Malaysia would have performed better in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic if an emergency had not been declared on January 11 last year

I am shocked that the former Prime Minister, Muhyddin Yassin, is still trying to justify the declaration of Emergency on January 11, 2021 which completely undermined parliamentary oversight of the government in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic until the month of August and made Malaysia one of the worst performing nations in the world in the two-year battle with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Muhyiddin attempted to justify the declaration of Emergency on January 11, 2021 in an interview with Abu Dhabi-based newspaper, The National, where he claimed that the additional powers were important to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

If so, can Muhyiddin explain why we have not reverted to pre-Emergency days after more than a year from the declaration of emergency?

On January 11, 2021, when emergency was declared to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, there were 2,232 daily new Covid-19 cases and four Covid-19 deaths but yesterday, we have more daily new Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 deaths – 3,010 daily new Covid-19 cases and 12 Covid-19 deaths.

On August 1, 2021, the last day of the Covid-19 Emergency, daily new Covid-19 cases rose to 17,150 cases, an increase more than eight times, and daily Covid-19 deaths increased to 160 deaths, an increase of forty-times, from the day the Emergency was declared.

What type of an Emergency to fight to Covid-19 pandemic was this?

Going by Muhyiddin’s illogic, there was a much stronger case for continuing the emergency.

Why didn’t Muhyiddin resign when he was unable to prolong the fake Emergency?

Malaysia would have performed better in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic if an emergency had not been declared on January 11 last year.

May be the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Health, Science and Innovation can investigate and report to Parliament on how the declaration of Emergency on January 11, 2021 had undermined the country’s war against the Covid-19 pandemic in the last one year.

Lim Kit Siang MP for Iskandar Puteri