of light to  a difficult and distracted world”?

In the last six decades of nation-building, we have failed to be “a beacon of light” to Malaysians ourselves, let alone to the world.

Is the  Tunku’s aspiration a lost and hopeless  Malaysian Dream?

It is no exaggeration to say that throughout his political career until he accidentally became Prime Minister,  Ismail Sabri was an antithesis to the Keluarga Malaysia concept he proclaimed  after he became Prime Minister.

Had Ismail Sabri experienced a change-of-heart after he became Prime Minister or will his Keluarga Malaysia slogan go the way of the 1Malaysia slogan of the previous UMNO Prime Minister of Malaysia?

I think multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural Malaysia must give  Ismail Sabri a chance to prove that he is capable of growth and  change and able to subordinate all his other interests to the overriding national interest.

(Media Statement i2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, 23rd Octobrer 2021)

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 23 October 2021, 12:10 pm and is filed under
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CovidNow website says 42 deaths yesterday but worldometer website says 222 deaths  yesterday – can Khairy clarify?

I am confused. CovidNow website says there were 42 Covid-19 deaths including 10 Brought-in-Dead (BID) yesterday  bringing the cumulative total of Covid-19 deaths to 28,354 deaths  but the worldometer website says 222 Covid-19 deaths in Malaysia yesterday, bringing the cumulative total to 28,534 deaths.

Can the Heath Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin clarify?

If CovidNow website is right, then we have the lowest number of daily reported deaths in more than five months as on May 13, we recorded 38 Covid-19 deaths.

Malaysia must strive to cease to be the worst-performing state in ASEAN, which is not easy feat as Indonesia recorded 802 new Covid-19 cases and 23 Covid-19 deaths as against Malaysia’s 5,828 new Covid-19 cases and 40 Covid-19 deaths.

If the Worldometer website is right about 222 Covid-19 deaths yesterday, Khairy must call for a total revamp of the anti-Covid policy and strategy,  for such high Covid-19  death numbers in the eighth week of Khairy as Health Minister only means we are adopting the wrong policy and strategy.

This is also the time to ask when the daily new Covid-19 cases will fall to triple-digit figures and the daily Covid-19 deaths fall to single-digit numbers – on Khairy’s first Hundred Days on Dec. 7, before Dec. 31, 2021 or sometime in 2022.

There is considerable concern among Malaysians about the Covid-19 pandemic not only because of the opening up of the economy  and the upcoming general election in Malacca.

There is need for greater clarity as to what “Living with Covid” means and this is an area which the government should communicate more effectively with the people.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, 24th October 2021)

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DAP proved it is a party for all Malaysians  when  fifty years ago in 1971, it  rejected MCA proposal for DAP dissolution for Chinese Unity as we  are not just Malays, Chinese, Indians, Ibans or Kadazans, we are first and foremost Malaysians

(Versi BM)

I was sent by DAP to fly the DAP flag in Malacca and stood as a candidate for the then Bandar Melaka parliamentary constituency in 1969.

I believed that I had discharged the trust and the mandate of the party to the best of my ability from 1969-1986 when I was for three terms MP for Bandar (and then Kota) Melaka and Malacca State Assemblyman.

In my years as elected representative of Malacca, I had raised in Parliament the grievances and legitimate expectations of all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region – whether the economic, political, social and cultural expectations of the Chinese in Malaysia, the plight of the padi farmers and the Felda settlers, the impoverishment of the estate labourers, the grievances of the Orang Asli or the legitimate grievances of the Sarawakians and Sabahans.

I remember that although the thought of becoming a Minister at the age of 30 was tempting, I had no hesitation in rejecting the MCA proposal from the then MCA President, Tun Tan Siew Sin for DAP’s dissolution and join MCA for Chinese Unity as we are not just Malays, Chinese, Indians, Ibans or Kadazans, we are first and foremost Malaysians.

After the 1986 general election, where I campaigned in Penang to be the front-line state for change and a better Malaysia, Lim Guan Eng took over as the MP for Kota Melaka.

He continued the DAP battle for all Malaysians, and went to jail and was disqualified as a Member of Parliament for fighting the cause of an underaged Malay girl – for DAP is committed to the well-being and welfare of all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region.

This is the first time, and remain the only case, of a political leader going to jail and sacrificing his MPship for championing the cause of a Malaysian involving another race.

