In Memory of Ong Yen Chong – the class of 1959, Batu Pahat High School

Shortly after lunch yesterday, my classmate Pek Teck Soon messaged my daughter, Hui Ying: “Sorry to inform that Ong Yen Chong passed away last night. His wake is at Nirvana KL but no visitors allowed. This message just relayed to me by his niece. RIP”

It came completely out of the blue.  No one expected Yen Chong to  leave so suddenly as he appeared to be as  fit as a fiddle.

My classmate in Canberra, Michael Ong was philosophical  and sent Yen Chong’s son, Chen Yi, the following poem which he composed:

Life

We live as if it’s forever

and so it seems

Never a thought

the Leveller

will enter

shattering all our dreams!

How supremely confident

when plans are made

of happiness yet to come

Foundations so meticulously laid

as Ozymandias would have done

Yet embracing earth awaits us

in each out appointed time

Fulfilling fate

which is yours

and also will be mine!

There need not be guilt

there need not be pain

there need not be fear

nor grief

for our return to earth again!

Yen Chong was part of the gang in the class of 1959 High School Batu Pahat who would roam around town on their bicycles, dreaming of the challenges beyond –  a time when we did not know how high was  the sky and how deep were  the oceans, when we dared to dream great dreams of the future. It was the genesis of the Malaysian Dream.

In the  idealism of our  youth, we celebrated a world where there is freedom, justice, equality, humanity, national unity and purpose,  inter-racial and inter-religious understanding,  harmony and peace.

In our naivete, during a stop at the Batu Pahat High School during our roam-abouts on our bikes while waiting for the MCE examination results, I said we should go out  into the future  to set up political parties to change the world, and we should return to compare notes as to the success of our endeavours.

We wanted – to use the words of Bapa Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman, when Malaya became independent on August 31, 1957 – for the country  “to be a beacon of light in a difficult and distracted world”.

Both Pek Teck Soon and another classmate Tan Tik Seng were pillars of the Batu Pahat DAP in the sixties, but I remember my shock when Chian Heng Kai told me in 1971 that his election expenses as candidate for the Johore State Assembly seat of Bandar Penggaram in 1969 General Election was less than a thousand Malaysian dollars – probably one of the  lowest for state assembly candidates.

The blood, sweat and tears of DAP diehards like Pek Teck Soon and Tan Tik Seng for Chian Heng Kai’s campaign were completely voluntary.

I tried to draft Yen Chong into the DAP battle for a Malaysia where there is democracy, social and economic justice, national unity and harmony, inter-racial and inter-religious tolerance, understanding and harmony, and Yen Chong was interested.

I remember announcing before the 1969 General Election a nucleus of young Malaysians who would form the youth wing of the DAP, but the May 13, 1969 riots and emergency put  paid to these plans.

We grew up in tumultuous times. The bicycle trip I made with Alan Goh and Tan Tik  Sing from Batu Pahat to Malacca in 1955 when we were in Form I occurred during the exciting days of the Afro-Asian Conference in Bandung, bringing together for the first time Afro-Asian leaders, like China’s Premier Chou En-Lai, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Indonesia President Sukarno, United Arab  Republic Gamel Nasser, Ghana President Kwame Nkrumah and Yugoslav President Josip Tito.

This bicycle trip is now immortalized in a painting in Theatre Impian in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.

Before the heady days of Malaya’s Independence on August 31,1957, there was Nasser’s nationalisation of the Suez Canal and the Hungarian Revolution against Soviet Union Communist rule and the subsequent crackdown and repression.

It would not be wrong to say that the Malaysian Dream of the country as a world-class great nation took root in the class of 1959 in  Batu Pahat High School.

1959 Batu Pahat High School Form V had made a signal contribution to Malaysia. We had  doctors, lawyers, engineers, architects, academicians, corporate figures, bankers, teachers. journalists, pilot, priest  and businessmen.

We have had a Minister, Dato Mustaffa Mohd; a Deputy Speaker Dr. Hee Tien Lai and Parliamentary Opposition Leader, Lim Kit Siang.

We have a classmate, Dr. Tjoa Hock Guan, who taught himself Mandarin via IT and wrote The Battle of Chibi (Red Cliffs): selected and translated from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms; another classmate, Professor Chong Guan Chok who retired as Australian National University (ANU) Medical School foundation Professor of Surgery and was honoured by the ANU Medical School as Distinguished Clinical Professor; and another class mate, Professor Chan Soh Ha, Emeritus Professor of National University of Singapore who is executive director Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, Singapore.

We had more than our fair share of excellent teachers normal trained and a few graduates like VK Moothy, Arumugam, S.P. Vadivale, K.M. Mathai,  K.K. Perumbulavil, George Koshy,  Yap Beng Teck, Ang Hock Meng, Chanan Singh  and most notably, the artist Syed Ahmad Jamal who drew Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s “Eye” symbol and was the director of National Art Gallery (1983-1991), winning accolades and art prizes locally and internationally.

Batu Pahat has produced many political figures for Malaysia and Singapore, like Dato Onn Jaafar, who formed UMNO in Batu Pahat; Ong Eng Guan, first mayor of Singapore and brother of Yen Chong; S. Woodhull; Syed Husin Ali;  Syed Esa Alwee (second Speaker) and  Tan Sri Syed Nasir bin Ismail (fifth Speaker).

Michael Ong probably says it best in his poem composed during the 50th Reunion of the Class of 1959 High School Batu Pahat, as follows:

Class of 1959 High School Batu Pahat

Recalling life decades ago

Triggers an avalanche of memories

Of carefree childhood, days of gold

Forgotten by our current stories

Unknown to us we were in transition

Towards a new Malayan era

UMNO was already in position

Soon shouting ‘Merdeka!’ a new mantra!

In the midst of that change

We gathered in the attap huts

Coming from families which ranged

Rich and those with bitter luck

Fresh from the warmth of families

Thrust into the world beyond

Some in fear and uncertainties

We met in Life’s initial pond!

We learnt “A” was for “Apple”

From strange women and men

Who taught our tongues to be supple

Despite our varying mien

The school as befits a British colony

Was divided into Houses

And despite the cacophony

We competed well, sans grouses!

In every sphere we made our mark

Our Rugger team was Johore’s best

Our plays we performed were no larks

In exams we were no less

As into manly youth we grew

Joys and pangs of love began to intrude

From among us the lucky few

TIGS partners found, others exclude

Of teachers we were greatly blessed

For among them, over the years

We were taught and stressed

With dedication, despite future fears

Others we chose to forget

For their actions hurt and maim

Causing private pains and regrets

Potent silences still remain!

From this crucible we emerge

Each playing our present roles

For better or for worse we merge

Our lives with friends and foes

We serve no matter where we are

In our little corners of Life

Each contributing near or far

Our triumphs and personal strife

Scattered now though we may

By Life’s dice we cast

We remain and always say

Our friendship will always last!

So to one and all the Class of ‘59

We gather today to commemorate

Those present and gone in ‘09

Of Fifty years we celebrate!

Come let us arise and toast our lives

For past years and those yet to come

May we all enjoy and survive

And sing “Auld Lang Syne” as one!

That was Michael Ong at his best but it was already twelve years ago.

As Henry Wordsworth Longfellow said:

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,

And our hearts, though stout and brave,

Still, like muffled drums, are beating

Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world’s broad field of battle，

In the bivouac of Life,

Be not like dumb, driven cattle!

Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant!

Let the dead Past bury its dead!

Act,— act in the living Present!

Heart within, and God o’erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us

We can make our lives sublime,

And, departing, leave behind us

Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,

Sailing o’er life’s solemn main,

A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,

Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,

With a heart for any fate;

Still achieving, still pursuing,

Learn to labor and to wait.

In conclusion, let me say that it is a great privilege to grow up with Yen Chong, Teck Soon, Tik Seng, Michael, Sze Foong, Soh Ha, Chay Foo,  Padmanathan, Guan Chok, Bobby Chua, Hung Kee, Guan Bee, Jin Siew, Ah Yoo, Kang Sung, Teow Heng, Jamal, Khalid Bidin, Palani, Roland Thomas, R. Ravindran, Patrick, Joe Arumugam, Yeow Tong,  Chong Meng, Kim Soon, Kai Seng, Huan Hooi and all the others in the Class of 1959 in Batu Pahat High School  to learn from each other as well as  the lessons of life.

We will not be able to pay our last respects to you, Yen Chong because of MCO  but its time to say adieu. RIP.

(Statement  by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, May 19, 2021)

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 19 May 2021, 5:08 pm and is filed under
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#kerajaangagal51 – Malaysia will be faced with two problems with a slow and tardy national vaccination rollout but the first problem in the war against Covid-19 pandemic is whether the Muhyiddin government can restore public trust and confidence in its leadership

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

Something is very wrong with Malaysia’s strategy in the war against Covid-19 pandemic.

Firstly, for the seventh consecutive day, Malaysia has a higher daily increase of new Covid-19 cases than in Indonesia, with Malaysia recording 4,865 cases yesterday as compared to Indonesia’s 4,185 cases. For the past one week, Malaysia’s total cumulative cases increased by 30,982 cases  while that of Indonesia increased by 24,637 cases.

This is unbelievable, that for seven consecutive days Malaysia has chalked up a higher daily increase of new Covid-19 cases although Indonesia has a population that is  nine times that of Malaysia.

No wonder the Indonesian government felt it was fully justified to tell Indonesians not to emulate India and Malaysia which had mishandled the Covid-19 pandemic when advising Indonesians to  take precautions about the Covid-19 pandemic during the Hari Raya holidays as if Malaysians are a very undisciplined lot!

While Indonesia is now worried that millions of Indonesians  returning from the Hari

Raya Aidilfritri holidays across the sprawling archipelago  risk a Covid-19 ‘time-bomb’ following mass gatherings and virus variants  which could trigger a surge of new cases in the world’s fourth most populous nation, even with a surge of cases in the coming days, Indonesia would have a full week to show its superiority to Malaysia  in the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Secondly, the two top countries with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases – United States with 33.7 million cases and India with 25.2 million – are beginning to turnaround in their surges, but Malaysia continues  to rise on the Covid-19 curve.

The United States, which reached a peak in its daily increase of 304,204 cases on January  8 has now dropped to 21,736 on May 16 – a humongous  drop of 93%.

India, which hit the peak of  daily increase of 414,433 new Covid-19 cases (a world record) on May 6, has fallen to 263,045 cases on May 17 – a sharp drop of 38% in 11 days!

Even the United Kingdom, which reached the peak of  daily increase of 67,873  new Covid-19 cases on January 8 has dropped to a daily increase of 1,979 new cases on May 17 –  another humongous drop of 97%!

But Malaysia is an exception and is  on the upsurge, exceeding the 4,000-mark in daily increase of new Covid-19 cases in six of the past seven days!

If this is not a failure in the strategy to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, I do not know what failure means!

I will not ask the Muhyiddin government to explain why this is so, for it will be unable to do so.

This illustrates the terrible mess the Muhyiddin government  has made of the Covid-19 pandemic, exposing Malaysia’s Achille’s heel in its claim for Malaysia to a developed or fast developing  nation status.

The slow and tardy national vaccination process in Malaysia is another fatal weakness in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Up to now, after nearly  three months of the national  vaccination roll-out, only 2.3 per cent of the population had been fully vaccinated while 3.8% of the population had been given one dose of the vaccine, as  compared to 3.5% of Indonesian population which had been fully vaccinated and 5.2 % of the Indonesian population which had been given one dose of the vaccine and 25.3% of Singaporeans who had been fully vaccinated and 34.5% of the Singapore  population which had been administered one dose of the vaccine.

