The Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari disagreed with the decision to impose a conditional movement control order (CMCO) on the entire state as many districts are still under control with regard to the Covid-19 pandemic.
From the latest data from the Selangor Covid-19 Task Force dated yesterday, out of 56 Mukim in Selangor, only one (Klang) is a red zone with 53 cases, 18 mukim are yellow zones with cases ranging from two to 32 cases, and 37 mukim are green zones without a single case of Covid-19 infection.
To impose a lock down on the 18 yellow zone mukim and 37 green zone mukim – which represent an overwhelming majority in Selangor – is definitely an over-reaction.
Amirudin had been completely surprised by the decision to impose the CMCO on the whole of Selangor as he was attending a meeting of the state National Security Council with the Selangor health department, police, armed forces and other agencies on implementation of the CMCO in the Petaling district.
There appears to be a complete breakdown in communications between the Federal and Selangor State Governments in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, and it is a terrible indictment on the decision to impose two-week CMCO on the whole of Selangor when the state Mentri Besar and the state NSC knew nothing about it.
Shari said the state government feels that there are several zones in Selangor which are still green and yellow and are under control and will therefore send a counter proposal to the NSC immediately for reconsideration.
He said the state NSC meeting had only focused on the Covid-19 situation in Klang, Gombak, Hulu Langat and parts of Petaling that have a high number of cases.
He should be aware of the new thinking in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic that draconian measures like CMCOs and full lockdowns are overly blunt and economically costly tool.
In the early days of the novel and deadly Covid-19 epidemic, it is understandable that many government deployed draconian measures like national or partial lockdowns as the priority in a poorly understood Covid-19 pandemic was to save lives.
Malaysia must learn from the costly mistakes of the past and employ targeted lockdowns instead of CMCOs on entire states.
I therefore endorse Amiruddin’s call and urge a reconsideration of the decision to impose CMCO for two weeks on Selangor, KL and Putrajaya from Wednesday.
The decision to impose a two-week CMCO on the whole of Selangor as well as KL and Putrajaya must not be an irrational reaction to the criticisms of negligence with regard to the third wave of Covid-19 pandemic in Sabah.
It will be highly irresponsible to over-react and punish Selangor, KL and Putrajaya for the valid criticisms about the handling of the third wave of Covid-19 pandemic in Sabah.
Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the decision to reimpose the CMCO was after obtaining recommendations from the Health Ministry following the rise in positive Covid-19 cases reported in several localities such as Klang, Petaling and Gombak.
Can Ismail reveal when did the Health Ministry first recommended re-imposing CMCO on Sabah?
Lim Kit Siang,
Member of Parliament for Iskandar Puteri
