GPS Failure - Covid-19 Management & BKSS 6.0

 GPS Failure - Covid-19 Management & BKSS 6.0

Covid-19 Pandemic

-------------------------

The GPS government of Sarawak has failed big time and there is no two way about it. As they say, figures do not lie and we do not expect responsible leaders in our government to lie about numbers that pertains to crucial matter. We therefore assume all figures quoted here are accurate and truthful.

Let us examine what the GPS government leaders have told us about the management of Covid-19 in the state and the numbers that they have put out into public sphere as proofs of what they have done.

Before we move down to the targets set, let us recap what was revealed yesterday through media statements made by the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC). These are the figures, extracted from the infographics provided by the CIFT/JHJAV:

Total 1st dose given  : 1,853,358 (*90.7%)

Total 2nd dose given : 1,780,249 ( *87.2%)

It is unclear though what the 90.7% and 87.2% meant.

The target was for Sarawak to achieve herd immunity by end of August 2021. To achieve that, one of the actions taken was to ensure there is sufficient amount of vaccines available. This (providing sufficient vaccines) they have done.

The other target was to achieve herd immunity by 31st August 2021. We are now into the 3rd day of September meaning we have passed the targeted date of August. What are we seeing now? Let us start by recalling what was said about herd immunity.

Herd immunity for Sarawak was defined by the Minister of Local Government & Housing Prof. Dato Sri Dr. Sim Kui Hian in April 2021 as 80% of Sarawak’s total population of 2,810,000 (2.8 mil). This was in line with World Health Organisation’s (WHO) guideline on herd immunity.The statement was qualified to say that only 70% of the 2.8 mil (some 1.967 mil) is adult population. That qualification is important as the vaccines available at that time was suitable only for those who are 18 years and above of age. If the 80% herd immunity rule is applied to Sarawak’s adult population, then herd immunity in Sarawak has been achieved and within the time frame set i.e by end of August 2021. As at the 31st August 2021, a total of 1.773 mil adult population have received their 2nd dose and hence fully vaccinated, representing 90.1% of Sarawak’s adult population.

It is important to remember these figure because there is a very serious and significant implication that comes with achieving herd immunity : The daily positive figures should be greatly reduced, preferably to a single digit level and the Covid.19 related deaths brought down to zero. This however is not what we are seeing now. For the last seven days, the daily positive cases ranged from 2224 to 2992. Death tolls too have not abated. For the last two days I.e on the 1st Sept 2021 and 2nd Sept 2021, the new deaths toll stood at 7.

We do not know where exactly the GPS government of Sarawak and the SDMC have gone wrong with their strategies and action plans. What we do know is the situation with the pandemic has gone from bad to worse. The question that we must ask now and to which the GPS government of Sarawak must provide an answer is this : What is the point in achieving herd immunity when it is not doing us any good at all?

BKSS 6.0 And The B40 Households

--------------------------------------------

To see the fully extent of the failure of the GPS government in the management of the Covid.19 pandemic, the consequences on Sarawakians must be put under the microscope.

On the 28th May 2021, CM Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg (Abang Johari) announced that the Sarawak government will soon roll out the latest in the  Bantuan Khas Sarawakku Sayang series (BKSS  6.0). The portion that involves cash payouts was to have commenced in July 2021.

Among the groups that were targeted to receive aids under BKSS aids programme is the B40 segment of the communities, the majority of which are to be found in the rural areas.

The B40 recipients under this BKSS 6.0 comprised 369,139 heads of household, 301,281 single individuals and 118,114 single parents without dependents.

Before we go further, it is important to know what the term B40 denotes. In Malaysia, B40 is the term used to refer to the bottom 40 (in terms of household’s income) of the population in the country. This segment comprises the hardcore poor. These are households whose average monthly income ranges from RM1849 to RM4395.