There will be at least two consequencs of such slow and  tardy national vaccination rollout.

Firstly, it will be difficult for Malaysia to gain  the herd immunity for  Covid-19 virus. To get herd immunity, we will need to fully vaccinate 60-70% of our Malaysian population. Presently, medical experts think that vaccine immunity may last 6-8 months. If vaccine immunity can only last 6-8 months, and our vaccine rollout is so slow and tardy, by the time the last vaccine group get their first dose, the first vaccine group would have passed their vaccine immune period.

Secondly, we are in a race against time in the battle of “vaccine vs virus”, as  the more the virus spreads, the more chances it has to mutate and create new variants that could eventually resist current vaccines, threatening to undermine the  progress in containing the pandemic.

But the real problem in the war against Covid-19 pandemic is leadership, public trust and confidence.

Muhyiddin suffers from the worst deficit in public trust and confidence in Malaysian history  as a result of the many instances of  Covid-19 SOP flips-flops and double-standards, as well as the kakistocracy in government.

With such surging Covid-19 numbers and failure in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic, we  are in fact doing  a great disservice to the frontliners who are sacrificing themselves to bring the Covid-19 pandemic under control.

The first problem to  address in the continuing war against the Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia is to restore  public trust and confidence in the strategy against Covid-19 pandemic.

Is it possible for Muhyiddin with his backdoor, undemocratic, kakistocratic and illegitimate government to restore public trust and confidence in the war against

Covid-19 pandemic.

Yes, if he does two things:

Firstly, convene Parliament to establish a parliamentary united front in the war against Covid-19 pandemic where there will be no   “no-confidence” motion and to  spearhead a “whole-of-society” national mobilisation of Malaysians to restore the country to normalcy; and

Secondly, end all SOP flip-flops and double standards, including an end to all police investigations into the groups of youths who gathered in front of Parliament on

April 30  protesting against the suspension of Parliament and the group of youths who held a protest in Parit Raja, Batu Pahat on May 12 and unfurled a large banner with the words “#kerajaangagal”.

The police had termed the Parit Raja, Batu Pahat event  as a “riot” – although no material damage has been reported – and detained at least 27 people who were allegedly involved.

Is Muhyiddin capable of a new start in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic?

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday 19th  May 2021)

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

#kerajaangagal51 — Program vaksinasi yang lambat akan membawa dua masalah besar, pada masa yang sama, mampukah Muhyiddin untuk mengembalikan keyakinan dan kepercayaan rakyat terhadap kepimpinan beliau?

Ada perkara yang tidak kena dengan strategi negara kita dalam melawan wabak Covid-19.

Pertamanya, untuk tujuh hari berturut-turut, Malaysia mencatatkan jumlah kes baharu yang lebih tinggi berbanding dengan Indonesia, dengan negara kita mencatatkan 4,865 kes semalam, berbanding dengan 4,185 kes di Indonesia. Dalam tempoh satu minggu yang lepas sahaja, jumlah pertambahan kes di Malaysia adalah sebanyak 30,982 kes berbanding dengan 24,637 kes di Indonesia.

Perkara ini amat sukar untuk diterima, hakikat bahawa untuk tujuh hari berturut-turut, negara kita mencatatkan kadar peningkatan kes harian yang lebih tinggi berbanding dengan Indonesia, sedangkan Indonesia mempunyai sembilan kali ganda lebih ramai penduduk.

Tidak mengejutkanlah bahawa kerajaan Indonesia merasakan patut untuk mereka memberikan amaran kepada rakyatnya untuk tidak mencontohi India dan Malaysia — yang telah tersilap langkah dalam mengawal wabak Covid-19 — untuk terus berjaga-jaga semasa tempoh sambutan Hari Raya.

Walaupun Indonesia juga kini sedang bimbang dengan pergerakan berjuta rakyatnya yang pulang daripada berhari raya di seluruh negara, menjadikan satu risiko besar selepas perkumpulan beramai-ramai dan dengan kemunculan variasi virus baharu, negara tersebut masih dapat berbangga selama sekurang-kurangnya seminggu apabila mereka mencatatkan jumlah peningkatan yang lebih rendah berbanding dengan negara kita.

Kedua, dua negara teratas dengan jumlah kes terkumpul tertinggi di dunia — Amerika Syarikat dengan 33.7 juta kes dan India dengan 25.2 juta kes — sedang mula menunjukkan peralihan arah kepada yang lebih baik, kita terus menyaksikan peningkatan lekuk kes Covid-19.

Amerika Syarikat yang menyaksikan kemuncak 304,204 kes baharu pada 8 Januari kini telah menurunkan kadar peningkatan kes kepada 21,736 kes pada 16 Mei — satu penurunan mendadak sebanyak 93%!

India, yang menyaksikan kemuncak 414,433 kes (rekod dunia) pada 6 Mei, telah menyaksikan penurunan kepada 263,045 kes pada 17 Mei, penurunan mendadak sebanyak 38% dalam 11 hari!

Malah United Kingdom yang sebelum ini menyaksikan kemuncak 67,873 kes sehari pada 8 Januari telah menurunkan kadar kes baharu mereka kepada 1,979 kes sehari pada 17 Mei — satu lagi penurunan mendadak sebanyak 97%!

Tetapi Malaysia terus terkecuali dan kita terus menyaksikan peningkatan kes baharu di atas kadar 4,000 kes sehari untuk enam daripada tujuh hari yang lepas!

Sekiranya perkara ini bukan satu kegagalan strategi melawan Covid-19, saya tidak lagi tahu apakah maksud kegagalan!

Saya tidak akan meminta kerajaan Muhyiddin untuk memberikan penjelasan mengenai perkara ini, kerana jelas sekali mereka tidak akan boleh berbuat demikian.

Perkara ini mendedahkan keburukan yang telah dibawa oleh kerajaan Muhyiddin dalam menguruskan wabak Covid-19 dalam negara kita, mendedahkan kelemahan kita dalam usaha untuk kita menuntut status negara maju atau negara yang pesat membangun.

Proses vaksinasi yang lambat juga menjadi satu lagi kelemahan besar dalam strategi melawan Covid-19 kita.

Sehingga hari ini, selepas hampir tiga bulan program ini bermula, hanya 2.3 peratus populasi telah menerima dos penuh vaksinasi manakala hanya 3.8% populasi yang telah menerima sekurang-kurangnya satu dos. Untuk perbandingan, 3.5% populasi di Indonesia yang telah menerima vaksinasi lengkap dan 5.2% peratus yang telah menerima sekurangnya satu dos. Manakal di Singapura, 25.3% peratus populasi telah menerima vaksinasi lengkap dan 34.5% telah menerima sekurang-kurangnya satu dos.

Akan terdapat sekurang-kurangnya dua kesan buruk daripada program vaksinasi yang lambat ini.

Pertama, akan menjadi sukar untuk negara kita mencapai imuniti kelompok terhadap virus Covid-19 ini. Untuk mendapat imuniti kelompok, kita perlu memberikan vaksin kepada 60-70% populasi dalam negara. Setakat ini, pakar perubatan berpendapat bahawa imuniti yang diberikan oleh vaksin ini mungkin hanya akan bertahan selama 6 ke 8 bulan dan kerana pelaksanaan vaksinasi kita amat lambat, apabila kita sudah berjaya memberikan vaksin kepada kumpulan terakhir penerima, imuniti kumpulan pertama yang menerima vaksin mungkin akan sudah tidak lagi berkesan.

Kedua, dalam perlumbaan melawan masa dengan vaksin ini, dengan penularan yang lebih meluas, akan terdapat lebih banyak peluang untuk virus ini bermutasi dan mewujudkan variasi baharu yang mungkin akan mendapat kekebalan daripada vaksin sedia ada, mengancam proses untuk mengekang penularan wabak ini.

Namun, masalah sebenar dalam perang melawan wabak ini adalah ketiadaan kepimpinan dan kekurangan kepercayaan dan keyakinan rakyat kepada kerajaan.

Muhyiddin berhadapan dengan defisit kepercayaan dan keyakinan yang terburuk dalam sejarah negara, akibat daripada pelbagai kejadian di mana prosedur operasi standard (SOP) sering berubah-ubah, layanan berbeza untuk golongan kenamaan, dan kakistokrasi dalam kerajaan.

Dengan peningkatan mendadak jumlah kes dan kegagalan untuk mengawal penularan wabak ini, kita sedang mengkhianati usaha para petugas barisan hadapan yang berkorban setiap hari untuk mengawal wabak ini.

Masalah pertama yang perlu diselesaikan untuk meneruskan perjuangan melawan Covid-19 ini adalah untuk memulihkan kepercayaan dan keyakinan rakyat terhadap strategi kita untuk memerangi wabak ini.

Bolehkah untuk Muhyiddin dan kerajaan pintu belakangnya yang tidak demokratik, tidak sah, dan kakistokratik ini mengembalikan kepercayaan dan keyakinan rakyat awam kepadanya untuk memimpin usaha melawan wabak Covid-19 ini?

Boleh, sekiranya beliau melakukan dua perkara:

Pertama, panggil sidang Parlimen untuk membentuk barisan Parlimen yang bersatu dalam melawan wabak Covid-19 ini, di mana tidak ada sebarang “usul tidak percaya” untuk menggerakkan usaha mobilisasi kebangsaan yang melibatkan “keseluruhan masyarakat” untuk mengembalikan kehidupan normal dalam negara kita; dan

Keduanya, menghentikan segala SOP yang kucar-kacir dan sering berubah serta layanan berbeza kepada golongan kenamaan, termasuklah untuk menghentikan siasatan terhadap golongan belia yang melakukan protes aman di hadapan Parlimen pada 30 April dan golongan belia yang mengadakan protes di Parit Raja, Batu Pahat pada 12 Mei dengan kain rentang yang tertulis “#kerajaangagal”.

Polis telah mengatakan kejadian di Parit Raja, Batu Pahat itu sebagai satu “rusuhan” — sedangkan tidak ada sebarang kerosakan harta benda dilaporkan — dan telah menahan sekurang-kurangnya 27 orang yang didakwa terlibat.

Adakah Muhyiddin boleh membuat permulaan baharu dalam perang melawan wabak Covid-19 ini?

(Kenyataan media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Rabu, 19 Mei 2021)

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 19 May 2021, 8:33 am and is filed under
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#kerajaangagal52 – I  fully support Cameron Highlands MP that the JAKOA director-general must be an Orang Asli

I give full support to the Cameron Highlands Member of Parliament Ramli Mohd Nor that the director-general of the Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa) must be an Orang Asli.

Ramli claimed that officers in the Rural Development Ministry are trying to put a non-Orang Asli in charge of the Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa).

This is going backwards and clearly a retrograde step.

In fact, JAKOA  should be abolished and replaced  by a body, headed by an Orang Ali, to spearhead Orang Asli upliftment to be in the mainstream of Malaysian development.

JAKOA has become the symbol of the failure of the UMNO/BN government to uplift the Orang Asli communities to be in the mainstream of development.

To date, there are too  few Orang Asli holding senior positions in JAKOA and indeed in the entire civil service.

According to a 2018  parliamentary reply, out of a total 998 staffs in JAKOA, only 111 are Orang Aslis. Only One is in the “Management and Professional” rank, the rest are all supporting/lower rank staffs.

This is most disgraceful and shows the utter failure of JAKOA to represent a vibrant Orang Asli community.

