#kerajaangagal173 – Cabinet today should follow TMJ’s advice of no politicking and focus on health and economic crisis by inviting all leaders of political parties to a Roundtable Conference on the Covid-19 pandemic
The Cabinet today should follow the advice of the Johore Crown Prince, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim of no politicking and focus on health and economic crisis by inviting all leaders of political parties to a Roundtable Conference on the Covid-19 pandemic.
In breaking into the five-figure daily Covid-19 caseload yesterday , Malaysia became the top 13th country in the world in terms of daily new Covid-19 cases – a measure of the enormity of the failure of the government’s emergency measures to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, when two months before the emergency on January 11, 2021, Malaysia was ranked No. 85 in cumulative total of Covid-19 cases.
We have overtaken 53 countries and are now ranked No. 32 with 855,949 Covid-19 cases and 6,385 Covid-19 deaths.
By any measure, micro or macro, the Muhyiddin Cabinet has failed the nation in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic and should honourably resign especially as it could not demonstrate that it has the confidence of a majority of Members of Parliament.
But Malaysians are prepared to put all political considerations aside to focus single-mindedly on the health and economic crisis facing Malaysia provided the Cabinet is capable of rising up to the occasion.
If the ignominy of Malaysia becoming the world’s top 13th country in daily Covid-19 caseloads is incapable of lifting the Muhyiddin Cabinet to higher standards to turn the tides of defeat to win the war against the Covixd-19 pandemic, nothing will.
This is why today’s Cabinet meeting is critical – not only for the Cabinet but also for the nation.
I call on the Cabinet to rise to the occasion and perform the five tasks I outlined yesterday, viz:
1. The convening of Parliament on July 26, 2021 and a full debate on the Covid-19 pandemic crisis.
2. The ending of the emergency on August 1, 2021 as it is a dismal failure and wrong strategy to fight the war against the Covid-19 pandemic.
3. An apology to the nation for the failure of the government strategy and approach in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic, especially in the last six months of the emergency, causing a toll of 6,260 deaths (as of yesterday) and unprecedented high number of suicides, and supported by three international surveys, namely:
- June 2021 Bloomberg Covid Resilience Ranking with Malaysia falling 35 places from its 16th ranking in January 2021 to 51st position in June 2021 edition out of 53 economies of more than US$200 billion;
- Economist’s global normalcy index which placed Malaysia in the last 50th position out 50 countries; and
- Nikkei Covid-19 Recovery Index on 7th July which ranks Malaysia No. 114 out of 120 countries on infection management, vaccine rollouts and social mobility.
4. Authorise the drafting of a new strategy to replace the National Recovery Plan to win the invisible but lethal war against Covid-19 pandemic by breaking from the present strategy of blind faith in lockdowns; and
5. Immediately invite all parliamentary political parties, including the Opposition parties, to a Covid-19 Pandemic Roundtable to draft a new strategy in the war against Covid-19 pandemic and to present the new strategy for endorsement by Parliament when it reconvenes on July 26, 2021.
The Cabinet should also work closely with the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on health, science and innovation which is meeting on July 23 to draft a new strategy in the war against Covid-19 pandemic.