In the BKSS 6.0 aids programme, 369,139 households were listed as recipients of the cash aid of RM250 per month for a period of 6 months. In addition, there were another two categories of B40 recipients namely the B40 single individuals and single parents without dependant.

As previously mentioned, Sarawak has a population of 2,810,000. For purposes of calculating the number of households in Sarawak, each household or family is assumed to have 4 members. On that basis, the total households in Sarawak is put at 702,500. 369,139 households out of the total of 702,500 is 52.54%. And this not counting the B40 single individuals and the B40 single parents without dependant.

As is plainly obvious, the term B40 here is a misnomer because the households in this hardcore poor now comprises 52.54 % of the total households in Sarawak so by right the correct term to use is B52. Originally, the hardcore poor households was at the 40% level hence the term B40. This was the result of GPS governance and administration when times were good and 60% of Sarawak’s households live in conditions of plenty. The additional 12.54% is a direct result of the mismanagement of the Covid.19 pandemic by the GPS government. Lock downs and movement controls causes businesses to close down and consequently, loss of jobs and under-employment. In other words, the B52 class of households and the attendant hardship and misery that comes with it is a direct consequence of GPS failure to look after the well-being of Sarawakians.

So my fellow Sarawakians, do you want GPS to continue to govern Sarawak? Wake up now to the folly of letting GPS govern us and reject them in the coming PRN-12.

Political Dominance - How Important Is It For A Community?

 Political Dominance - How Important Is It For A Community?

Among the industries that will remain forever green anywhere in the world are in the energy sector and the telecommunication sector, particularly the internet part of it. The education industry too is one such sector but in Malaysia the government still maintain a firm grip on education as the vast majority of the Malaysian population are in the B40 and in the lower spectrum of the M40 group. For this group, private educational institutions are out of their reach.

This article does not seek to ‘explore’ beyond Sarawak’s shores but just the potentials of these two sectors in Sarawak.

Telecommunications - Internet Connectivity

The internet industry in Sarawak can rightly be described as a most lucrative diamond field as the potentials for profits in this industry is boundless.

As the world moved relentlessly forward to the digital economy and the IR.4 era, internet and artificial intelligence becomes increasingly prominent as these two ‘utilities’ are crucial components in the drive to fully embrace the two new normal.

Sarawak is no different.

How big exactly is this ‘diamond field’ that we are looking at? Very briefly, we are looking at plans to construct some 1400 telecommunication by 2022. So far at least 1200 have erected and equipped with devices that enabled communication from one point to another. In line with Sarawak’s digital economy ambitions, CM Abang Johari had spoken about upgrading internet speed in Sarawak to 2 terrabits per second (2000 Gbps. Think real time 5G internet). So far Abang Johari has pinned RM1 billion to this ambition. Lately, RM50 million was mentioned, for the construction and installation of VSAT network. He further mentioned that he is hoping that the federal government will match the RM1 billion by the Sarawak government. We are therefore looking at RM2 billion that is to be made in this diamond field.

Who are the companies that are the first to take off from the starting blocks in the race to mine this fields?

Three local telcos namely PP Telecom Sdn Bhd, Danawa Resources Sdn Bhd and Sacofa Sdn Bhd made it to the news in October 2020, as forerunners in this race.

https://www.theborneopost.com/2020/10/07/sacofa-inks-ties-with-telco-industry-peers-to-benefit-sarawak/

PP Telecom Sdn Bhd is a telco co-owned by Abang Abdillah Izzarim bin Abang Abd Rahman Zohari. Abang Abdillah owns 8,633,100 shares in the company. Izzarim incidentally is also a director/shareholder in Borneo Seaoffshore Engineering Sdn Bhd. Borneo Seaoffshore and its jv partner Handal Resources Bhd were given a RM300 million contract by Petronas Carigali in June 2015.If you are wondering why Izzarim’s surname looks very familiar, you are right, it is very familiar. And the connection to the government of Sarawak is hard to miss.