After six decades of the country’s nationhood, at least three quarters of the JOKOA staff should be Orang Aslis, and not just a puny 11% as at present, and an Orang Asli must  head  JOKOA and not just one in the management and professional rank of JAKOA

In the entire civil service, there are 1,352 Orang Asli, but only 172 of them are in the Management/Professional rank (mostly in the teaching service). Only one is in the Top Management position.

We  talked for  six decades about the upliftment and development of the Orang Asli with very little to show.

After six decades, we don’t even have a Orang Asli as a Minister or Deputy Minister. This is most disgraceful, and the latest suggestion that a non-Orang Asli should be appointed as JAKOA director-general should not be entertained and dismissed out of hand.

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, 19th May 2021)

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 19 May 2021, 9:52 am and is filed under
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#kerajaangagal53 – Worst day in the 17-month Covid-19 pandemic, crashing through the 2,000-mark for fatalities and bringing forward the day the half-million mark for cumulative total of Covid-19 cases will be reached  by May 22 while United States, the world’s worst nation with most Covid-19 cases,  declared it was winning the “war against the virus”

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

Yesterday was the worst day for Malaysia in the 17-month Covid-19 pandemic, crashing through the 2,000-mark for Covid-19  fatalities and bringing forward the day when  the half-million mark for cumulative total of Covid-19 cases  will be reached by  May 22 while  United States, the worst nation with the  most Covid-19 cases and fatalities,  declared it was winning the “war against the virus”.

Why is the United States “winning the war against Covid-19” while we in Malaysia are losing the war?

For the eighth consecutive day, Malaysia’s daily increase of new Covid-19 cases exceeded that of Indonesia, with Malaysia reporting 6,075 cases while Indonesia reported 4,871 cases yesterday.

Even India has fallen from the peak of 414,433 cases on May 6 to 274,030 on May 19 – a sharp drop of 34% in a matter of a fortnight.

Malaysia’s daily increase of new Covid-19 cases yesterday  crashed through two barriers in one go, the 5,000-mark and the 6,000-mark,  establishing a new record for daily increase of new Covid-19 cases.

Are we going to fulfil the forecast of the Health Ministry’s revised modelling last Wednesday of  more than 8,000 new Covid-19 cases a day by June?

Yesterday in the United States, Covid-19 cases were  down in all 50 US states for the first time since the pandemic began, causing the senior White House Covid-19 adviser, Andy Slavitt to declare that America was  “winning the war on the virus.”

 “And we need you to help us finish the job,” he added.

But the truth is that, despite the drop in cases, the pandemic is far from over. Not around the world, and not in the US. The virus is still killing around 600 people in the US and 12,458 people  in the world every day, based on the average numbers for the past week, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

But the unprecedentedly large number of Covid-19 cases and deaths  have debunked any claim of success of the strategy in the war against Covid-19 pandemic,  as they further confirm the utter failure of the war  strategy against the Covid-19 pandemic and the emergency declared on January 12, 2021.

Yesterday, the Finance Minister, Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz asked the people to place their trust in the government managing the RM5 billion  funds from National Trust Fund (Kwan) which the government had tapped to cover the Covid-19 vaccination programme.

What Tengku Zafrul and the bloated Cabinet should realise is that the Muhyiddin government had dissipated whatever public  trust  and confidence the people had in it in the early days of the Sheraton Move conspiracy, which ushered in a backdoor, undemocratic and illegitimate government, because of the Muhyiddin government’s numerous Covid-19 SOP flip-flops and double standards as well as rank  abuses of power and kakistocracy.

Otherwise, the wisecracks of a wag “MCO – Making Confusing Orders; CMCO – Continue Making Confusing Orders; EMCO – Even More Confusing Orders; RMCO – Repeatedly Making Confusing Orders” will not have  become such a rage on the social media.

What has added insult to injury is that the National Immunisation Plan is so slow and tardy, slower than Indonesia, as after three months of the vaccination rollout, only 2.4% of Malaysians had been fully vaccinated while only 3.9% of Malaysians had received one dose of the vaccine.

The most important thing to win the war against Covid-19 pandemic is  to restore the people’s trust and confidence in the strategy in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic as public trust and confidence in the Muhyiddin government  has become such a scarce commodity.

I have made two suggestions to deal with the unprecedented deficit in public trust and confidence in Muhyiddin government in the war against Covid-19i pandemic:

Firstly, convene Parliament to establish a parliamentary united front in the war against Covid-19 pandemic where there will be no “no-confidence” motion and to spearhead a “whole-of-society” national mobilisation of Malaysians to restore the country to normalcy; and

Secondly, end all SOP flip-flops and double standards, including an end to all police investigations into the groups of youths who gathered in front of Parliament on

April 30 protesting against the suspension of Parliament and the group of youths who held a protest in Parit Raja, Batu Pahat on May 12 and unfurled a large banner with the words “#kerajaangagal”.

Also end all repression and harassment of journalists, protest leader and various other critics of the government.

Is Muhyiddin capable of a new start in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic?

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

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

#kerajaangagal53 – Hari terburuk dalam 17 bulan pandemik Covid-19, menembusi angka 2,000 untuk kematian dan mengejar angka setengah juta kes Covid-19 terkumpul yang mungkin akan dicapai pada 22 Mei sementara Amerika Syarikat, negara terburuk di dunia dengan kes Covid-19 terbanyak, mengisytiharkan bahawa mereka telah menang dalam “perang melawan virus”

Semalam adalah hari terburuk dalam 17 bulan pandemik Covid-19, menembusi angka 2,000 untuk kematian dan mengejar angka setengah juta kes Covid-19 terkumpul yang mungkin akan dicapai pada 22 Mei sementara Amerika Syarikat, negara terburuk di dunia dengan kes Covid-19 terbanyak, mengisytiharkan bahawa mereka telah menang dalam “perang melawan virus”.

Mengapa Amerika Syarikat isytihar “kemenangan dalam perang melawan Covid-19” sedangkan kita di Malaysia tewas?

Untuk hari kelapan berturut-turut, peningkatan harian kes baharu Covid-19 di Malaysia adalah lebih tinggi berbanding Indonesia, dengan Malaysia melaporkan 6,075 kes sementara Indonesia melaporkan 4,871 kes semalam.

Bahkan India telah mencatatkan penurunan daripada 414,433 kes pada 6 Mei kepada 274,030 pada 19 Mei – penurunan mendadak sebanyak 34% dalam masa dua minggu.

Peningkatan harian kes baharu Covid-19 di Malaysia semalam melintasi dua jumlah besar sekaligus, iaitu 5,000 dan 6,000 kes, mencipta rekod baru bagi kes baharu Covid-19.

Adakah ramalan Kementerian Kesihatan pada hari Rabu lalu bahawa kita akan merekodkan lebih 8,000 kes Covid-19 pada bulan Jun akan benar-benar menjadi kenyataan?

Semalam di Amerika Syarikat, kes Covid-19 mencatatkan penururan di semua 50 negeri di negara itu untuk pertama kalinya sejak wabak itu tercetus, menatijahkan kenyataan oleh penasihat kanan White House Covid-19, Andy Slavitt yang mengisytiharkan bahawa Amerika telah “memenangi perang terhadap virus tersebut.”

 “Dan kami memerlukan anda untuk membantu kami menyelesaikan tugas ini,” tambahnya.

Pun begitu, walaupun berlaku penurunan kes, pandemik masih belum reda. Tidak di seluruh dunia, bahkan tidak di AS. Virus ini masih membunuh sekitar 600 orang di AS dan 12,458 orang di dunia setiap hari, berdasarkan jumlah purata selama seminggu terakhir, menurut data Universiti Johns Hopkins.

Tetapi sejumlah besar kes dan kematian Covid-19 yang belum pernah terjadi sebelumnya telah menunjukkan kegagalan kerajaan dalam menerapkan strategi yang tepat dalam perang melawan pandemik Covid-19, kerana mereka akhirnya mengakui kegagalan mereka dan disusuli dengan pengisytiharan darurat pada 12 Januari 2021.

Semalam, Menteri Kewangan, Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz meminta rakyat untuk menaruh kepercayaan kepada kerajaan dalam menguruskan dana RM5 bilion dari Tabung Amanah Negara (Kwan) yang telah digunakan oleh kerajaan untuk membiayai program vaksinasi Covid-19.

Apa yang harus disedari oleh Tengku Zafrul dan Kabinet adalah bahawa kerajaan Muhyiddin telah hilang kepercayaan dan keyakinan masyarakat ketika awal-awal konspirasi Langkah Sheraton digerakkan, yang seterusnya membentuk sebuah kerajaan pintu belakang, tidak demokratik dan tidak sah, dengan pelbagai dasar flip-flop dan dwistandard dalam pelaksanaan SOP Covid-19 selain penyalahgunaan kuasa dan kakistokrasi.

Jika tidak, pelaksanaan PKP, PKPB dan PKPD tentu tidak akan menimbulkan kemarahan netizen di media sosial yang dengan kreatif menjadikan pengumuman pelaksanaan perintah tersebut sebagai bahan jenaka.

Menambah garam ke luka, Program Imunisasi Covid-19 Kebangsaan bergerak sangat lambat dan perlahan berbanding Indonesia, kerana setelah tiga bulan pelancaran program pemberian vaksin, hanya 2.4% rakyat Malaysia telah divaksinasi sepenuhnya sementara hanya 3.9% rakyat Malaysia yang menerima satu dos vaksin.

Perkara yang paling penting yang perlu dilakukan kerajaan untuk berjaya dalam perang melawan pandemik Covid-19 adalah dengan mengembalikan kepercayaan dan keyakinan rakyat terhadap strategi yang diterapkan kerajaan dalam perang melawan pandemik Covid-19 kerana kepercayaan dan keyakinan masyarakat terhadap kerajaan Muhyiddin telah merosot dengan begitu ketara.

Saya telah memberikan dua cadangan untuk menangani defisit kepercayaan dan keyakinan masyarakat yang belum pernah terjadi sebelumnya terhadap kerajaan Muhyiddin dalam perang melawan pandemik Covid-19:

Pertama, mengadakan sidang Parlimen untuk menjadikan Parlimen sebagai barisan hadapan dalam perang melawan pandemik Covid-19 di mana tidak akan ada gerakan “undi tidak percaya” di Parlimen dan untuk menerajui gerakan nasional dalam menerapkan strategi “keseluruhan masyarakat” supaya negara dapat kembali kepada keadaan sedia kala; dan

Kedua, menamatkan semua dasar flip-flop dan dwistandard dalam pelaksanaan SOP, termasuk menghentikan semua siasatan polis terhadap kumpulan anak muda yang berkumpul di hadapan Parlimen pada 30 April bagi memprotes penggantungan Parlimen dan kumpulan anak muda yang mengadakan tunjuk perasaan secara aman di Parit Raja, Batu Pahat pada 12 Mei dan mengangkat sepanduk besar dengan tulisan “#kerajaangagal”.

Tamatkan juga semua penindasan dan gangguan terhadap wartawan, pemimpin protes dan pengkritik kerajaan.

Adakah Muhyiddin mampu mengorak langkah baharu dalam perang melawan pandemik Covid-19?

(Kenyataan media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Khamis, 20 Mei 2021)

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 20 May 2021, 7:56 am and is filed under
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#kerajaangagal54 – All Johore Members of Parliament and State Assembly persons should support the Johore Sultan’s call for a meeting of Johore lawmakers on Covid-19 pandemic  in Johore and have the meeting before the  end of the  month

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

All Johore Members of Parliament and State Assembly persons should support the Johore Sultan’s call for a meeting of Johore lawmakers on Covid-19 pandemic  in Johore and have the meeting before the end of the month.

