Media statement by DAP Sarawak Chairman and MP for Stampin, Chong Chieng Jen on 28 October 2021:

For the past 2 weeks up until 27 October 2021, Sarawak recorded 152 Covid-19 related death. This is the highest amongst all states in the country.

Despite all the claims by Dr Sim Kui Hian that SDMC is doing a good job, the truth is that Sarawak is one of the worst states in terms of Covid-19 pandemic management.

Not only is Sarawak amongst the states with the highest Covid-19 infection cases, what was previously touted by Dr Sim and the GPS as Sarawak having very low death rate has also turned out to be untrue.

According to the official data released by the Ministry of Health as of 27 October 2021, Sarawak recorded the highest Covid-19 related death per 1 million population.

Data on Covid-19 related death for the past 2 weeks up until 27 October 2021 also shows that the national average on Covid-19 related death per 1 million person was 22, but that of Sarawak was 54, ranking top on the list.

The irony of the matter is that, such phenomena occurred despite all the extra measures imposed by SDMC, the extra quarantine for entry into Sarawak, the SDMC self-created SOPs in addition to the KKM’s SOP. The Sarawak Government even created the “Qmunity” app in addition to the MySejahtera app used nationwide.

It just goes to show that the SDMC’s self-created SOPs are not only ineffective in containing the pandemic, but it has caused much unnecessary confusion amongst the people and resulted in more economic losses to Sarawakians.

It seems that instead of focusing on managing the pandemic, some of these GPS leaders are more concerned about trying to project the image of “Sarawak First” and autonomy of the State in its Covid-19 management.

At the end, Sarawakians were put to greater inconvenience, greater economic losses, greater number of infection cases and greater number of Covid-19 related deaths.

Dr Sim, as the advisor to SDMC and the State Minister in of charge health in Sarawak owes Sarawakians an explanation on the high infection rates and death rate in Sarawak which is abnormally high compared to all the other states in Malaysia.