DAP’s Lim Kit Siang today urged the Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to explain why a two-week conditional movement control order (CMCO) was needed in Selangor and Putrajaya.
Lim questioned Muhyiddin, who chairs the National Security Council (NSC), on whether the government’s Covid-19 pandemic strategy was “mitigation” to flatten the curve to minimise economic and social disruption or “suppression” to ensure zero Covid-19 infection and zero fatality.
“There have been new thinking regarding Covid-19 national lockdowns, total or partial, as overly blunt and economically costly instruments, especially as they are difficult to keep in place for long enough to stamp out the virus.
“I myself am at a loss as to whether the government’s strategy is ‘suppression’ or ‘mitigation’,” he said in a statement.
The Iskandar Puteri MP said that the government’s strategy could not be suppression when it allowed the situation in Sabah to deteriorate so rapidly that it reached 4,621 cases and 35 deaths inside a month.
“If it is ‘mitigation’, what is the government’s acceptable level of Covid-19 infection,” he asked.
He also urge Muhyiddin to explain how his government could claim to be implementing a “whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach’ in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic when the Selangor mentri besar was not informed of the CMCO prior to its announcement.
“Malaysians are not convinced that the government is striking a proper balance between maximising lives saved and minimising economic and social disruption of Malaysians.
“Will there be positive news in the reconsideration of the NSC decision to impose two-week CMCO in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya,” he questioned.
Yesterday, Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that the government has reimposed CMCO in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya as well as entire Sabah.
He said the decision to reimpose the CMCO was after obtaining recommendations from the Health Ministry following the rise in positive Covid-19 cases in the particular places. – MMO