The Johore Sultan is aware that the Johor legislative assembly cannot be convened, but a meeting can be held in other forms and chaired by the menteri besar.

He said: “Through this discussion, all MPs and state assemblypersons can air their views on ways to stop the spread of Covid-19 and solve problems faced by Bangsa Johor.”

I suggest that this meeting be opened by the Johore Sultan and that it be held by the end of this month, for the Covid-19 pandemic is  deteriorating very rapidly, and if the Health Ministry’s revised modelling is right, then we will be seeing more than 8,000 daily increases of new Covid-19 cases by June.

For nine consecutive days, Malaysia’s daily increase of new Covid-19 cases has exceeded that of Indonesia, justifying the snide remark of the Indonesian authorities that Malaysia and India are nations which should not be emulated as they had mishandled the Covid-19 pandemic!

I said this morning that  “Yesterday was the worst day for Malaysia in the 17-month Covid-19 pandemic”, with Malaysia’s daily increase of new Covid-19 cases breaking two barriers in one go, the 5,000-mark and the 6,000-mark,  as well as  establishing a new record for daily increase of new Covid-19 cases.

Today we broke yesterday’s record for daily increase of new Covid-19 cases, as well as crashed through the 2,000 mark for Covid-19 deaths as the total Covid-19 fatalities now  stand at 2040 – a horrifying figure.

If the present Covid-19 situation continues, we  will reach the half-million mark in cumulative total of Covid-19 cases on Saturday, May 22, 2021.

Malaysia is witnessing an unprecedented surge of Covid-19 cases. In contrast, in the  United States, the worst nation in the world with the  most Covid-19 cases and fatalities,  there is a sharp drop in increase of new Covid-19 cases, from the peak of daily increase 304,190 new cases  on January 8 to 28,435 cases yesterday – a humongous drop of 91%!

In fact, in  the United States yesterday, Covid-19 cases were  down in all 50 US states for the first time since the pandemic began, causing the senior White House Covid-19 adviser, Andy Slavitt to declare that America was  “winning the war on the virus.”

Even India has fallen from the peak of 414,433 cases on May 6 to 276,261 today (May 20) – a sharp drop of 34% in a matter of a fortnight.

What is more unacceptable to Malaysians  is that we are even losing out to UK, Italy and Spain, European countries which had been such catastrophes last year in the Covid-19 pandemic.  Yesterday’s daily increase of new Covid-19 cases for UK were 2,696 cases, Italy 5,506 cases and Spain 6,080 cases as compared to Malaysia new Covid-19 cases of 6,806 cases.

Malaysia holds the dubious record of being ranked No. 42 among nations in the world with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases, but we hold the more dubious record of being ranked No. 12 among countries with the most daily increase of new Covid-19 cases – after India (276,261 new cases), Brazil (79,706), Argentina (39,651), USA (28,435),  France (19,050), Colombia (16,579). Iran (12,789),  Germany (11,881), Turkey (11.553), Nepal (8,604) and  Russia (7,920).

At the present  rate of daily increase of new Covid-19 cases, Malaysia will overtake Morocco and Lebanon to be ranked No. 40 in the world for cumulative total of

Covid-19 cases by the end of the month.

The de facto Law Minister Takiyuddin Hassan said in Kota Bharu today that the National Security Council (NSC) will meet in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow to decide whether to implement “total lockdown” to stem the spread of Covid-19.

The NSC had been most irresponsible to delay meeting until tomorrow as the deterioration of the Covid-19 situation had been developing for the past fortnight.

The NSC must accept that the declaration of emergency on January 12 had been a failure and the wrong antidote for the Covid-19 pandemic, and ideally, it should act on my two proposals for a new start in the war against Covid-19 pandemic, viz:

Firstly, convene Parliament and the State Assemblies  to establish a parliamentary and State Assembly  united front in the war against Covid-19 pandemic where there will be no “no-confidence” motion and to spearhead a “whole-of-society” national mobilisation of Malaysians to restore the country to normalcy; and

Secondly, to end all Covid-19 SOP flip-flops and double standards, including an end to all police investigations into the groups of youths who gathered in front of Parliament on April 30 protesting against the suspension of Parliament and the group of youths who held a protest in Parit Raja, Batu Pahat on May 12 and unfurled a large banner with the words “#kerajaangagal” as well as to end all repression and harassment of journalists, protest leaders and various other critics of the government.

This should be on the agenda of the NSC tomorrow.

At the minimum, the NSC should declare that it has no objection to the proposal of a meeting of all MPs and SAs in Johore as proposed by the Sultan of Johore on the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Johore Mentri Besar should spring into action to convene a meeting of all Johore MPs and SAs on the Covid-19 pandemic by the end of the month.

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

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

#kerajaangagal54 — Semua Ahli Parlimen dan Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri Johor wajar menyokong titah Sultan Johor untuk mengadakan mesyuarat bagi membincangkan penularan wabak Covid-19 dan kesannya kepada penduduk negeri itu

Semua Ahli Parlimen dan Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri Johor wajar menyokong titah Sultan Johor untuk mengadakan mesyuarat bagi membincangkan penularan wabak Covid-19 dan kesannya kepada penduduk negeri itu.

Sultan Johor sedar akan Ordinan Darurat yang sedang berkuat kuasa menghalang persidangan Parlimen dan DUN untuk dijalankan ketika ini, namun baginda berpandangan mesyuarat dapat dilaksanakan dalam bentuk lain dan dipengerusikan oleh menteri besar.

Titah baginda: “Melalui perbincangan ini, semua ahli Parlimen dan Adun boleh memberikan buah fikiran dan pandangan masing-masing dalam membendung penularan wabak Covid-19 dan menyelesaikan masalah yang dihadapi oleh Bangsa Johor.”

Saya mencadangkan agar mesyuarat ini dirasmikan oleh Sultan Johor dan diadakan pada akhir bulan ini, kerana pandemik Covid-19 merebak dengan pantas, dan jika ramalan Kementerian Kesihatan terbukti benar, maka kita akan menyaksikan peningkatan kes harian sebanyak 8,000 kes menjelang Julai.

Selama sembilan hari berturut-turut, angka kes harian baharu Covid-19 di Malaysia mengatasi Indonesia; sehinggakan Kerajaan Indonesia menggunakan negara kita bersama dengan India sebagai contoh negara yang gagal menguruskan wabak ini dengan baik.

Pagi ini, saya berkata bahawa ” semalam merupakan hari terburuk dalam 17 bulan pandemik Covid-19″, dengan peningkatan kes harian baharu Covid-19 di Malaysia semalam melintasi dua jumlah besar sekaligus, iaitu 5,000 dan 6,000 kes, mencipta rekod baharu bagi kes baharu Covid-19.

Hari ini kita memecahkan rekod semalam dengan 6,8006 kes baharu Covid-19 dengan angka kematian akibat wabak itu kini memecah 2,040 orang.

Sekiranya keadaan Covid-19 sekarang berterusan, kita akan mencapai angka setengah juta dalam jumlah keseluruhan kes Covid-19 pada Sabtu, 22 Mei 2021.

Malaysia menyaksikan lonjakan kes Covid-19 yang belum pernah terjadi sebelumnya. Sebaliknya, di Amerika Syarikat, negara terburuk di dunia dengan kes dan kematian akibat Covid-19 terbanyak, menyaksikan perubahan yang ketara, daripada 304,190 kes aktif pada 8 Januari kepada 28,435 kes aktif semalam – penurunan besar sebanyak 91%!

Semalam di Amerika Syarikat, kes Covid-19 mencatatkan penururan di semua 50 negeri di negara itu untuk pertama kalinya sejak wabak itu tercetus, menatijahkan kenyataan oleh penasihat kanan White House Covid-19, Andy Slavitt yang mengisytiharkan bahawa Amerika telah “memenangi perang terhadap virus tersebut.”

Bahkan India telah mencatatkan penurunan daripada 414,433 kes pada 6 Mei kepada 274,030 pada 19 Mei – penurunan mendadak sebanyak 34% dalam masa dua minggu.

Apa yang lebih mengecewakan rakyat Malaysia adalah hakikat bahawa kita telah tewas dengan England, Itali, Sepanyol serta negara-negara Eropah yang teruk dilanda wabak itu pada tahun lalu. Peningkatan kes harian baharu Covid-19 di UK semalam adalah 2,696 kes, Itali 5,506 kes dan Sepanyol 6,080 kes berbanding Malaysia 6,806 kes.

Malaysia berada di kedudukan ke-42 antara negara-negara di dunia dengan jumlah keseluruhan kes positif Covid-19 tertinggi, malah menjadi negara ke-12 di dunia dengan kenaikan kes harian Covid-19 tertinggi selepas India (276,261 kes baru), Brazil (79,706), Argentina (39,651), Amerika Syarikat (28,435), Perancis (19,050), Colombia (16,579). Iran (12,789), Jerman (11,881), Turki (11,553), Nepal (8,604) dan Rusia (7,920).

Pada kadar kenaikan kes harian baharu Covid-19 ini, Malaysia bakal mengatasi Maghribi dan Lubnan untuk berada di tangga ke-40 dunia dengan jumlah keseluruhan kes positif Covid-19 tertinggi.

Menteri Undang-undang Takiyuddin Hassan berkata di Kota Bahru bahawa Majlis Keselamatan Negara (MKN) akan bermesyuarat di Kuala Lumpur esok untuk memutuskan sama ada kerajaan akan melaksanakan “sekatan penuh (total lockdown)” untuk membendung penyebaran Covid-19.

MKN dilihat sangat tidak bertanggungjawab kerana menangguhkan mesyuarat sepenting itu sehingga esok kerana keadaan Covid-19 di negara ini semakin memburuk sejak dua minggu yang lalu.

MKN mesti menerima hakikat bahawa pengisytiharan darurat pada 12 Januari merupakan satu kegagalan dan bukan penawar yang dicari untuk menangani pandemik Covid-19. Kerajaan seharusnya mempertimbangkan cadangan saya iaitu untuk memulakan strategi baru bagi membendung pandemik Covid-19, umpanya:

Pertama, memanggil sidang Parlimen untuk membentuk barisan Parlimen yang bersatu dalam melawan wabak Covid-19 ini, di mana tidak ada sebarang “usul tidak percaya” untuk menggerakkan usaha mobilisasi kebangsaan yang melibatkan “keseluruhan masyarakat” untuk mengembalikan kehidupan normal dalam negara kita; dan

Kedua, menamatkan semua dasar flip-flop dan dwistandard dalam pelaksanaan SOP, termasuk menghentikan semua siasatan polis terhadap kumpulan anak muda yang berkumpul di hadapan Parlimen pada 30 April bagi memprotes penggantungan Parlimen dan kumpulan anak muda yang mengadakan tunjuk perasaan secara aman di Parit Raja, Batu Pahat pada 12 Mei dan mengangkat sepanduk besar dengan tulisan “#kerajaangagal”. Tamatkan juga semua penindasan dan gangguan terhadap wartawan, pemimpin protes dan pengkritik kerajaan.

Perkara-perkara ini harus menjadi agenda terpenting dalam mesyuarat MKN esok.

Sekurang-kurangnya, MKN harus menyatakan bahawa mereka tidak keberatan untuk menjunjung titah Sultan Johor agar mesyuarat melibatkan semua Ahli Parlimen dan Adun Johor bagi membincangkan masalah penularan Covid-19 di negeri itu dapat dilaksanakan.

