#kerajaangagal153 – At present rate of Covid-19 infection and fatality, Malaysia will have more than a million cases and exceed 10,000 deaths between National Day on August 31 and Malaysia Day on Sept. 16

Malaysia yesterday chalked up over three-quarter million Covid-19 cases with 751,979 cases and 5,254 deaths.

At present rate of Covid-19 infection and fatality, Malaysia will have more than a million cases and exceed 10,000 deaths between National Day on August 31 and Malaysia Day on Sept. 16, 2021.

This is not the way to celebrate our 64th National Day and 58th Malaysia Day!

Parliament and the State Assemblies should meet “as soon as possible” to draft a new Covid-19 strategy and plan to replace the National Recovery Plan (NRP) to ensure that Malaysia does not join the “millionaire club of nations” with more than a million Covid-19 cases, presently comprising 28 nations, and exceed a toll of over 10,000 deaths during our celebrations of the 64th National Day and 58th Malaysia Day.

When emergency was proclaimed on January 11, 2021, there were 555 Covid-19 deaths. As of yesterday (1st July 2021), 4,699 people have died during the emergency, bringing the total fatalities from Covid-19 to 5,254 – shooting Malaysia to be among the top dozen countries in the world with the most daily number of Covid-19 deaths.

We are not in the league of the top five countries in the world with the most number of cumulative total of Covid-19 deaths, led by United States, with 34.5 million cases and over 620,000 deaths; Brazil with 18.5 million cases and over 516,000 deaths; India with over 30 million cases and nearly 400,000 deaths; Mexico with 2.5 million cases and over 230,000 deaths and Peru with two million cases and over 192,000 deaths.

But going by Our World in Data website, as on June 30, 2021, apart from Russia and the South American nations, we have beaten the other top 10 countries in the world with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases with regard to “daily deaths per million of population” as illustrated from the following figures:

  1. United States of America - 0.72
  2. India - 0.73
  3. Brazil - 9.79
  4. France - 0.21
  5. Russia - 4.52
  6. Turkey - 0.53
  7. United Kingdom - 0.21
  8. Argentina - 14.07
  9. Italy 0.40
  10. Colombia - 11.99
  11. Malaysia 1.92

How low has Malaysia sunk in achievements and excellence in various fields of human endeavour as compared to the better nations in the world?

Recently, an eminent Brazilian epidemiologist, Pedro Hallal, a professor at the Federal University of Pelotas, said Brazil could have saved 400,000 lives if the country had implemented stricter social distancing measures and launched a vaccination programme earlier.

Hallal, who last week testified before a Brazilian senate inquiry into the government’s handling of the crisis, estimated that 95,000 to 145,000 deaths occurred due to the country’s inaction in acquiring vaccines.

Could Malaysia have saved 4,000 lives if the Muhyiddin government had better handled the Covid-19 pandemic?

What about the higher rate of suicides during the Covid-19 pandemic?

These are among the reasons why Parliament and the various State Assemblies must meet “as soon as possible” to prevent more fatalities, whether as a result of the Covide-19 pandemic, or directly or indirectly through a spiral rise in suicides caused by the various lockdowns.

More than two weeks have passed since the Conference of Rulers special meeting calling for Parliament and the State Assemblies to meet ASAP.

Why is the Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin still dilly-dallying on the issue?

The way the “White Flag” movement is catching fire throughout the country is an indictment of the Muhyiddin government for its insensitivities, failures and mishandling of the war against the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Muhyiddin Cabinet should hold an emergency Cabinet meeting not only to announce the convening of Parliament before August 1, but to take commensurate measures to address the problem giving rise to the “White flag” movement and the spiral increase of suicides in the country.

Lim Kit Siang MP for Iskandar Puteri