That we are first and foremost Malaysians, and not just Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Ibans or Orang Asli, must remain at the very core in the battle for the Malacca state general election on Nov 20, 2021 which is being forced on the Malacca voters in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Malacca state general election on Nov. 20 is a forerunner to the 15th General Election which must be held less than 19 months away by May 2023.

DAP Malacca workers in the Malacca general election must always work not for Malacca alone, but for a better Malaysia.

We do not know what is in store in the 15th General Election.

The 14th General Election had been a game-changer.

Who would have expected the invincible and the unbeatable UMNO to be toppled in the 14th General Election in 2018, giving way to a Pakatan Harapan government?

Malaysians expected a lot of changes with the establishment of the Pakatan Harapan government, but they were disappointed when the Pakatan Harapan government was toppled by the Sheraton Move conspiracy which ushered in a backdoor, undemocratic and illegitimate government – one followed by another in the last two years.

The Pakatan Harapan government was slow in the start, and before it could initiate many changes, it was toppled in 22 months by the Sheraton Move conspiracy. The Pakatan Harapan government thought it had five years to fulfil the Pakatan Harapan election pledges but it was toppled before it could develop the momentum for wide-ranging reforms and changes.

But the Pakatan Harapan government did make mistakes and the Malacca state general election is an opportunity for a review of these mistakes.

All Pakatan Harapan leaders and workers must remain humble and modest in the election campaign to restore confidence and hope for a Malaysia which, in the words of Bapa Malaysia,Tunku Abdul Rahman could be a “beacon of light to a difficult and distracted world” – which sums up the Malaysian Dream of all Malaysians.

(Speech by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang at the launch of the DAP Malacca General Election Machinery at DAP Malacca headquarters on Sunday, 24th May 2021 at 5 pm)

DAP telah membuktikan bahawa ia adalah parti untuk semua rakyat Malaysia semasa 50 tahun lalu pada 1971, ia telah menolak cadangan MCA supaya DAP dibubarkan untuk membentuk perpaduan orang Cina kerana kita bukan sahaja orang Melayu, Cina, India, Iban atau Kadazan, kita pertama dan terutamanya adalah rakyat Malaysia

Saya dihantar oleh DAP untuk mengibarkan panji DAP di Melaka dan dipilih sebagai calon untuk kawasan Parlimen Bandar Melaka pada 1969.

Saya yakin saya telah memanfaatkan dengan sehabis baik baik kepercayaan dan mandat yang telah diberikan oleh parti dari 1969 hingga 1986 semasa saya menjadi Ahli Parlimen Bandar (Dulu Kota) Melaka selama tiga penggal dan Adun Melaka.

Semasa saya dilantik sebagai wakil rakyat di Melaka, saya telah membangkitkan keresahan dan harapan semua rakyat Malaysia tanpa mengira kaum, agama atau wilayah di Parlimen — sama ada soal ekonomi, politik, sosial dan harapan berkaitan soal budaya yang dibangkitkan kaum Cina di Malaysia, masalah yang dihadapi pesawah dan peneroka Felda, pemiskinan (tanah) pekerja estet, ketidakpuasan hati orang Asli malah penduduk Sabah dan Sarawak.

Saya masih ingat; meskipun idea untuk menjadi seorang Menteri pada usia 30 tahun amat menggiurkan, saya tidak teragak-agak untuk menolak cadangan MCA menerusi mantan presidennya, Tun Tan Siew Sin untuk DAP dibubarkan dan kemudiannya menyertai MCA bagi membentuk perpaduan kaum Cina kerana kita bukan sahaja orang Melayu, Cina, India, Iban atau Kadazan, kita pertamanya dan terutamanya adalah rakyat Malaysia.

Selepas Pilihan Raya Umum 1986, di mana saya berkempen di Pulau Pinang untuk menjadi negeri itu sebagai pertama dalam membuat perubahan dan membentuk Malaysia yang lebih baik, Lim Guan Eng mengambil alih kerusi Parlimen Kota Melaka.

Beliau meneruskan perjuangan DAP untuk semua rakyat Malaysia, sehingga diheret ke tirai besi dan dilucutkan jawatan sebagai Ahli Parlimen kerana memperjuangkan hak seorang gadis Melayu bawah umur — kerana DAP komited terhadap kesejahteraan dan kebajikan semua rakyat Malaysia tanpa mengira kaum, agama atau kawasan.