Energy (Oil & Gas)

The front page in the New Sarawak Tribune on the 19th June 2021 screamed “ We’re In Control “ and that is no mean boast, although not just in ways obvious to the eyes and minds of the less savy in matters of connection between big business and government.

The news was about the conditional award by Petros of Sarawak Onshore Block SK433, a natural gas concession, to Petra Energy Development Sdn Bhd and its jv partner, Uzma Engineering Sdn Bhd to develop.

https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/petra-energy-uzma-jv-bags-ep-contract-petros-block-sk433-sarawak

The starring role in this potentially multi-billion profits venture is Petra Energy Development Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of a holding company called Petra Energy Bhd. The executive director of Petra Energy Berhad is Sarawak borned personality, Dato Hj. Ahmadi Bin Yusoff (Ahmadi Bin Yusoff). If you are wondering if Ahmadi Yusoff is a relation of federal minister for works Dato’ Sri Fadillah Yusoff, you are right. He is also the brother to Tan Sri Bustari Yusoff, once described as a mover and shaker in Sarawak and the hands that quietly guides former PM Najib Razak. This former Treasurer of PBB has a wide and diverse business interests, from property and construction to oil & gas to the medical sector and infrastructure development.

You may also want to read up on the appointment of Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari’s deputy in PBB Satok, Ibrahim Baki to the board of directors of Petronas. Ibrahim Baki is the Executive Chairman of Hubline Berhad, a company that was awarded an RM63 million contract to provide air service to the Sarawak Department of Health, in addition to contracts from Petronas.

https://sarawakvoice.com/2020/08/20/petronas-appoints-ibrahim-baki-from-sarawak-as-new-board-member/

https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2021/01/11/hubline-gets-rm63mil-flying-doctor-service-contract

Once again, the connection to the government is hard to miss.

As the conversation on a potential dayak CM after the coming PRN gains traction, what are the take home lessons from the examples in the two sectors mentioned above?

First of all, for any community to be actively involved in any sector of the economy, one of the must have prerequisite is political dominance. And so it follows that in order for the dayak community to be able to have a fair share in these diamond fields the dayak community must first have political dominance in Sarawak. This is a prize that has eluded them since the birth of Malaysia in Sept 1963 and the failure to achieve political dominance is the reason why the dayaks are unable to say we are in control.

It is not just a matter of the ability to acquire a fair share in these diamond fields but also in many other areas like employment in the public sector or the civil service and the education sector.

Isn’t the much touted dayaks’ unity in GPS providing the political dominance  that the dayaks require in order to be able to mine these diamond fields? The answer can be found in another question. Can an illusion deliver a tangible and measurable result? For truly, the unity spoken of by the dayak leaders in GPS component parties is just an illusion.

There is no denying that there are a handful of dayaks millionaires in Sarawak. Almost all of these dayaks millionaires are a result of a system of patronage where the holders of the keys to economic prosperity are not from the dayak community. These millionaires are either leaders in the GPS coalition or cronies of these leaders. The vast majority of the dayaks are to be found in the so-called B40 households and they are mostly rural based.

An as we moved closer to the PRN-12, this message is timely : Dayaks, Reneng Renung Lah.

TRANSPARENCY - A RARE COMMODITY BUT NOT VALUED BY THE POPULACE

 TRANSPARENCY - A RARE COMMODITY BUT NOT VALUED BY THE POPULACE

The link provided immediately below is intended to bring to you the information that the Sarawak state government is prepared to give to Sarawakians in relation to the progress made in the efforts to achieve herd immunity against the Covid.19 virus.

https://www.newsarawaktribune.com.my/vaccinated-people-way-below-targeted-number/

The following are my musings on the matter and if you want to view first-hand the figures that are cited in this news report, do go to the FaceBook page of Unit Komunikasi Awam Sarawak (UKAS).

You may want to read up on the various criticisms levelled against the National Recovery Plan (NRP) announced by PM Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on 15th June 2021 in order to get a clearer picture of the context against which I will express my thoughts on the issue.

