Press Statement
10th August 2020

Around Malaysia time 7am this morning, the cumulative global total of Covid-19 infections passed the 20 million mark.

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

Five months after WHO had declared Covid-19 as a pandemic, there are now 24 countries which have more than 118,000 cases with the United States, Brazil and India being the three countries in the lead with over 5 million, three million and two million cases respectively, embracing over 220 countries, while the total global fatality of Covid-19 is nearing three-quarter of a million or over 170 times the global fatality five months ago.

Recently, WHO warned that the coronavirus pandemic is likely to be “lengthy” after its emergency committee met to evaluate the crisis six months after sounding the international alarm and it warned of the risk of “response fatigue” given the socio-economic pressures on countries.

A top priority for Malaysia as for all countries in facing the “once-in-a-century” health crisis is to ensure that the population must learn to live with the virus in overcoming the public health, economic and nation-building crisis.

The Malaysian Parliament should urgently set up a Parliamentary Select Committee on Covid-19 for Members of Parliament to closely monitor the public health, economic and nation-building crisis of Covid-19.

The question is whether the Prime Minister or the Health Minister will give this top priority by ensuring that a Parliamentary Select Committee on Covid-19 would be set up in the current parliamentary meeting.

Lim Kit Siang
MP for Iskandar Puteri