By Lim Kit Siang
MALAYSIANS are shocked that the data of the last three days for new daily COVID-19 infections and deaths are not accurate as the surge of cases was due to a backlog.
What then are the actual figures for new infections and deaths for the past three days, minus the backlog cases?
And why wasn’t the backlog, inflating the figures, revealed at the very beginning but only three days later?
It was previously reported that the daily increase of new COVID-19 infections and deaths were 5,725 cases and 16 deaths on January 29. On Jan 30, the numbers were 5,728 cases and 13 deaths and 5,298 cases and 14 deaths on January 31 – totalling 16,751 new cases and 43 deaths.
Malaysians are entitled to know what are the actual figures of COVID-19 cases and deaths for each of the last three days, without the backlogs.
There are many things going wrong in the Government’s handling of the pandemic; among them is the growing deficit of public trust and confidence because of the double standards on enforcing the standard operating procedures (SOP), where Ministers and VIPs can flout them with impunity.
The flip-flops in Government decisions showed that the National Security Council (NSC) had not learnt anything from MCO 1.0, the refusal to launch an “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” strategy and approach in the war against COVID-19, the failure of MCO.2 to bring down the number of new infections and the suspension of Parliament and State Assemblies when MPs and state assemblypersons should be roped in as key players in an “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” war against the coronavirus.
Online news portal, The Malaysian Insight conducted a survey and reported that nine out of 10 polled over 24 hours said they were dissatisfied with Perikatan Nasional over its handling of COVID-19.
This was before the shocking news about the inaccuracies of the data on the daily COVID-19 updates.
Public confidence and trust in our Government’s management of the pandemic have plummeted to virtually zero.
Can the public trust on the Government be restored?
This is why Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin should advise the Yang di Pertuan Agong to convene a Special Parliament session to deliberate on COVID-19 and turn the Parliament and the State Assemblies as platforms for the war against the coronavirus.
Will Muhyiddin make such an announcement in his live telecast tonight? – Feb 1, 2021.
Lim Kit Siang is the MP for Iskandar Puteri
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