Menteri Besar Johor harus mula bertindak untuk mengadakan mesyuarat tersebut pada akhir bulan ini.

(Kenyataan media (2) Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Khamis, 20 Mei 2021)

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 20 May 2021, 5:17 pm and is filed under
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#kerajaangagal55 – Will the National Security Council give its blessing to the meeting of all Johore MPs and SAs on the Covid-19 pandemic as proposed by the Johore Sultan and will the Prime Minister, as a Johore State Assemblyman, give a report to the meeting?

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

The Johore Mentri Besar, Hasni Mohammad has acted on the Johore Sultan’s advice to convene a meeting of all Johore  MPs and State Assembly representatives next week on the Covid-19 pandemic to discuss efforts to strengthen and improve all Federal and State government  measures to curb the pandemic.

Hasni said:

“This (discussion) includes increasing the capacity of the existing Covid-19 quarantine and low-risk treatment centre and vaccination centre in Johor.

“Even though the Emergency Ordinance is in force, the state government will ensure that the Johor state secretary and legal adviser will oversee the smooth running of the discussions.”

He said the state government gave an assurance that matters decided in the meeting would be brought to the National Security Council (NSC).

Will the National Security Council meeting later this morning  give its blessing to the meeting of all Johore MPs and SAs on the Covid-19 pandemic as proposed by the Johore Sultan and will the Prime Minister, as a Johore State Assemblyman, give a report to the meeting?

It is most shocking that the NSC meeting later today  which would decide on whether to impose  a “total lockdown” in the country would exclude the Mentri Besars and Chief Ministers, as revealed by the Selangor Mentri Besar Amirudin Shari yesterday.

Where is the “all-of-government” strategy and approach in the war against Covid-19 pandemic if Mentri Besars and Chief Ministers are excluded from the NSC meeting?

Already the nation’s war against the Covid-19 pandemic is suffering badly from the lack of an “all-of-society” strategy and approach, although I had made such a  suggestion as far back as May last year. Twelve months elapsed without the government  doing anything on the suggestion!

Ideally, the NSC should undo the mistaken and failed policies in the  war against Covid-19 pandemic and propose the immediate convening of Parliament and the State Assemblies  to establish a parliamentary and State Assembly  united front in the war against Covid-19 pandemic where there will be no “no-confidence” motion so as  to spearhead a “whole-of-society” national mobilisation of Malaysians to save lives and livelihoods and to  restore the country to normalcy.

The NSC should also end all Covid-19 SOP flip-flops and double standards, including an end to all police investigations into the groups of youths who gathered in front of Parliament on April 30 protesting against the suspension of Parliament and the group of youths who held a protest in Parit Raja, Batu Pahat on May 12 and unfurled a large banner with the words “#kerajaangagal” as well as to end all repression and harassment of journalists, protest leaders and various other critics of the government.

The NSC should also  prioritise the restoration of public trust and confidence in the national strategy against the Covid-19 pandemic, as no government had such a humongous deficit of public trust and confidence in the history of Malaysia as the Muhyiddin government.

That Malaysia is facing a very dire situation  in the Covid-19 pandemic could be gauged from the shocking announcement by the Kedah State Exco for Health and Local Government, Dr. Mohd Hayati Othman, that the authorities would be playing God to decide who lives and who dies.

Hayati said chronically ill patients with little hope of recovery in Kedah will no longer be placed in intensive care units (ICUs), due to the dwindling number of ICU beds available in the state.

This applies to both Covid-19 patients as well as those without Covid-19.

Yesterday  we broke the previous day’s  record for daily increase of new Covid-19 cases by recording 6,806 new  cases, as well as crashed through the 2,000 mark for total Covid-19 fatalities which now  stand at 2040 – a horrifying figure.

For nine consecutive days, Malaysia’s daily increase of new Covid-19 cases has exceeded that of Indonesia, justifying the snide remark of the Indonesian authorities that Malaysia and India are nations which should not be emulated as they had mishandled the Covid-19 pandemic!

Malaysia is witnessing an unprecedented surge of Covid-19 cases. In contrast in the  United States, the worst nation in the world with the  most Covid-19 cases and fatalities,  there is a sharp drop in daily increase of new Covid-19 cases, from the peak of daily increase of 304,190 new cases  on January 8 to 28,435 cases yesterday – a humongous drop of 91%!

In fact, in  the United States, Covid-19 cases were  down in all 50 US states for the first time since the pandemic began, causing the senior White House Covid-19 adviser, Andy Slavitt to declare that America was  “winning the war on the virus.”

Imagine, the United States beginning to win the war against Covid-19 pandemic while we in Malaysia  are beginning to lose the war!

Even India has fallen sharply  from the peak of 414,433 cases on May 6 to 276,261  yesterday (May 20) – a sharp drop of 34% in a matter of a fortnight.

What is more unacceptable to Malaysians  is that we are even losing out to UK, Italy and Spain, European countries which had been such catastrophes last year in the Covid-19 pandemic.

Yesterday’s daily increase of new Covid-19 cases for UK were 2,696 cases, Italy 5,506 cases and Spain 6,080 cases as compared to Malaysia’s  new daily  Covid-19 cases of 6,806 cases.

Malaysia holds the dubious record of being ranked No. 42 among nations in the world with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases, but we hold the more dubious record of being ranked No. 12 among countries with the most daily increase of new Covid-19 cases – after India (276,261 new cases), Brazil (79,706), Argentina (39,651), USA (28,435),  France (19,050), Colombia (16,579). Iran (12,789),  Germany (11,881), Turkey (11.553), Nepal (8,604) and  Russia (7,920).

Will the NSC meeting later this morning be prepared for a new start and a new  strategy in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic?

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

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

#kerajaangagal55 — Adakah Majlis Keselamatan Negara (MKN) akan membenarkan mesyuarat semua Ahli Parlimen dan Adun Johor diadakan bagi membincangkan mengenai situasi semasa wabak Covid-19 seperti yang dititahkan oleh Sultan Johor semalam dan adakah Perdana Menteri, sebagai Adun Johor, akan memberikan laporan kepada mesyuarat tersebut?

Menteri Besar Johor, Hasni Mohammad telah bertindak atas nasihat Sultan Johor untuk mengadakan mesyuarat melibatkan semua Ahli Parlimen dan Adun Johor pada minggu hadapan bagi membincangkan usaha memperkukuh dan menambah baik segala usaha yang telah dan akan diambil kerajaan Negeri dan kerajaan Persekutuan untuk membendung pandemik.

Hasni berkata:

“Perbincangan ini termasuk bagi meningkatkan kapasiti pusat rawatan dan kuarantin Covid-19 berisiko rendah (PKRC) sedia ada dan pusat pemberian vaksin.

“Walaupun Ordinan Darurat sedang berkuat kuasa, kerajaan negeri akan memastikan Setiausaha Kerajaan dan Penasihat Undang-Undang Negeri Johor memudahkan kelancaran perbincangan itu.”

Katanya, kerajaan negeri memberi jaminan bahawa perkara yang diputuskan dalam mesyuarat itu akan dibawa ke Majlis Keselamatan Negara (MKN).

Adakah Majlis Keselamatan Negara (MKN) akan membenarkan mesyuarat melibat semua Ahli Parlimen dan Adun Johor diadakan bagi membincangkan mengenai situasi semasa pandemik Covid-19 seperti yang diusulkan oleh Sultan Johor menerusi titahnya semalam dan adakah Perdana Menteri, sebagai Adun Johor, akan membentangkan laporan kepada mesyuarat tersebut?

Yang paling mengejutkan adalah mesyuarat MKN hari ini yang akan memutuskan tentang pelaksanaan “sekatan penuh” di seluruh negara, tidak membabitkan Menteri Besar dan Ketua Menteri, seperti yang dinyatakan oleh Menteri Besar Selangor Amirudin Shari semalam.

Di manakah strategi dan pendekatan “keseluruhan kerajaan” dalam perang melawan pandemik Covid-19 jika Menteri Besar dan Ketua Menteri dikecualikan daripada mesyuarat NSC?

Ini lebih-lebih lagi selepas kegagalan dalam melawan pandemik Covid-19 ekoran kurangnya penerapan strategi dan pendekatan melibatkan “keseluruhan masyarakat”, walaupun saya telah memberikan cadangan seumpama itu sejak Mei tahun lalu. Dua belas bulan berlalu tanpa kerajaan menyahut cadangan tersebut!

Sebaik-baiknya, MKN harus membatalkan dasar yang salah dan gagal dalam perang melawan pandemik Covid-19 dan mencadangkan agar sidang Parlimen dan Dewan Negeri segera diadakan untuk membentuk Parlimen dan Dewan Undangan Negeri yang bersatu dalam perang menentang pandemik Covid-19, di mana tidak ada sebarang “usul tidak percaya” untuk menggerakkan usaha mobilisasi kebangsaan yang melibatkan “keseluruhan masyarakat” untuk mengembalikan kehidupan normal dalam negara kita; dan

MKN juga perlu berhenti mengumumkan keputusan yang sering berubah-ubah dan layanan berbeza dalam pelaksanaan SOP, termasuk menghentikan semua siasatan polis terhadap kumpulan anak muda yang berkumpul di hadapan Parlimen pada 30 April bagi memprotes penggantungan Parlimen dan kumpulan anak muda yang mengadakan tunjuk perasaan secara aman di Parit Raja, Batu Pahat pada 12 Mei dan mengangkat sepanduk besar dengan tulisan “#kerajaangagal” serta menamatkan semua penindasan dan gangguan terhadap wartawan, pemimpin protes dan pengkritik kerajaan.

MKN juga harus memberikan keutamaan kepada usaha untuk memulihkan kepercayaan dan keyakinan masyarakat terhadap strategi negara dalam melawan pandemik Covid-19, kerana tidak ada dalam sejarah Malaysia di mana sesebuah kerajaan itu menanggung defisit kepercayaan dan keyakinan masyarakat yang begitu teruk seperti yang dialami kerajaan Muhyiddin hari ini.

Malaysia menghadapi situasi pandemik Covid-19 yang sangat mengerikan, dan ini dapat dirasai menerusi kenyataan mengejutkan Exco Kesihatan Kedah Dr Mohd Hayati Othman bahawa kakitangan perubatan akan terpaksa membuat penilaian cukup berat dalam memilih antara pesakit kritikal dan pesakit Covid-19 yang perlu dimasukkan segera ke ICU.

Hayati berkata, pesakit yang sakit kronik dan tiada harapan untuk sembuh di Kedah tidak lagi akan ditempatkan di unit rawatan rapi (ICU), kerana bilangan katil ICU yang semakin berkurang di negeri itu.

Keadaan ini melibatkan kedua-dua pesakit Covid-19 dan juga bukan pesakit Covid-19.

Semalam, kita memecahkan rekod semalam dengan 6,806 kes baharu Covid-19 dengan angka kematian akibat wabak itu kini memecah 2,040 orang.

Selama sembilan hari berturut-turut, angka kes harian baharu Covid-19 di Malaysia mengatasi Indonesia; sehinggakan Kerajaan Indonesia menggunakan negara kita bersama dengan India sebagai contoh negara yang gagal menguruskan wabak ini dengan baik.

Malaysia menyaksikan lonjakan kes Covid-19 yang belum pernah terjadi sebelumnya. Sebaliknya, di Amerika Syarikat, negara terburuk di dunia dengan kes dan kematian akibat Covid-19 terbanyak, menyaksikan perubahan yang ketara, daripada 304,190 kes baharu pada 8 Januari kepada 28,435 kes semalam – penurunan besar sebanyak 91%!