Ini kali pertama, dan kekal menjadi satu-satunya kes, di mana seorang pemimpin politik dipenjarakan dan mengorbankan pangkat Ahli Parlimennya untuk menjuarai isu rakyat Malaysia yang membabitkan kaum lain.

Kita pertamanya dan terumanya adalah rakyat Malaysia, bukan sahaja orang Melayu, Cina, India, Kadazan, Iban atau Orang Asli — prinsip ini harus dijiwai semua dalam pertempuran pilihan raya negeri Melaka pada 20 November 2021 yang diadakan di tengah-tengah pandemik Covid-19.

Pilihan raya negeri Melaka pada 20 November menjadi semacam pemanas badan untuk kita menghadapi Pilihan Raya Umum ke-15 yang perlu diadakan kurang dari 19 bulan sebelum menjelang Mei 2023.

Petugas DAP Melaka untuk pilihan raya negeri Melaka tidak harus bekerja untuk masa depan Melaka sahaja, tetapi harus bekerja untuk membentuk Malaysia yang lebih baik.

Kita tidak tahu apa yang bakal dihadapi dalam Pilihan Raya Umum ke-15 nanti.

Pilihan Raya Umum ke-14 telah terbukti menjadi pemangkin perubahan.

Siapa dapat menyangka UMNO yang sebelum ini dilihat sukar untuk ditewaskan telah berjaya ditumbangkan pada Pilihan Raya Umum ke-14 pada 2018, sekaligus membolehkan kerajaan Pakatan Harapan terbentuk.

Rakyat Malaysia menyimpan harapan yang tinggi susulan pembentukan kerajaan Pakatan Harapan, namun kecewa apabila kerajaan Pakatan Harapan digulingkan oleh konspirasi Langkah Sheraton yang membawa sebuah kerajaan pintu belakang, tidak demokratik dan tidak sah — dan kemudiannya disusuli dengan satu lagi kerajaan baharu yang serupa dalam tempoh singkat 2 tahun lalu.

Momentum kerajaan Pakatan Harapan pada awalnya agak perlahan, dan sebelum ia dapat memulakan usaha untuk membawa perubahan, ia telah ditumbangkan oleh konspirasi Langkah Sheraton. Kerajaan Pakatan Harapan fikir mereka mempunyai tempoh lima tahun untuk memenuhi janji-janji pilihan raya namun ia telah digulingkan sebelum ia dapat memperkembangan momentum untuk melakukan perubahan dan reformasi secara meluas.

Pun begitu, kerajaan Pakatan Harapan tidak terlepas daripada membuat kesilapan, dan pilihan raya Melaka membuat peluang untuk mengambil iktibar daripada kesilapan-kesilapan tersebut.

Semua petugas dan pemimpin Pakatan Harapan harus terus kekal bersikap rendah hati dan sederhana dalam melaksanakan kempen di Melaka bagi mengembalikan semula keyakinan dan harapan untuk menjadikan Malaysia, seperti kata-kata Bapa Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman: “menjadi cahaya dalam dunia yang kelam dan terganggu” — yang mana merupakan Impian semua Rakyat Malaysia.

(Ucapan oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri, Lim Kit Siang pada majlis pelancaran Jentera Pilihan Raya DAP Melaka di ibu pejabat DAP Melaka pada Ahad, 24 Mei 2021, jam 5 petang)

                This entry was posted on Monday, 25 October 2021, 7:14 am and is filed under
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Is Khairy following the Indonesian Covid-19  statistics where for ten consecutive days, it has been recording triple-digit numbers of daily new Covid-19 cases and half of Malaysia’s Covid-19 deaths – when will Malaysia reduce the daily new Covid-19 cases to triple digit numbers and have less Covid-19 deaths than Indonesia?

(Versi BM)

I am glad that after my media statement yesterday asking Khairy Jamaluddin, the Health Minister, to clarify why CovidNow website reported 42 Covid-19 deaths while the Worldometer website reported 222 Covid-19 deaths for October 23, 2021, the Worldometer website corrected its figure to be consistent with CovidNow figures.