Chief among the criticisms is the lack of clarity on the strategy and action plan.

https://www.pmo.gov.my/national-covid-19-immunisation-programme/

https://www.theborneopost.com/2021/06/16/yii-calls-nrp-a-shell-devoid-of-real-substance-and-strategy/

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2021/06/17/national-recovery-plan-lacks-clear-strategy-to-flatten-covid-19-curve-says-mma

To my mind, a Covid.19 recovery plan at national level or at state level should start with a vision statement from the government i.e. what state the nation should be in first before the pandemic is considered as fully under control, for example the business sector is fully opened, all government departments and their other arms are operating at full capacity, employment rate restored to the pre-pandemic level and all social and religious aspects of Malaysians’ lives are restored to pre-pandemic state. In short, Malaysia must first return to normalcy or near normalcy.

The vision ought to be followed by an equally clear statement of strategy, stating how the government is to achieve the vision, for example by saying that by a certain date at least 80% of the malaysian population must be fully vaccinated and herd immunity achieved.

This in turn ought be followed by a plan or plans for action that will enable the strategy to be fully and effectively executed, for example,  by saying all resources available at the government’s disposal - human and financial, will be mobilized to ensure that at least 80% of the population will be registered for vaccination by a certain date, sufficient stock of vaccines is available, vaccines will be brought to locations that are easily accessible even to Malaysians in the most remote of locations and in the meantime, mass/surge testings will be carried out to identify and isolate all asymptomatic cases among the populace.

The NRP contained almost nothing along those lines and so we can more or less expect that nothing of substance that can bring benefits to the populace will transmit from the plan.

Back to the information from UKAS. You will notice that the Sarawak Tribune reported the news with this caption: ‘Vaccinated People Way Below Targeted Number’. The targeted number in the context of the news report is number of Sarawakians that have registered themselves for vaccination, either through Mysejahtera or other means. That number is 1,405,883 or 68.82% of the targeted number of 2,042,840 Sarawakians. This presumably is 80% of the entire population of Sarawak and the number targeted in order to achieve herd immunity.

The information contained therein does not give any indication as to when herd immunity can be achieved and Sarawakians can returned to pre-pandemic condition of living.

CM Datuk Patinggi had stated that Sarawak hoped to achieved herd immunity by August 2021.

https://www.theborneopost.com/2021/06/16/sarawak-aims-at-50000-covid-19-vaccine-jabs-daily-for-herd-immunity-by-august/

What Sarawakians want to know now is what the government is doing to register the other 636,067 Sarawakians (not counting the PATIs staying/working illegally in Sarawak) who have not registered themselves for Covid.19 vaccinations yet?

Sarawakians also want to know what the government is doing to bring the vaccines to 1,603,321 Sarawakians who have not been vaccinated, out of which 636,067 have not registered?

A person who has not registered for vaccination is like a person whose location is unknown and for them to be part of the herd immunity, they must be located and made to register.

There are roughly 74 days before the targeted date for herd immunity is to be achieved. 50,000 vaccinations per day based on stock of vaccines and Pusat Pemberian Vaksin (PPV) alone may be achievable but without the 1,603,321 people to vaccinate, herd immunity by end of August 2021 may prove to be an elusive target.

Malaysia Covid-19 National Recovery Plan

 Malaysia Covid-19 National Recovery Plan

On the 16th June 2021, the office of the Keeper Of The Rulers’

Seal ( Pejabat Penyimpan Mohor Besar Raja Raja) issued a statement which among others contained the Malay rulers’ agreement to the decree from the Yang DiPertuan Agung (Agung) that the Malaysian parliament must reconvene immediately.

On the same day, there was also a statement from the office of the Datuk Pengelola Bijaya Diraja which contained an instruction from the Yang DiPertuan Agung for parliament to reconvene so that the members of the Dewan Rakyat (the MPs) may debate the Emergency Ordinances and the National Recovery Plan (NRP).

