Pakatan Harapan’s stupidity is taking the lives of Malaysians
So, yes, many lives are going to be sacrificed over the next month or two before events come back to normal, or close to normal. Some of these victims will be your family members and friends. And when you bury or cremate them, just remember that you are sending these people to their graves with the courtesy of Pakatan Harapan that had more important things to do than save the lives of Malaysians.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Today, three months too late, the Malaysian government is finally doing something to ensure that as many lives as possible are going to be saved. Yes, three months too late. The government could have acted earlier, at least back in January or February, but they did not. And read the news items below to get a better idea what the official government policy was at that time.
But then we are talking about the official government policy at that time of the Pakatan Harapan government, not the Perikatan Nasional government. The government that is now doing something is the Perikatan Nasional government. The government that said no need to do anything was the Pakatan Harapan government.
Today, Malaysia is where Italy was at the initial stages back in February. How long do you think it is going to take for Malaysia to be where Italy is today? Two weeks? Three weeks? One month? If Malaysians still ignore the restricted movement order by the government, in two or three weeks’ time Malaysia will be where Italy is today.
Back in January 2020, Wuhan already took action while Malaysia still did nothing
But then in January and February Pakatan Harapan was too busy. They were engrossed in a power-struggle and had no time to worry about the COVID-19 or coronavirus pandemic. Luckily the Pakatan Harapan government collapsed in late February and the new government took over on 1st March 2020. If not, everyone would still be too busy with the power-struggle to worry about the lives of Malaysians.
So, yes, many lives are going to be sacrificed over the next month or two before events come back to normal, or close to normal. Some of these victims will be your family members and friends. And when you bury or cremate them, just remember that you are sending these people to their graves with the courtesy of Pakatan Harapan that had more important things to do than save the lives of Malaysians.
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Covid-19: No need for blanket ban on Chinese visitors, says DPM
(The Star, 21 February 2020) – Malaysia will not ban visitors from China for now as there is no necessity to do so, says Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
The Deputy Prime Minister said instead, the government will be imposing more stringent checks on people arriving from China, the epicentre of the Covid-19 outbreak.
“The matter was discussed, but we found that there is no necessity for it (a ban on China visitors) now.
“We will however strengthen our checks on people arriving from China, ” she said after chairing a high-level committee meeting on Covid-19 here Friday (Feb 21).
Dr Wan Azizah, who is also chairman of the National Anti-Disaster Management Agency (Nadma), said those arriving from China will also be given swab tests, on top of the thermal screening which is done at all entry points.
“Individuals who are found to be Covid-19 positive will be admitted to hospitals. Those who are negative will be allowed to go home, but they must undergo the ‘Home Surveillance’ programme that is set according to Health Ministry’s guidelines,” she said.
She added that China nationals who are studying in Malaysia will have to undergo health screening arranged by their universities.
This is how China fought COVID-19
This however does not apply to students who have already been in Malaysia for more than 14 days, taking into consideration the 14-day incubation period for Covid-19.
“The Education Malaysia division (BEM) in the Higher Learning Department will be in charge of implementing this health screening, according to the standard operating procedures agreed upon by the Health Ministry and the Education Ministry, ” said Dr Wan Azizah.
Recently, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the Cabinet had discussed whether Malaysia would issue a blanket ban on visitors from China in light of the Covid-19 situation.
He said the decision lies with Dr Wan Azizah as Nadma chairman.
So far, Malaysia has only imposed travel restrictions on China nationals who are from the Hubei province and neighbouring provinces Zhejiang and Jiangsu.
Wuhan city, the epicentre of the Covid-19 outbreak, is in the Hubei province.
Flights to and from Wuhan have also been temporarily halted.
Meanwhile, Dr Wan Azizah said screenings at the Johor-Singapore border entry and exit points will also be strengthened.
“The Health Ministry will be discussing the screening and surveillance methods at the entry and exit points in Johor with the Singapore government, through the Bilateral Joint-Working Group.
“They will have a meeting on Feb 25, ” she said.
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Coronavirus: Situation in Malaysia not critical at this moment – Dr Mahathir
(Bernama, 26 January 2020) – The situation of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Malaysia has not reached critical stage, said Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
“At this moment it is not yet critical to the point where we need to stop tourism for example. We have to assess when is the critical stage. But we will keep on checking on tourists, whenever there are some indications that they might be infected,” he told the media after attending the Chinese New Year (CNY) 2020 open house, here today.
He said most countries are taking some action because this is something new and serious.
“However, the manifestations of the disease are difficult to detect. This is a question of people being able to travel and they travel very fast. Before you can detect a person who is sick, he has already arrived at the destination. So, we have to accept that complete control is not possible,” he said.
Dr Mahathir said for now, the government had no plans to stop tourists from Wuhan, China from coming into Malaysia.
Asked if the government plans to quarantine all tourists from China and other affected countries upon their arrival in the country, the prime minister said that the move was not viable as the number of Chinese tourists coming into the country can reach up to two million people.
“The number of Chinese tourists can reach up to two million. Where are we supposed to place them? So, whoever is symptomatic, even just a little bit, will be quarantined. You can send them back to China but in the process of sending them back, they will come into contact with other people. It is better to quarantine them first until they show no signs, then we can send them back,” he explained
Dr Mahathir said it is much easier for people with other ailments to get infected with this new virus, which is why it is imperative for the government to work out a system to isolate those infected quickly.
“We are also still not sure about the treatment. So, at the moment it is prevention, not treatment. And prevention is mainly wearing masks and staying away from people who are suspected of having the disease,” he added.
He also advised Malaysians who are currently in China and countries affected by the virus to take appropriate action by wearing a face mask to avoid infection.
“They will be checked to ensure they are not infected before coming back into the country,” he said.
Dr Mahathir said the Chinese government was taking a stern action by isolating those infected by the disease in Wuhan and prevent them from travelling.
“The China government has also quarantined the whole population of 11 million people (in Wuhan), this is a drastic action and it shows the determination of the China government to control the disease,” he said.
So far, four confirmed cases of coronavirus have been detected in the country.
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Dr M: Closing mosques and tourist sites is not govt policy
(The Star, 29 January 2020) – The decision to close mosques and tourist attractions to travellers in light of the novel coronavirus outbreak is not a government policy.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad went so far as to describe such moves as irresponsible.
“The government never declared that mosques or museums cannot be visited by tourists just because they might be infected by the coronavirus.
“This is not a government policy and it is an irresponsible act, ” he told a press conference after chairing the weekly Cabinet meeting here Wednesday (Jan 29).
Among the mosques that have closed temporarily to tourists are the Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin mosque and the Putra Mosque in Putrajaya, as well as the Federal Territory mosque in Kuala Lumpur.
Dr Mahathir also warned the public against spreading fake news that is meant to stir ill feelings toward other races.
“Even though we believe in freedom of expression, it does not mean we can be antagonistic and agitate the feelings of others.
“Freedom is maintained in this country, but the spreading of fake news with ill-intent will not be tolerated. We will take action against them,” he said.
Earlier, the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said a man was detained on Tuesday (Jan 28) in connection with spreading false or fake news regarding the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).
