Kit Siang to Muhyiddin: “Why are you still trying to justify the emergency declaration?”

ISKANDAR Puteri MP Lim Kit Siang has expressed his shock over former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s attempt to justify his move to declare a COVID-19 state of emergency in January 2021.

The emergency declaration completely undermined parliamentary oversight of the Government in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic until August and made Malaysia one of the worst performing nations in the world in the two-year battle with the pandemic, said the DAP lawmaker.

Lim was referring to Muhyiddin’s recent interview with Abu Dhabi-based newspaper The National where the Pagoh MP claimed that the additional powers were important to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

“If this is the case, can Muhyiddin explain why we have not reverted to pre-Emergency days after more than a year from the declaration of emergency?” Lim questioned.

Lim went on to compare the number of COVID-19 cases on the first day of the emergency declaration (Jan 11, 2021) with the number of cases recorded yesterday (Jan 16, 2022).

“On Jan 11, 2021 there were 2,232 daily new COVID-19 cases and four COVID-19 deaths but yesterday (Jan 16), we have more daily new COVID-19 cases and COVID-19 deaths – 3,010 daily new COVID-19 cases and 12 COVID-19 deaths,” he noted.

“On Aug 1, 2021 (the last day of the 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 40 times from the day the emergency was declared.

“What type of an emergency to fight the COVID-19 pandemic was this?”

Lim further questioned why Muhyiddin did not resign when he was unable to prolong the “fake” emergency and pointed out that Malaysia would have performed better in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic had he not declared the emergency last year.

“The Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Health, Science and Innovation should investigate and report to the Parliament on how the declaration of emergency on Jan 11, 2021 had undermined the country’s war against the COVID-19 pandemic in the last one year,” he remarked. – Jan 17, 2022

 

Pic credit: The Edge Malaysia

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