Earlier, on the 15th June 2021 PM Muhyiddin Yassin had announced the NRP. For those of you who has not read it it, the NRP is made subjected to impossible and downright ridiculous conditions.

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/06/15/putrajaya-announces-four-phase-covid-19-recovery-plan-for-malaysia-expects/1982402

The ordinary meaning of immediately is right away or instantly. Parliament sitting however is not something that can happen at a moment’s notice but is certainly something that is doable with 1 or 2 weeks notice. That would be a reasonable expectation.

On the same day, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (the de facto Law Minister) Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan (Takiyuddin) said that the Yang DiPertuan Agung did not specify a date for parliament to reconvene and the PM can therefore announce that parliament can reconvene in September 2021. Today, the Speaker of Parliament Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun (Azhar) echoed what was said by Takiyuddin. It is clear that for reasons unknown, Takiyuddin and Azhar’s understanding of the meaning of the word immediately is not quite the same as most readers will understand it.

To make an already puzzling situation more incomprehensible, today National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme Coordinating Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said he was now avoiding the term “herd immunity” as he expected Covid-19 to become prevalent in the foreseeable future.

Whether they say that on their own accord or they prompted by someone, we will never know for sure. What we do know is this: By these two statements and now painfully obvious to all who are following these developments, the Yang DiPertuan Agung, together with Ruler’s Council and the Prime Minister are put on the opposite ends of the spectrum in the matter. This is indeed a very strange thing to happen.

On the face of it, it looks like there are attempts to disregard the Agung’s decree.

If parliament can only reconvene in Sept 2021, the interest of the rakyat will be severely compromised as the MPs will not be able to debate the Emergency Ordinances and the NRP immediately and potentially better solutions from the MPs cannot be put forward and considered. We the rakyat are understandably puzzled and we beg to ask this question: What possible motive the government’s top leadership has in not wanting to reconvene parliament immediately? To be sure, the trust deficit among the rakyat is becoming more prevalent and more acute.

What do the kingmaker, the GPS MPs from Sarawak and the GPS government of Sarawak had to say on this matter? It would appear that at the time of writing the only GPS MP who has issued a statement relating to the issue is Sibuti MP Yb Lukanisman Awang Sauni who said that the federal government should convene parliament soon so that MPs can take part in the 2020 Budget debate which is vital for the NRP.

The rest are maintaining ‘elegant’ silence. How you want to interpret that is up to you. Whatever it is, the golden question that you may want to ask yourself is this: Does this government deserve my support?

Sarawak - Covid-19 Killing Field

                                               Sarawak - Covid-19 Killing Field

Introduction

The Covid.19 or SARS-COV.2 virus originated from Wuhan in China and became a major global news item in Dec 2019. 

In Malaysia the first case of COVID-19 was detected on the 25th Jan 2020. On the 4th Feb 2020 Malaysia reported it’s first local Malaysian infection. In March 2020 a Covid.19 pandemic was declared in Malaysia.

Globally, on 4th May 2021, there have been 153,187,889 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 3,209,109 deaths, reported to WHO. On the same day, Malaysia reported a cumulative figure of  420,632 Covid.19 positive cases and 1574 cases of Covid.19 related deaths. 

There are now at least 30 variants or mutations of Covid.19 and some of the variants are said to be much more infectious than the Covid.19. The regimes of Covid.19 vaccines that is being used now were developed based on protein in the Covid.19 and while these vaccines can be used against the variants it is feared that it’s effectiveness is minimal.

The implications for herd immunity against these variants if the chain of transmission cannot be broken is hard to miss.

Sarawak’s Situation

Locally in Sarawak, the cumulative confirmed cases reached 32,667 and total fatalities was reported to be 188 (12% of the national total of 1574). As at the time of writing there is not a single green zone left in Sarawak.

