KUALA LUMPUR, May 1 — DAP’s Lim Kit Siang today called on Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to announce a new economic stimulus package to protect employees from being retrenched or having their salaries reduced.
Lim said that the government must show concern as businesses like hotels in Penang, Ipoh and Melaka are shutting their doors due to impact wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The government has yet to adopt a ‘whatever it takes’ policy to help businesses and workers, particularly the self-employed, to face the crisis created by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Malaysia has done fairly well in the invisible war to contain the Covid-19 outbreak but it has now to fight a twin-battle to prevent a resurgence of the Covid-19 outbreak and to win the battle to revive the devastated economy,” he said in a statement today.
The Iskandar Puteri MP also criticised Muhyiddin for warranting a one-day sitting of Parliament, when legislative bodies in worst-hit nations like the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Spain and Germany are continuing to perform their important oversight and scrutiny duties.
“On Tuesday, the French government presented its exit plan to the French Parliament for approval.
“In London, on Wednesday, the House of Commons held its second ‘virtual’ meeting including Question Time and the Prime Minister’s Question Time.
“But in Malaysia, we have not even started making plans for a virtual Parliament. Could the prime minister explain why,” he asked.
Lim said that Muhyiddin’s Cabinet should look at what is happening in the world in the Covid-19 pandemic as it is important that Malaysia should continue to learn from the success and mistakes of other nations.
He also said that Malaysia must acknowledge the weaknesses of its healthcare system and mistakes made in the initial stages of the outbreak, which should not be repeated.
“Malaysia had done fairly well in bringing the second wave of the Covid-19 outbreak under control.
“But we should not be complacent and must always be on the alert and adopt a flexible, creative and nimble strategy to prevent future Covid-19 waves and to rebuild the economy devastated by the pandemic,” he said.
