By Hannah Yeoh
WITHOUT diminishing the urgent need to vaccinate our citizens, I urge the Federal Government not to overlook the foreigners in our communities in our vaccination effort.
Communities with a larger segment of foreigners (such as Kampung Sungai Penchala and Kampung Segambut Dalam specifically) have recently been placed under enhanced movement control order (EMCO) because of the high number of infections in those areas.
Under Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Khairy Jamaluddin’s current vaccination program using MySejahtera for registration, persons without MyKad or Passports would not be able to register for it.
The mobile vaccine program under Minister of Federal Territories Annuar Musa is currently made available for Malaysians only. That explains why more areas are now being placed under EMCO in populated places around Kuala Lumpur.
When the barb wires come up, the Federal Government moves in with their frontliners to contain the spread of COVID-19 in these areas. Swab tests are being done on every person in EMCO areas.
As such, I urge for vaccination to be immediately given to the population in EMCO (regardless of their citizenship) once they are tested negative for COVID-19.
Frontliners from the Ministry of Health are already being stationed in EMCO areas. This would be effective use of existing resources and can prevent a repeat of EMCO in the same area in the coming days.
The price of neglecting non-Malaysians in our vaccination programs have been proven to be costly in the case of Kampung Sungai Penchala and Kampung Segambut Dalam.
These are actual case studies the Federal Government must learn from to prevent the emergence of EMCO everywhere else across Malaysia.
Our nation cannot afford to have a lack of vaccination among this segment of our society to spiral into another wave of infections affecting the larger population.
Our priority during this time of the pandemic should be for the safety and health of every life – of our whole nation – this includes the lives of foreigners living in our midst.
The virus does not distinguish between a local and a foreigner. As such, for the sake of the health and recovery of our nation, and to achieve herd immunity, I urge the Government to immediately send in their mobile vaccine trucks into EMCO areas today beginning with Kampung Segambut Dalam. – July 2, 2021