Public hospitals in Sarawak were earlier reported to have hit full capacity for Covid.19 patients. It is not just Covid.19 ICU beds and intubators but there were also rumors that doctors were hard-pressed to treat patients with other sicknesses.

Yesterday (4th May 2021) Sarawak recorded 620 new positive cases and 4 fatalities. There is no sign that the pandemic is receding in Sarawak. There has been no report of vaccinations taking place any where in Sarawak yesterday and the day before and the assumption is that there is not vaccines left from the first batch received from the ministry of health (MOH).

Today Borneo Post reported that a field hospital, to operated from a community hall in Kapit will become operational on the 7th May 2021. For the uninitiated, a field hospital is usually needed only in areas of catastrophic disaster and war torn zones. A field hospital is the proverbial picture that paints a thousand words in this context.

The MOH’s minister Dr. Adham Baba was on the 3rd May 2021 reported to have said a total of 30 variants of the Covid.19 had been detected in Malaysia.

To a non-medical professional like me, the situation can be summarised in one word - CRITICAL

Covid.19 Pandemic Containment Measures in Sarawak

 The first movement control order (MCO) under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 and the Police Act 1967 was implemented on the 18th March 2020 and it lasted for 14 days. When the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance 2021 (‘Ordinance’) was gazetted on the 14th Jan 2021, the measures that came with it were also implemented in Sarawak. In between there were the Enhancement Movement Control Orders (EMCOs) and the Conditional Movement Control Orders (CMCOs). The stated objective of these movement control orders was to break the chain of transmission of the virus. 

Screenings for Covid.19 positive Sarawakians were done, mostly in a very ad hoc, almost random manners. The vaccinations which started on the 26th Feb 2020 in Sarawak was the next in Sarawak’s measures to contain and eliminate the pandemic.

Up until August 2020, the movement control measures were largely effective. From 2766 in March 2020, the figures when down to just 364 in August 2020. It then spiked to 1884 in Sept 2020 and from there onwards it was downhill all the way, till the end of 2020.

How Did Sarawak Become A Covid.19 Killing Field - Sarawakians Part Of The Fault

Sarawakians are not without fault in the transmission of this virus. Among the first few positive cases and Covid.19 related death in Sarawak were cases that originated from the Sri Petaling Mosque (Tabligh gathering) cluster in Kuala Lumpur. What contributed to the downfall which started in Sept 2020 was a mixture of indiscipline and ignorance  - from failing to use face masks to poor personal hygiene, from prohibited gatherings like birthday parties to weddings, funerals to going out to public places when they were officially under quarantine.

How Did Sarawak Become A Covid.19 Killing Field - The Sarawak Government Part Of The Fault.

The MCO, CMCO, EMCO that were implemented failed because there were always exceptions made to the rule. Exemptions were common place, under the camouflage of workers in essential services, spousal visits, humanitarian grounds etc etc. These control orders were riddled with ‘jalan tikus’. Covid.19 positive people with symptoms and asymptomatic ones alike moved quite freely between zones or districts that have been color coded differently. In short, both the implementation and the enforcement fell short of the standards required to break the chain of transmission between zones and districts.

One such decision was the decision to reopen schools on the 2nd week of March 2021. The timing caused a much consternation among stake holders because school clusters were popping up in so many schools and most teachers were not yet vaccinated then.

The need to be different, to be unique compounded the problems of the leaky MCO’s fences. Since the 3rd May 2021 Sarawak had no green zone left but when the MOH & Majlis Keselamatan Negara (MKN) announced MCO.3, Sarawak was assigned the CMCO, a lesser form the MCO. Why? I am pretty sure it has to do with the coming Pilihan Raya Negeri and voters’ sentiment.

Screening for Covid.19 positive people, perhaps the most crucial link in the efforts to break the chain of transmission appeared to be the weakest part in the government’s initiatives in Sarawak. Wuhan city’s success in breaking the chain of transmission was to a very significant extent attributed to the mass or surge screenings done in the city. This in turn was made possible by a lockdown in the city, one day before the Chinese New Year 2020.