Di Amerika Syarikat, kes Covid-19 mencatatkan penururan di semua 50 negeri di negara itu untuk pertama kalinya sejak wabak itu tercetus, menatijahkan kenyataan oleh penasihat kanan White House Covid-19, Andy Slavitt yang mengisytiharkan bahawa Amerika telah “memenangi perang terhadap virus tersebut.”

Bayangkan, Amerika Syarikat sudah mula mengisytiharkan kemenangan dalam perang melawan pandemik Covid-19 sementara kita di Malaysia masih teruk dilanda wabak itu!

Bahkan India telah mencatatkan penurunan kes positif Covid-19 daripada 414,433 kes pada 6 Mei kepada 274,030 pada 19 Mei – penurunan mendadak sebanyak 34% dalam masa dua minggu.

Apa yang lebih mengecewakan rakyat Malaysia adalah hakikat bahawa kita telah tewas dengan England, Itali, Sepanyol serta negara-negara Eropah yang teruk dilanda wabak itu pada tahun lalu. Peningkatan kes harian baharu Covid-19 di UK semalam adalah 2,696 kes, Itali 5,506 kes dan Sepanyol 6,080 kes berbanding Malaysia 6,806 kes.

Malaysia berada di kedudukan ke-42 antara negara-negara di dunia dengan jumlah keseluruhan kes positif Covid-19 tertinggi, malah menjadi negara ke-12 di dunia dengan kenaikan kes harian Covid-19 tertinggi selepas India (276,261 kes baru), Brazil (79,706), Argentina (39,651), Amerika Syarikat (28,435), Perancis (19,050), Colombia (16,579). Iran (12,789), Jerman (11,881), Turki (11,553), Nepal (8,604) dan Rusia (7,920).

Adakah mesyuarat MKN pagi ini akan mengorak langkah baharu dalam menerapkan strategi dan pendekatan baharu dalam perang melawan pandemik Covid-19?

(Kenyataan media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Jumaat, 21 Mei 2021)

                This entry was posted on Friday, 21 May 2021, 8:16 am and is filed under
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#kerajaangagal56 – will all Malaysians who were vaccinated this year require a booster shot next year?

There is widespread scepticism and doubt that the Co-ordinating Minister for National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme would be able to fulfil his promise to complete the national vaccination rollout  by this year, as after nearly three months of the national vaccination campaign, only 2.4 per cent of the population had been fully vaccinated while 3.9 per cent of the population had been given one dose of the vaccine.

We have seven months to go before the end of the year. Even if we speed up national vaccination rollout, is it possible to achieve the 60-70 per cent vaccination of the Malaysian population necessary to achieve the herd immunity for the  Covid-19 virus?

If in three months we can only get 2.4 per cent of the population to be fully vaccinated and 3.9 per cent of population to be given one dose of the vaccine, what can seven months do?

Up to another 10% to be fully vaccinated and another 15% to be given one dose of the vaccine – to reach a grand total of 12.4% fully vaccinated and 18.9 per cent of the population given one dose of the vaccine?

This is very far from the 60-70% of the population who must be vaccinated for the country to reach herd immunity for the Covid-19 virus.

We will need at least  a full year in 2022 to reach herd immunity in Malaysia by vaccinating 60-70 per cent of the population – but the Deputy Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, Ahmad Amzad Hashim is not talking about vaccinating  60-70 per cent of the population but 80 per cent of the population or 26.5 million people to reach herd immunity, which will take Malaysia into 2023.

But this is not the only problem. There are two others.

Presently, medical experts think that vaccine immunity may last 6-8 months. If vaccine immunity can only last 6-8 months, and our vaccine rollout is so slow and tardy, by the time the last vaccine group get their first dose in 2022 or 2023, the first vaccine group from Feb – June 2021  would have passed their vaccine immune period.

Secondly, we are in a race against time in the battle of “vaccine vs virus”, as the more the virus spreads, the more chances it has to mutate and create new variants that could eventually resist current vaccines, threatening to undermine the progress in containing the pandemic.

CNN has reported that those who had been vaccinated may need another round within a year, according Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of United States.

A batch of new studies have found that topping up virus immunity with the vaccine boost will be even more important with the emergence of new variants that might have acquired genetic changes that make them more resistant to the immunity generated by vaccines or following natural infection.

The Prime Minister, the National Security Council or the  Special Committee for Ensuring Access to COVID-19 Vaccine Supply (JKJAV) should let Malaysians know the government position on this important question.

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

                This entry was posted on Friday, 21 May 2021, 12:20 pm and is filed under
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#kerajaangagal57 – If the question had been asked at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic 17 months ago what to do with a government which allows half-a-million people in Malaysia   to be infected with Covid-19 and more than 2,100 people to die of it, the answer will be that this government is not fit to be in power and must be replaced

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

If the question had been asked at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic 17 months ago what to do with a government which allows half-a-million people in Malaysia   to be infected with Covid-19 and more than 2,100 people to die of it, the answer will be that this government is not fit to be in power and must be replaced.

Today, Malaysia crossed the half-million mark for total cumulative total of Covid-19 cases and our Covid-19 fatalities stand at over 2,149 deaths.

This is a sombre reminder that we are at war, though an invisible war, and  that we have lost 2,149 lives as of yesterday and more lives would be lost before the Covid-19 pandemic is brought under control.

This is also solemn reminder that before the Pakatan Harapan Government was prematurely and undemocratically toppled after  22 months in power,  the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic had  recorded five Covid-19 cases and zero deaths.

Malaysians never expected that the Perikatan Nasional would turn out to be such a bad and kakistocratic  government as  the second and  third Covid-19  wave,  which has become the longest Covid-19 wave in the world, have now infected over  half-a-million people with Covid-19  and killed over 2,100 people  – and there is no light at the end of the tunnel yet, as the worst seems yet to come.

The emergency that was declared on January 12, 2021 to combat Covid-19  is  a complete failure – illustrated by the fact that  on January 12, the daily increase of new Covid-19 cases was 3,309 cases, the cumulative total was 141,533 cases and the Covid-10 fatalities  were 559 deaths and yesterday’s (May 21, 202) data, where the daily increase of new Covid-19 cases has shot up to 6,493 cases, the cumulative total to 498,795 cases and the Covid-19 fatalities to 2,149 deaths.

What is completely unacceptable is that Malaysia has become the third country, after Indonesia and the Philippines, with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases.  Even worse, Malaysia has beaten Indonesia for the past 10 days and beaten Philippines in the last four days in having more daily increase of new Covid-19 cases.

We have also become the Top 12th country in the world in daily increase of new Covid-19 cases, after  India, Brazil, Argentina. USA, France, Colombia, Iran, Germany, Turkey, Nepal and Russia.

On cumulative total of Covid-19 cases, we are ranked No. 42  among nations in the world, well ahead of other nations in East Asia, ASEAN and the Pacific, like Myanmar (83), South Korea (84), Thailand (90),  China (99),  Singapore (105), Australia (121),  Cambodia (124), Hong Kong (149), Vietnam (167), Taiwan (178), New Zealand (180) and  Brunei (202).

At the present rate of daily  increase of new Covid-19 cases, Malaysia will be ranked No. 40 overtaking  Morocco and Lebanon by the end of the month.

In the Covid-19 pandemic, Malaysia should be compared with the better-performing nations but we are instead placed among the worst-performing nations!

It is most unfortunate and regrettable that  the National Security Council meeting yesterday on the Covid-19 pandemic failed to consider my three  proposals for a new start and a new strategy in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic, viz:

1.     Immediate convening of Parliament and the State Assemblies to establish a parliamentary and State Assembly united front in the war against Covid-19 pandemic where there will be no “no-confidence” motion so as to spearhead a “whole-of-society” national mobilisation of Malaysians to save lives and livelihoods and to restore the country to normalcy;

2.     End all Covid-19 SOP flip-flops and double standards, including an end to all police investigations into the groups of youths who gathered in front of Parliament on April 30 protesting against the suspension of Parliament and  the group of youths who held a protest in Parit Raja, Batu Pahat on May 12 and unfurled a large banner with the words “#kerajaangagal” as well as to end all repression and harassment of journalists, protest leaders and various other critics of the government; and

3.     Prioritise the restoration of public trust and confidence in the national strategy against the Covid-19 pandemic, as no government had such a humongous deficit of public trust and confidence in the history of Malaysia as the Muhyiddin government.

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

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

#kerajaangagal57 — Sekiranya persoalan ditanya pada waktu kita mula berhadapan dengan wabak Covid-19 ini 17 bulan yang lepas, apa yang patut dibuat dengan kerajaan yang membiarkan setengah juta rakyat dijangkiti Covid-19 dengan lebih daripada 2,100 mati akibat wabak ini, jawapannya pastilah kerajaan ini tidak layak untuk b
erkuasa dan mestilah ditukar

Sekiranya persoalan ditanya pada waktu kita mula berhadapan dengan wabak Covid-19 ini 17 bulan yang lepas, apa yang patut dibuat dengan kerajaan yang membiarkan setengah juta rakyat dijangkiti Covid-19 dengan lebih daripada 2,100 mati akibat wabak ini, jawapannya pastilah kerajaan ini tidak layak untuk berkuasa dan mestilah ditukar.

Hari ini, Malaysia melepasi paras setengah juta kes terkumpul Covid-19 dan negara kita mencatatkan 2,149 korban nyawa akibat wabak ini.

Perkara ini menjadi peringatan suram bahawa kita kini sedang berada dalam satu peperangan, walaupun musuh ini tidak dapat dilihat dengan mata kasar, dan kita kini telah kehilangan 2,149 nyawa setakat semalam dan lebih ramai lagi yang akan terkorban sebelum kita berjaya mengawal wabak ini.

Perkara ini juga menjadi peringatan, bahawa sebelum Kerajaan Pakatan Harapan ditumbangkan secara tidak demokratik, hanya selepas 22 bulan mentadbir, gelombang pertama wabak Covid-19 hanya mencatatkan lima kes Covid-19 dan sifar kematian.

Rakyat Malaysia tidak menjangkakan yang Perikatan Nasional akan menjadi sebuah kerajaan yang seteruk ini, dengan gelombang kedua dan gelombang ketiga yang kini telah menjadi gelombang penularan terpanjang di dunia telah menjangkiti lebih daripada setengah juta orang di negara kita dan mengorbankan lebih daripada 2,100 nyawa — dan kita masih lagi belum dapat melihat penghujung kepada episod mimpi ngeri ini.

Darurat yang diisytiharkan pada 12 Januari 2021 untuk melawan wabak Covid-19 ini terbukti sebagai satu kegagalan — digambarkan melalui hakikat bahawa pada 12 Januari, kita mencatatkan 3,309 kes baharu, dengan 131,533 kes terkumpul dan 559 kematian, manakala setakat semalam (21 Mei) kita mencatatkan 6,493 kes baharu, dengan sejumlah 498,795 kes terkumpul dan sejumlah 2,149 kematian.

Apa yang tidak boleh diterima sama sekali adalah Malaysia kini telah menjadi negara ketiga selepas Indonesia dan Filipina dengan jumlah kes terkumpul tertinggi. Lebih buruk lagi, kita telah mengalahkan Indonesia dengan lebih banyak jumlah peningkatan kes harian untuk 10 hari yang lepas dan mengalahkan Filipina dalam ukuran yang sama untuk empat hari yang lepas.