I want to ask Khairy whether he is following the Indonesian Covid-19 statistics where for ten consecutive days, it had been reporting triple-digit numbers for daily new Covid-19 cases and ask when will the daily new Covid-19 cases in Malaysia be reduced to triple-digit numbers.

On daily Covid-19 deaths, Malaysia had been exceeding the daily Covid-19 deaths in Indonesia for more than a month. In six of the last 10 days, daily Covid-19 deaths in Indonesia is less than half that of Malaysia. For instance, on- 17th October, Indonesia’s daily Covid-19 deaths were 19 compared to Malaysia’s 63 or only 30 per cent.

Can Khairy give an explanation for such a gross anomaly, most critical of Malaysia’s health system?

Furthermore, Malaysians are still waiting for Khairy’s explanation with regard to the high Covid-19 fatalities in Malaysia and why Malaysia has become the worst performer in ASEAN in the Covid-19 pandemic.

Friday is 2022 Budget Day. Like the rest of the world, Malaysia had been suffering the loss of lives and livelihoods for the past two years.

Malaysia must learn from the lessons of the Covid-19 pandemic, where we have lost 28,400 lives with a cumulative total of 2,431,716 Covid-19 cases, and be prepared for the next pandemic which medical experts have warned could come anytime.

The 2022 Budget is the occasion for the country to strengthen frontline services for pandemic responses and supportive health financing policies by reinforcing health system resilience, health security and universal health coverage (UHC).

The 2022 Budget should focus on raising adequate revenues for health systems, organizing those revenues in order to maximize risk-sharing across the entire population, and spending those funds in the best way to improve the health of all citizens of a country.

This is the test for the 2022 Budget.

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

Adakah Khairy mengikuti statistik Covid-19 Indonesia di mana untuk 10 hari berturut-turut, negara jiran tersebut telah merekodkan kes harian baharu Covid-19 dalam julat tiga angka dan mencatatkan separuh daripada angka kematian akibat Covid-19 yang direkodkan di Malaysia — bilakah Malaysia akan mengurangkan kadar kes baharu Covid-19 kepada julat tiga angka dan mencatatkan kadar kematian akibat Covid-19 yang lebih rendah berbanding Indonesia?

Saya gembira selepas saya mengeluarkan kenyataan media semalam bagi meminta Menteri Kesihatan, Khairy Jamaluddin untuk menjelaskan mengenai mengapa laman web CovidNow melaporkan 42 kematian akibat Covid-19 sedangkan laman web Worldometer melaporkan 222 kematian akibat Covid-19 pada 23 Oktober 2021, laman web Worldometer memperbetulkan angkanya selari dengan angka yang disiarkan CovidNow.

Saya ingin bertanya kepada Khairy sama ada beliau mengikuti statistik Covid-19 di Indonesia di mana untuk sepuluh hari berturut-turut, ia telah melaporkan kes harian baharu Covid-19 pada paras julat tiga angka dan meminta penjelasan beliau tentang bilakah kes harian baharu Covid-19 di Malaysia akan diturunkan kepada paras julat tiga angka.

Berhubung kematian akibat Covid-19, kematian harian akibat Covid-19 di Malaysia adalah lebih tinggi berbanding Indonesia untuk lebih sebulan lamanya. Dalam enam daripada 10 hari lalu, kes kematian harian di Indonesia adalah kurang lebih separuh berbanding Malaysia. Sebagai contoh, pada 17 Oktober, kes kematian harian akibat Covid-19 di Malaysia adalah sebanyak 19 berbanding 63 kes kematian di Malaysia atau hanya 30 peratus daripada angka kematian yang dilaporkan di Malaysia.

Bolehkah Khairy memberikan penjelasan mengenai kejanggalan ini, terutama berhubung sistem kesihatan awam Malaysia?

Tambahan pula, rakyat Malaysia masih menantikan penjelasan Khairy berhubung angka kematian akibat Covid-19 yang tinggi di Malaysia dan mengapa Malaysia telah menjadi salah sebuah negara dengan prestasi terburuk di rantau ASEAN dalam menguruskan wabak Covid-19.

Jumaat ini adalah hari Belanjawan 2022. Seperti negara-negara lain di seluruh dunia, Malaysia telah kehilangan begitu banyak nyawa dan rakyatnya telah kehilangan mata pencarian sejak dua tahun lalu.

