Kit Siang calls for Putrajaya to relook Covid-19 strategy for faster health, economic recovery

KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 14 — Veteran Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang today said that Malaysian is in urgent need of a new strategy and approach so that Malaysia can be one of the better performing countries in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. 

In a statement, the Iskandar Puteri MP added that the government has yet to adopt an “all-of-government” and “whole-of society” approach in the war against Covid-19 pandemic in order to save both lives and livelihoods, and to ensure that Malaysia’s educational, societal and economic infrastructure is maintained at an optimum level.

“There is an urgent need for Malaysia to re-strategise our Covid-19 approach so that Malaysia can be one of the better performing countries in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic.

“In November last year, we were number 85 among countries with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases, but we have jumped 40 positions and we are now ranked number 45, and China receded to the 86th rank among countries in the world,” he said. 

He added that Putrajaya must give a proper response to an earlier open letter dated January 7 by 46 medical health experts to Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

The open letter, among other things, proposed a Covid-19 Task Force comprising a cross-sectoral and empowered team of subject matter experts to be immediately formed to steer the nation out of the pandemic by regularly presenting its recommendations and audit of the health economic impact of key decisions to the cabinet.

The DAP stalwart also stressed on the importance of the success of the Covid-19 vaccination programme so that normality and economic recovery can be achieved expeditiously. 

“Although vaccines are not a panacea to the Covid-19 pandemic, we must make the Covid-19 national vaccination rollout a success as we are in a battle against time with the emergence of many Covid-19 variants.

“We must also accelerate the completion of the Covid-19 national vaccination rollout ahead of schedule so that normality and economic restoration can be activated as early as possible — say in the third or fourth quarter of the year,” he added.