Kita juga telah tergolong dalam 12 negara teratas di dunia dengan peningkatan harian tertinggi, selepas India, Brazil, Argentina, AS, Perancis, Colombia, Iran, Jerman, Turki, Nepal, dan Rusia.

Dari segi jumlah kes terkumpul, kita berada di tempat ke-42, jauh di hadapan berbanding dengan beberapa negara Asia Timur, ASEAN, dan kawasan serantau Pasifik seperti Myanmar (83), Korea Selatan (84), Thailand (90), China (99), Singapura (105), Australia (121), Kemboja (124), Hong Kong (149), Vietnam (167), Taiwan (178) ), New Zealand (180) dan Brunei (202).

Pada kadar peningkatan harian semasa, kita akan mengatasi kedudukan Maghribi dan Lubnan ke tempat ke-40 menjelang hujung bulan ini.

Dalam pandemik Covid-19, Malaysia sepatutnya dibandingkan dengan negara yang mencatatkan prestasi yang lebih baik, sebaliknya kita tergolong bersama dengan negara-negara dengan prestasi terburuk!

Amat mengecewakan apabila mesyuarat Majlis Keselamatan Negara semalam gagal untuk mempertimbangkan tiga cadangan saya untuk permulaan dan strategi baharu untuk melawan Covid-19, iaitu:

1.    Memanggil semula sidang Parlimen dan Dewan Undangan Negeri secepat mungkin untuk membentuk barisan bersatu melawan wabak Covid-19 di mana tidak ada sebarang “usul undi tidak percaya” untuk menggerakkan usaha yang melibatkan “keseluruhan masyarakat” dalam kalangan rakyat Malaysia untuk menyelamatkan nyawa dan kehidupan rakyat dan mengembalikan kehidupan normal dalam negara kita;

2.    Menghentikan semua SOP yang tidak tentu arah dan layanan berbeza, termasuklah siasatan polis terhadap golongan anak muda yang berhimpun di hadapan Parlimen pada 30 April untuk menyatakan protes terhadap penggantungan Parlimen dan kumpulan anak muda yang mengadakan protes di Parit Raja, Batu Pahat pada 12 Mei dengan kain rentang yang tertulis “#kerajaangagal” dan juga menghentikan semua gangguan dan sekatan kepada para wartawan, pemimpin protes, dan pengkritik kerajaan; dan

3.    Mengutamakan usaha untuk mengembalikan kepercayaan dan keyakinan masyarakat dalam strategi negara kita untuk melawan wabak Covid-19, memandangkan tidak ada satu pun kerajaan sebelum ini yang berhadapan dengan defisit kepercayaan sebesar yang dihadapi kerajaan Muhyiddin ini.

(Kenyataan media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Sabtu 22 Mei 2021)

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 22 May 2021, 7:43 am and is filed under
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#kerajaangagal58 – New IGP Acryl Sani must succeed where seven IGPs have failed – transform Royal Malaysia Police into a world-class police force and implement proposals of the Police Royal Commission 16 years ago especially  to hold an inquiry into every case of police death in custody

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

The new IGP Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani must succeed where seven IGPs before him have failed – to transform  the Royal Malaysia Police into a world-class police force and implement the proposal of the Police Royal Commission 16 years ago especially to hold an inquiry into every case of police death in custody.

Sixteen years ago in 2005, the Police Royal Commission headed by a  former Chief Justice,  Tun Dzaiddin and the longest-serving former IGP,  Tun Hanif Omar, said  in its report that  it viewed  with “grave concern the unacceptable high incidence of deaths  in custody and the failure by the authorities to hold inquests before magistrates in most of the cases” and proposed that “inquiries must be held by a magistrate into all cases of death in custody within one month of receiving the report of death”.

Although the  longest-serving  former IGP was the vice chairman of the Police Royal Commission, the police force led by six  IGPs – Mohd Bakri Omar, Musa Hassan, Ismail Omar, Khalid Abu Bakar and Mohd Fuzi Haru –  were hostile to the recommendations of the Police Royal Commission, in particular its proposal for the establishment of an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) – except for the most recent IGP, Abdul  Hamid Bador who did not have the time to establish the IPCMC as the Sheraton Move conspiracy toppled the democratically-elected Pakatan Harapan government after 22 months.

Penang Deputy Chief Minister, P. Ramasamy, said that two recent deaths in police custody, security guard  S. Sivabalan and a cow milk trader, A. Ganapathy, are not going to be the last persons to die in custody.

That may be so, but let Sivabalan and Ganapathy not  be the last persons to die in police custody without a full inquiry.

The notion that police personnel are immune from prosecution for gross abuses of power must be banished from all police personnel, as Malaysia must be  a nation where there is the rule of law.

Let the new IGP Acryl Sani announce that every case of death in police custody will result in an inquest, starting with the two cases of Sivabalan and Ganapathy or must the new IGP get the greenlight from the  Prime Minister or Home Minister?

If so, let the Prime Minister and  Home Minister declare their stand on the matter.

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

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

#kerajaangagal58 — KPN baharu Acryl Sani perlu berjaya dalam situasi di mana tujuh KPN sebelum beliau telah gagal — untuk membawa transformasi PDRM menjadi pasukan polis berkelas dunia dan melaksanakan cadangan seperti yang dibentangkan dalam Laporan Suruhanjaya Diraja Polis 16 tahun lalu dan mengadakan siasatan terbuka untuk semua kes kematian dalam tahanan

KPN baharu Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani perlu berjaya dalam situasi di mana tujuh KPN sebelum beliau telah gagal — untuk membawa transformasi PDRM menjadi pasukan polis berkelas dunia dan melaksanakan cadangan seperti yang dibentangkan dalam Laporan Suruhanjaya Diraja Polis 16 tahun lalu dan mengadakan siasatan terbuka untuk semua kes kematian dalam tahanan.

Enam belas tahun lalu pada tahun 2005, Suruhanjaya Diraja Penambahbaikan Pasukan Polis, yang diketuai oleh seorang mantan Ketua Hakim, Tun Dzaiddin dan KPN dengan tempoh berkhidmat paling lama, Tun Hanif Omar, telah mengatakan dalam laporannya bahawa mereka “memandang berat jumlah kematian dalam tahanan yang berada pada tahap tinggi yang tidak boleh diterima” dan mencadangkan supaya “siasatan diadakan oleh seorang majistret dalam semua kes kematian dalam tahanan dalam masa sebulan selepas kematian dilaporkan”.

Walaupun KPN dengan tempoh khidmat terpanjang adalah merupakan Naib Pengerusi Suruhanjaya Diraja ini, pasukan Polis yang telah diketuai oleh enam orang KPN — Mohd Bakri Omar, Musa Hassan, Ismail Omar, Khalid Abu Bakar, dan Mohd Fuzi Harun — kesemuanya tidak berminat dan tidak senang dengan cadangan-cadangan Suruhanjaya tersebut, terutamanya terhadap cadangan pembentukan Suruhanjaya Bebas Aduan dan Salahlaku Polis (IPCMC) — kecuali KPN yang terakhir, Abdul Hamid Bador yang tidak sempat untuk menubuhkan IPCMC apabila Langkah Sheraton menumbangkan kerajaan Pakatan Harapan yang dipilih secara demokratik hanya selepas 22 bulan.

Timbalan Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang, P. Ramasamy, mengatakan kejadian kematian pengawal keselamatan S. Sivabalan dan peniaga susu lembu A. Ganapathy dalam tahanan polis ini tidak akan menjadi kes terakhir kejadian seperti ini.

Perkara ini mungkin benar, tetapi janganlah kita biarkan kematian dua orang ini menjadi kes kematian dalam tahanan yang tidak disiasat secara menyeluruh.

Pemikiran bahawa kakitangan polis imun daripada pendakwaan akibat penyalahgunaan kuasa perlu dihapuskan dalam kalangan pasukan polis, kerana negara kita menghormati kedaulatan undang-undang.

Biarlah KPN Acryl Sani mengumumkan yang semua kes kematian dalam tahanan polis akan disusuli dengan siasatan terbuka, bermula dengan dua kes Sivabalan dan Ganapathy ini, atau adakah beliau perlu pertamanya mendapatkan kebenaran daripada Perdana Menteri atau Menteri Dalam Negeri?

Jika ya, Perdana Menteri dan Menteri Dalam Negeri perlu menjelaskan pendapat mereka mengenai perkara ini.

(Kenyataan media (2) Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Sabtu 22 Mei 2021)

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 22 May 2021, 10:28 am and is filed under
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#kerajaangagal59 – Why is the police doing a disservice to Prime Minister Muhyiddin by  investigating Syed Saddiq and  enlarging the deficit of public trust and confidence in the authorities during the testing time of Covid-19 pandemic?

I am shocked by the police investigation  against the former youth and sports minister and  MP for Muar Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman in connection with the custodial death of A. Ganapathy.

Instead of the police holding an inquest by a magistrate into the death of

Ganapathy to increase public trust and confidence and  to show that the Police is world-class as it has nothing to hide,  it has instead gone on  a wild goose’ chase to investigate those who had been asking for justice for Ganapathy.

Why is the Police afraid of an open and transparent investigation into Ganapathy’s death if the Police has nothing to hide?

A public inquiry into the real cause of Ganapathy’s death in police custody  will also set a high standard of performance  and rectitude by all public servants which is to the nation’s credit.

Already the Muhyiddin government is suffering unprecedented loss of public trust and confidence which has seriously hampered its efficiency and effectiveness, and the best example is the Covid-19 pandemic where an  emergency was declared to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, but the pandemic has gotten worse in terms of daily increase of  new Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 deaths for over the  four  months since the declaration of emergency.

The Police should be mindful that it should be helping the  administration to reduce the deficit of public trust and confidence and not commit acts which only enlarge the deficit of public trust and confidence in the authorities.

Why is the police doing a disservice to Prime Minister Muhyiddin by  investigating Syed Saddiq and  enlarging the deficit of public trust and confidence in the authorities during the testing time of Covid-19 pandemic?

I call on the Police, under the new IGP,  Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani to help restore public trust and confidence in the administration and stop all police investigations, repression and harassment of all critics, journalist and  protest leaders of the government.

(Media Statement (3) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, May 22,2021)

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 22 May 2021, 3:18 pm and is filed under
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#kerajaangagal60 – The total  lack of urgency of the Prime Minister and his lieutenants about the worsening Covid-19 pandemic with over a half-million cases, over 6,000 daily increase of new Covid-19 cases and 2,199 deaths illustrated by nonchalant announcement of the crucial NSC meeting yesterday

Malaysians are right to be outraged by the indifference of the Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin and his lieutenants about the worsening Covid-19 pandemic with over half-a-million Covid-19 cases, the fourth consecutive daily increase of over 6,000 new Covid-19 cases and 2,199 Covid-19 deaths.

This  total lack of urgency and gravity of Muhyiddin and his lieutenants over the worsening Covid-19 pandemic have been illustrated by the nonchalant manner in which the decisions of the  National Security Council (NSC) were announced today.

Since the announcement by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Takiyuddin Hassan in Kota Bharu on Thursday that the National Security Council (NSC) will decide on Friday whether to implement “total lockdown” to stem the spread of Covid-19, the whole nation of 32 million had been on tenterhooks on  the NSC’s Friday decision.

This is not helped when the Selangor Mentri Besar, Amiruddin Shari revealed on Thursday evening that after confirmation of his attendance of the NSC meeting, he had been notified that that the NSC meeting on Friday excluded Menteri Besars and Chief Ministers.

