Sun, 17 Nov 2024

The third wave of Covid-19 is coming. How will PN respond?

On 5 October, 2020

Call on Cabinet on Wednesday to pass a special allocation to fight the Covid-19 third wave

The Cabinet on Wednesday should pass a special allocation to fight the Covid-19 third wave.

With another 317 new Covid-10 cases yesterday, the second straight day in a row where the number of new infections recorded has been the highest in the country to date, there are now 1,735 active Covid-19 cases nationwide.

The Sungai Buloh Hospital is gearing up for another Covid-19 wave to be a “full Covid-19” hospital again and the Director-General of Health, Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah has been drumming home the message to the frontliners to be prepared for a new battle.

In his official Twitter last night, Dr Noor Hisham told the frontliners: “To all our frontliners we have a huge battle ahead of us. Our country depends on us despite many sleepless nights and chronic fatigue, wipe your tears, chin up, eyes forward, let’s flatten the curve again”.

Dr. Noor’s war-cry to the front-liners to flatten the curve once again should be taken as a war-cry to all Malaysians to fight the highly infectious virus.

There is greater awareness and knowledge among Malaysians about the Covid-19 pandemic when faced with the third wave of Covid-19 than when they were confronted with the first and second waves of Covid-19 in the past nine months.

This is why there is widespread and intense public anger against political leaders who should be setting an example of following the SOP to fight Covid-19 but are instead violating them with impunity.

The public are quick “on the draw” complaining about those wearing a pink wristband but appear at public places like the case of a man spotted wearing a pink wristband at a restaurant in Rawang yesterday.

In the last nine months, the world offers a variety of lessons in the Covid-19 pandemic.

The government must ensure public trust and confidence so that the government and the people can fight the Covid-19 pandemic as one united solid force instead of a disunited situation where the people doubt the sincerity and trustworthiness of the government.

“Let us in Malaysia learn the best lessons instead of practising the worst ones, and the worst example was undoubtedly set by the US President Donald Trump who has tested positive for Covid-19” – Lim Kit Siang

This why Ministers, deputy Ministers and political leaders should not set the bad example of preaching one thing in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic but doing the very opposite, and why the case of the Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Khairuddin Aman Razali who violated the Covid-19 quarantine SOP on his return from Turkey on July 7 should not continue to drag out without a conclusion.

Instead of taking disciplinary action against Khairuddin, some Perikatan Nasional Members of Parliament were even seen defending him. Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim (BN-Baling) claimed that Khairuddin had gone to Turkey to “save the country”

How is the Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, to expect the people to comply with the Covid-19 SOP when VIPs like Minister Khairuddin can violate it with impunity?

Lim Kit Siang

MP for Iskandar Puteri