Malaysian DG of Health has gained the trust of many in Malaysia with his frank and honest answers including also to his answers raised to questions raised in his once daily live media conference. BRING BACK THESE DAILY MEDIA CONFERENCE, THAT SHOULD BE ON TV AT A FIXED TIME, WHERE QUESTIONS CAN BE ASKED, SO WE CAN ALL WATCH
Many, including me, believe that if we had only listened to OUR DG's advice, Malaysia will not be still getting thousands of new daily cases of Covid-19 - and now facing a health crisis of inadequate beds and other needed health equipment/facilities to deal with the rising number of infected.
The Ministry of Health obviously is the Ministry RESPONSIBLE for keeping people safe from Covid-19, and dealing with the pandemic - but alas, ultimate responsibility of everything else concerning the well-being of Malaysia and its people rests with the government - i.e. the Prime Minister and his Cabinet(the Executive), and to ensure no wrongs or abuses, we have the Parliament(unfortunately 'suspended' by the Emergency Ordinance?) and the Judiciary.
Whilst the new Muhyiddin's government ought to be praised for its fast action during the 1st MCO - which brought down the daily new cases to double digits...but not for his later actions that today sees daily new cases of more than 3,000.
Thereafter, came the 'exemptions' by government allowing more and more businesses and sectors to operate - thus the effectiveness of this new MCO is at risk as too many people are moving around going to work..and going back to homes and families..
The delay in putting into place a TIGHT MCO is also questionable - the moment cases were discovered in a Mukim/District, there should have a movement control - preventing those in infected areas to move to other uninfected areas...It was an ODD government decision to remove travel restrictions in the beginning of the year, when we were recording about 2,000 new cases. [Prior to this, inter-State travel was permitted only if one gets the needed police permission, then they relaxed it and Covid spread to all States...]
NOW, an UMNO VP is suggesting a new 'CZAR' saying that the DG of Health is
“A new general with fresh ideas and strategy is needed to lead an inter-ministry, multi-department, and multi-agency team to respond swiftly to the fast-changing nature of the pandemic.
"The director-general of Health has been working tirelessly to keep Malaysia from sinking. Nonetheless, this situation has evolved to be a multifaceted issue beyond his power,” he said in a statement..
Well, the CZAR or General in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia would really be Prime Minister Muhyiddin, would it not? The PM ultimately decides on policies and action - wonder even whether he followed the suggestions of the DG of Health or the Health Ministry. Is the UMNO VP not expressing a loss of confidence in the Prime Minister?
Other than the PM, the other 'czar' or 'general' may be Ismail Sabri, who may just be the appointed spokesperson of the government - that communicate decisions made by the PM, the Cabinet or the National Security Council - is the UMNO VP suggesting that Ismail Sabri and the NSC members be replaced with some other? [Who exactly is in the National Security Council - should we change the members?]
Frankly, if health was prioritized, a short-term strict MCO lasting for 2-4 weeks, would have curbed the spread significantly for everyone. But when the government and the different Ministers keep granting exemptions to business operations - this MCO may not work - for so many are traveling around to work and back, etc and the RISK of spread is even greater... [Remember, that some businesses have still not been able to operate since the 1st MCO - and many workers would have lost their jobs and income - all really in the private sector.]
NEW CZAR - well, then really we must consider whether PM Muhyiddin has lost majority support or not. If yes, then the PM and Cabinet must tender their resignation, and the King should then appoint a NEW Prime Minister, who will then choose a new Cabinet ...and we will have a NEW CZAR AND GENERAL...
UMNO is part of the Perikatan Plus government, but UMNO VP has publicly criticized the policy and actions of the government - TIME FOR A CHANGE OF PRIME MINISTER?
If any MP has the support of the majority out there - this can be shown to the people - by public declaration of these MPs > they can come out and publish their SDs, come out in numbers to the media..
If no coalition has the majority support for 1 MP to be the NEW Prime Minister, then surely they can come together from both current government and Opposition parties, and suggest someone to be the Prime Minister, could they not..
An Emergency does not prevent this from happening, in my opinion.
The DG of Health is certainly not the CZAR or General - His immediate boss is the Minister, and the ultimate boss is the Prime Minister.
If the government did as the DG of Health recommended, then we may have already been victorious over Covid-19?
Ismail Sabri: No curbs on interstate travel despite Covid-19 clusters linked to free movement
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 5 — Despite the emergence of new Covid-19 clusters after interstate and inter-district travel was permitted, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob today said that there are no plans to reintroduce travel restrictions.
The senior minister said that the Ministry of Health (MOH) is still analysing the situation.
“We allow it as of now. No restrictions yet. MOH is still carrying out its risk evaluation for interstate and inter-district travel, especially in CMCO (conditional movement control order) areas,” Ismail Sabri said during his press conference today.
“Although it is still under evaluation, I hope that we, the rakyat, will take care of our personal safety and that of our families.”
He also suggested that those who are travelling between zones should voluntarily undergo a Covid-19 swab test three days before embarking on their journey.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah yesterday said that five Covid-19 clusters were formed due to interstate movement that resumed after authorities lifted the domestic travel ban on December 7.
He said these were the Inten, Semambu and Tembok Mempaga clusters in Pahang; the Seragam Chepa cluster in Kelantan; and the Ehsan Ibol cluster in Perak.
Dr Noor Hisham also said that nine clusters were traced to social activities within the same period. - Malay Mail. 5/1/2020
Umno VP moots new ‘czar’ to lead Covid-19 fight, says pandemic now beyond Health D-G’s ambit
KUALA LUMPUR,, Feb 2 — Umno’s Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin today urged the government to map out new strategies to combat the raging Covid-19 pandemic, including appointing a new “czar” to coordinate all related efforts.
The Umno vice president said despite the commendable efforts of Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah since the start of the pandemic, Covid-19 has gone beyond a health issue and deteriorated into a complex problem of national importance.
“A new general with fresh ideas and strategy is needed to lead an inter-ministry, multi-department, and multi-agency team to respond swiftly to the fast-changing nature of the pandemic.
"The director-general of Health has been working tirelessly to keep Malaysia from sinking. Nonetheless, this situation has evolved to be a multifaceted issue beyond his power,” he said in a statement..
Khaled said his proposed Covid-19 “czar” would not replace Dr Noor Hisham as the Health D-G, but instead handle the collective inter-ministerial efforts being put forward to curb the effects of the pandemic.
“The new general will focus on combating Covid-19 and coordinating response in all fronts including health, safety, welfare, and economy.
“It is time for us to not treat this as a health crisis, but a national issue.
“Ministries can no longer work in silo. We need a new czar for our renewed approach to combat Covid-19,” he said.
Khaled warned that without a proper and more sustainable strategy to handle the current onslaught of infections, the country risks overwhelming its healthcare system to the point of collapse.
He pressed further on the need for a new approach, pointing out it should also factor in solutions to kickstart the sluggish economy, while also prioritising students and the education system who have been left with uncertainties since the pandemic.
Khaled then praised all the efforts being done by charity and welfare groups, but also warned the country to not become over-reliant on alms and handouts.
“It is extremely inspiring to see charity work helping out the less fortunate, but equally worrying to see people looking out to them than our government,” he quipped.
Malaysia is experiencing a third wave of Covid-19 infections,
arguably the worst since the first case that was reported here just over
a year ago, with more than 101,000 new infections and almost 300 deaths
recorded in January alone. - Malay Mail, 2/2/2021
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