But late on Thursday evening, Mentri Besars and Chief Ministers were again invited to the NSC meeting.

Can the Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, explain this “invite, uninvite, reinvite” drama of Mentri Besars and Chief Ministers to the NSC meeting on Friday – all  happening on Thursday itself?

In view of Takiyuddin’s announcement on Thursday that the NSC will meet to decide on whether to implement a “total lockdown”, many Malaysians waited anxiously for the NSC news on Friday.

But there was none. It was well after eight o’clock on Friday night that there was a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office stating that the senior Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob will announce the NSC’s decision on  more stringent measures to be imposed  at a press conference the next day.

If the Covid-19 pandemic was taken seriously, why didn’t the Prime Minister, who chaired the NSC meeting, announce the NSC decision after its meeting Friday, which started at 3 pm?

The press conference today only justified  the view that  neither the Prime Minister nor his lieutenants took  the Covid-19 pandemic seriously.

Those who had expected an early press conference today were disappointed. Ismail took his time and it was announced that he would make a live telecast at  5 pm, which was pushed to 5.30 p.m.,  together with the Health director-general Noor Hisham.

Why didn’t Muhyiddin make this live telecast as he had done several times on important Covid-19 announcements  last year?  What is more important than the Covid-19 pandemic?

All the events surrounding this  NSC meeting confirm that the Prime Minister and his lieutenants do not take the Covid-19 pandemic seriously.

Malaysians cannot depend on the Muhyiddin government to save themselves.

They must self-lockdown, avoid  the 3Cs and practise the 3Ws – avoid Crowded places, Close-contact settings and Confined and enclosed spaces; practise Wear a mask, Wash  hands and heed the Warning  to avoid close contact, practise proper cough etiquette, frequent disinfection and seek medical help if symptomatic.

(Media Statement (4) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, May 22, 2021)

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 22 May 2021, 9:06 pm and is filed under
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#kerajaangagal61 – Convene Parliament and State Assemblies to form Covid-19 Pandemic Parliamentary and State Assembly United Front with five objectives – (i) national mobilisation (ii) restore public trust and confidence (iii) economic stimulus package to help the poor and vulnerable groups  (iv) mass testing and  (v) accelerate vaccination rollout

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

Who won and who lost from the National Security Council (NSC) meeting of Friday not to  impose a total lockdown in  the war against Covid-19 pandemic?

The people and the nation lost, but the Muhyiddin government thinks it has won, which is most dubious despite several self-seeking opinion polls showing Muhyiddin Yassin head and shoulders above all others in the popularity stakes.

I asked a doctor friend what he thought of the NSC decision as announced by the

Senior Defence Minister, Ismail Sabri yesterday.

His answer:

“From medical perspective, total crap.

“From political survival perspective, good for them.

“From public perspective, people are doomed.”

It would appear that the popularity of  the witticism “MCO – Making Confusing Orders; CMCO – Continue Making Confusing Orders; EMCO – Even More Confusing Orders; RMCO – Repeatedly Making Confusing Orders” on the social media is not going to be dimmed any time soon.

When the Health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah yesterday called on Malaysians to observe a two-week “self-lockdown” to assist the Health Ministry to break the Covid-19 infection chain, it would appear that even he had come to end of the tethers as  he could not get his recommendations accepted by the NSC.

One must be very  sanguine to believe that the stringent measures decided by the NSC on Friday could break the Covid-19 infection chain and flatten the Covid-19 curve in two weeks.

So now Malaysians are left with  self-lockdowns –  to avoid the 3Cs and practise the 3Ws – which would have spared Malaysians of  MCOs, CMCOs, EMCOs and RMCOs if this is the cure for the Covid-19 pandemic.

But with the fourth consecutive daily increase of new Covid-19 cases exceeding 6,000 cases, with the cumulative total of Covid-19 cases exceeding half-a-million mark, and Covid-19 fatalities reaching 2,199 deaths, the 32 million Malaysians must show the world that they are a highly disciplined people who can  practise  self-lockdowns based on  the 3Cs and 3Ws rule.

However, we must not give up on demands that the  government must meet higher standards of expectation of the people to practise appropriate public policies  to bring the Covid-19 pandemic under control and to flatten the Covid-19 curve in the country.

I therefore call on Muhyiddin to put aside all other considerations  and to advise the Yang di Pertuan Agong to convene Parliament immediately to form a Covid-19 Pandemic Parliamentary  United Front with five objectives – (i) national mobilisation; (ii) restore public trust and confidence; (iii) a new economic stimulus package to help the poor and vulnerable; (iv) effective  mass testing; and  (v) accelerate national  vaccination rollout.

Although Parliament and the State Assemblies have been suspended, the Johore Sultan has called on all MPs and SAs in Johore  State to meet on the Covid-19 pandemic as it is deteriorating very rapidly.

If the Health Ministry’s revised modelling is right, then we will be seeing more than 8,000 daily increases of new Covid-19 cases by June. Will a daily increase of  10,000 Covid-19 cases become a norm in Malaysia?

Yesterday was the 10th consecutive day that Malaysia’s daily increase of new Covid-19 cases is more than that of Indonesia, justifying the snide remark of the Indonesian authorities that Malaysia and India were  two  nations which should not be emulated as they had mishandled the Covid-19 pandemic!

Even India yesterday saw its daily increase of new Covid-19 cases fell to 243,777 cases, a sharp 42 per cent drop from its peak of  daily increase of 414,433 new cases on May 6 – just  15 days ago.

I would suggest that all states follow the advice of the Johore Sultan and convene a meeting of MPs and SAs in their respective states to review the development of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It would be a good idea to form Covid-19 Pandemic Parliamentary and State

Assembly United Front on the five objectives I have mentioned above, guided by the consensus whether formalised through a motion or otherwise that there would be no “no-confidence motion” and that the term of Parliament and the State Assemblies would run to their full term till May 2023 unless the Covid-19 pandemic is sooner brought under control.

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

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#kerajaangagal61 — Panggil sidang Parlimen dan DUN untuk membentuk barisan melawan Covid-19 yang kuat dengan lima matlamat — i) mobilisasi kebangsaan, ii) mengembalikan kepercayaan dan keyakinan rakyat, iii) pakej rangsangan ekonomi untuk membantu golongan yang memerlukan, iv) ujian saringan saringan besar-besaran, dan v) mempercepatkan program vaksinasi

Siapa yang menang dan siapa yang kalah dalam mesyuarat Majlis Keselamatan Negara (MKN) pada hari Jumaat lepas dengan keputusan untuk tidak melaksanakan sekatan pergerakan penuh dalam perang melawan wabak Covid-19?

Rakyat dan negara kita yang kalah, tetapi kerajaan Muhyiddin berfikiran bahawa mereka telah menang, dan perkara ini sangat meragukan, walaupun beberapa kajian populariti mengatakan Muhyiddin Yassin jauh mendahului pemimpin lain.

Saya bertanya kepada seorang rakan yang merupakan seorang doktor mengenai pandangan beliau mengenai keputusan MKN seperti yang diumumkan oleh Menteri Kanan Keselamatan, Ismail Sabri, semalam.

Jawapan beliau:

“Dari pandangan perubatan, langsung tak masuk akal.

“Dari segi kelangsungan hidup politik, baik untuk mereka.

“Untuk rakyat, habislah mereka.”

Nampak gayanya, jenaka “MCO – Making Confusing Orders; CMCO – Continue Making Confusing Orders; EMCO – Even More Confusing Orders; RMCO – Repeatedly Making Confusing Orders” di media sosial tidak akan berakhir dalam masa terdekat.

Apabila Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan, Noor Hisham Abdullah semalam meminta rakyat Malaysia untuk melakukan “lockdown kendiri” selama dua minggu untuk membantu Kementerian Kesihatan memutuskan rantaian jangkitan Covid-19, kelihatan seperti beliau sendiri sudah tidak ada pilihan lagi kerana beliau tidak mampu mendapatkan MKN untuk menerima cadangan beliau.

Hanya mereka yang sangat optimistik sahaja yang akan percaya bahawa langkah-langkah yang diambil oleh MKN boleh memutuskan rantaian jangkitan dalam masa dua minggu.

Kini, rakyat Malaysia hanya ditinggalkan dengan “lockdown kendiri” — mengelakkan 3C dan mengamalkan 3W. Sekiranya perkara ini memadai, kita tidak perlu pun melalui PKP, PKPB, PKPD, dan PKPP.

Tetapi dengan hari keempat berturut-turut negara kita mencatatkan jumlah kes baharu melepasi paras 6,000 kes, dengan jumlah kes terkumpul kini lebih daripada setengah juta dan kadar kematian menghampiri 2,199 kematian, 32 juta orang rakyat Malaysia perlu menunjukkan kepada dunia yang kita berdisiplin dan mampu untuk melaksanakan “lockdown kendiri”.

Pada masa yang sama, kita tidak boleh berhenti menuntut kerajaan untuk membawa dasar-dasar yang lebih baik untuk mengawal wabak Covid-19 ini.

Oleh itu, saya menyeru Muhyiddin untuk mengetepikan pertimbangan yang lain dan menasihati Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di Pertua Agong untuk manggil sidang Parlimen dan Dewan Undangan Negeri untuk membentuk barisan melawan Covid-19 yang kuat dengan lima matlamat — i) mobilisasi kebangsaan, ii) mengembalikan kepercayaan dan keyakinan rakyat, iii) pakej rangsangan ekonomi untuk membantu golongan yang memerlukan, iv) ujian saringan saringan besar-besaran, dan v) mempercepatkan program vaksinasi.

Walaupun Parlimen dan DUN telah digantung sidangnya, Sultan Johor telah menitahkan Ahli-ahli Parlimen dan DUN di Johor untuk bermesyuarat membincangkan masalah Covid-19 ini yang kini semakin teruk.

Sekiranya jangkaan baru disemak Kementerian Kesihatan terbukti tepat, kita akan melihat peningkatan harian di sekitar 8,000 kes sehari pada bulan Jun. Adakah kita akan melihat 10,000 kes sehari menjadi norma baharu di Malaysia?

Semalam adalah hari kesepuluh berturut-turut di mana kadar peningkatan harian kes Covid-19 di Malaysia melebihi kadar di Indonesia dan perkara ini seakan-akan mengiyakan kenyataan pihak berkuasa di Indonesia untuk rakyat mereka tidak mengikuti jejak langkah Malaysia atau India dalam menguruskan wabak ini!

Malah, India sendiri melihat kadar peningkatan harian mereka menurun kepada 243,777 kes semalam, penurunan mendadak sebanyak 42 peratus berbanding dengan kemuncak 414,433 kes pada 6 Mei, 15 hari yang lepas.

Saya mencadangkan supaya semua negeri mengikuti langkah nasihat Sultan Johor dan mengadakan mesyuarat dalam kalangan Ahli Parlimen dan Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri untuk menyemak perkembangan terkini berkenaan Covid-19.

Menjadi satu idea yang baik untuk kita bentuk barisan bersatu di Parlimen dan DUN untuk mencapai kelima-lima objektif saya sebutkan di atas, yang didorong oleh konsensus sama ada secara formal atau sebaliknya tanpa sebarang “undi tidak percaya” untuk membolehkan penggal Parlimen dan DUN sedia ada dipenuhkan sehingga Mei 2023, melainkan sekiranya keadaan Covid-19 bertambah baik dengan lebih awal.

(Kenyataan media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Ahad, 23 Mei 2021)

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 23 May 2021, 9:07 am and is filed under
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