Malaysia harus mengambil iktibar daripada wabak Covid-19, di mana 28,400 nyawa telah terkorban dan 2,431,716 juta orang telah dijangkiti Covid-19, dan bersedia untuk wabak yang seterusnya yang mana pakar perubatan meramalkan akan bakal berlaku pada bila-bla masa.

Belanjawan 2022 adalah wadah untuk negara memperkukuhkan perkhidmatan barisan hadapan untuk menghadapi wabak dan memberikan sokongan sewajarnya terhadap dasar kewangan kesihatan dengan memperkukuhkan ketahanan sistem kesihatan, keselamatan kesihatan dan liputan kesihatan sejagat.

Belanjawan 2022 harus memberikan fokus untuk meningkat hasil yang mencukupi untuk sistem kesihatan, menggunakan hasil tersebut untuk memaksimumkan perkongsian risiko merentas seluruh penduduk, dan membelanjakan dana tersebut dengan cara terbaik untuk meningkatkan kesihatan semua rakyat.

Ini adalah ujian untuk Belanjawan 2022.

(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri, Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Isnin, 25 Oktober 2021)

                This entry was posted on Monday, 25 October 2021, 8:25 am and is filed under
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Ahmad Faizal Azumu should be removed as Youth and Sports Minister for his outrageous question to national diver Pendelela Rinong

(Versi BM)

Ahmad Faizal Azumu should be removed as Youth and Sports Minister for his outrageous question to national diver Pandelela Rinong,

Pendelela has answered Ahmad Faizal very well – she said she had shared her experience of sexual harassment involving her former coach in order to offer support and embolden other victims to speak up.

She said she wanted to encourage future victims to “be brave when I wasn’t”.

“I shared my ‘not so nice’ experience to give awareness to the public, and support for victims out there, who are always in dilemma, whether to speak up or stay silent.”

Ahmad Faizel has shown that he is not fit to be Minister for Youth and Sports with his insensitive question, which not only showed that he is unaware of the “Me Too” movement all over the globe, which highlights sexual abuse and sexual harassment – present and past – and which empower sexually assaulted individuals through empathy and solidarity through strength in numbers but demonstrates his attitude towards sexual harassment.

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021)

Ahmad Faizal Azumu harus disingkirkan sebagai Menteri Belia dan Sukan susulan kenyataan beliau yang mempersoalkan pendedahan yang dibuat ratu terjun negara, Pandelela Rinong berhubung isu gangguan seksual

Ahmad Faizal Azumu harus disingkirkan sebagai Menteri Belia dan Sukan susulan kenyataan beliau yang mempersoalkan pendedahan yang dibuat ratu terjun negara, Pandelela Rinong berkenaan kes gangguan seksual.

Pandelela membalas kenyataan Ahmad Faizal dengan cukup kemas — beliau berkata beliau bersuara mengenai pengalamannya mengalami gangguan seksual membabitkan bekas jurulatihnya bertujuan untuk menimbulkan kesedaran dan menawarkan sokongan kepada mangsa-mangsa lain untuk tampil.

Katanya, beliau mahu menggalakkan mangsa-mangsa untuk bersuara, “dengan harapan dapat menggalakkan (mereka menjadi) berani ketika saya tidak”.

“Saya berkongsi pengalaman ‘kurang menyenangkan’ saya untuk memberi kesedaran kepada orang ramai, dan sokongan kepada mangsa di luar sana, yang sentiasa dalam dilema sama ada untuk bersuara atau berdiam diri.”

Ahmad Faizal telah menunjukkan bahawa beliau tidak layak untuk menjadi Menteri Belia dan Sukan susulan tindakannya mengeluarkan kenyataan yang tidak sensitif itu, bukan sahaja menunjukkan beliau tidak sedar tentang kewujudan gerakan “Me Too” di seluruh dunia, yang mana membangkitkan mengenai isu gangguan seksual dan penganiayaan seksual — yang berlaku dulu dan sekarang — yang memperkasakan individu yang mengalami gangguan dan penganaiyan seksual menerusi empati dan solidariti selain dengan lantang menyuarakan pendirian berhubung isu gangguan seksual.

(Kenyataan Media (2) oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri, Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Selasa, 26 Oktober 2021)

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 26 October 2021, 11:56 am and is filed under
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