The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee had in the early days of the pandemic in Sarawak divided Sarawak into zones and district and color coded these zones according to the number of Covid.19 positive cases. The ground work for mass or surge screening and lock downs  was already there but mass or surge screenings were not done.

Why are mass or surge screenings important? In almost all of the SDMC’s daily report on Covid.19 in Sarawak, there is a mention of asymptomatic cases. These unseen and undetected Covid.19 positive people who do not display any outward symptoms are moving around freely and spreading the virus and are not stopped until they are caught in a ‘dragnet’. To add to the complexities caused by the failure to do mass screenings, reports are surfacing that the Covid.19 vaccines which are being rolled out today is not thought to be effective against the Covid.19 variants that are already spreading globally now. 

To my mind, untrained in things medical, these asymptomatic people must be detected as soon as humanely possible and isolated until healed, without exception. Failing to do so now may mean that herd immunity for Sarawak is still a hazy thing in a far away horizon.

We now come to the issue of vaccine and vaccination. The National Vaccination Programme laid out by the Ministry of Health and announced by PM Tan Sri Mahiaddin Yassin is very clear but it looks like Sarawak is not following the plan.

Sarawak has a population of roughly 2.8 million people. To achieve herd immunity, about 2.2 million Sarawakians will have to be fully vaccinated by 28th Feb 2022. The vaccination process in Sarawak thus far averages of 868 people per day. At this rate it will take 7 years from now before Sarawak achieves herd immunity, if the variants or mutants causes no additional problems to Sarawak.

The process of vaccination in Sarawak is hampered by many critical issues namely problems with registration, random requests for priority from groups that are not originally classified as front liners and insufficiency of vaccines in Sarawak.

It is noted that there has been no news reports of vaccinations taking place any where in Sarawak the last 2 days.

The latest in the issue vaccines is the unilateral decision made by the Sarawak government to disallow the use of the Astra Zeneca vaccine in Sarawak.

The some total of all the above is this: The GPS government of Sarawak, the SDMC and the PN federal have failed Sarawakians, completely. Only can only imagine for how long more can Sarawakians  cope with the hardships we are going through now.

Lampu Suluh Jenama Covid.19 - Jelas sekali Kegagalan Kerajaan GPS

According to the national Covid.19 vaccination plan, the vaccination programme will end in Feb 2022. By then 2,240,000 Sarawakians would have been fully vaccinated, if everything goes according to plan.

Today, Sarawak’s Health Department director Dr Chin Zin Hing is on record saying that as at last Wednesday, 28th Apr 2021, a total 52,960 Sarawakians, comprising mostly frontliners have been fully vaccinated. Among this total are also the wakil rakyats or ADUNs. 

https://www.theborneopost.com/2021/04/29/52960-people-fully-vaccinated-against-covid-19-in-sarawak-dr-chin/

The medical front liners had to be vaccinated first because they are the foot soldiers in this battle against Covid.19, fighting and putting their lives on the line everyday that other Sarawakians may live. The wakil rakyats or the ADUNs have all been fully vaccinated because they are the privilege group, made the privileged by the votes of those who are still waiting in the queue to be vaccinated.

The first phase of the vaccination in Sarawak started on the 26th Feb 2021 with CM Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari among the first few to be vaccinated. This means that as at the 28th Apr 2021, we are already 61 days into the vaccination process. With 52,960 Sarawakians having been fully vaccinated, Sarawak is averaging an average of 868 people being fully vaccinated daily.

Sarawak has a population of roughly 2.8 million people. To achieve herd immunity, about 2.2 million Sarawakians will have to be fully vaccinated by 28th Feb 2022. At a daily average of 868 people per day, it will take 7 years from now before Sarawak achieves herd immunity.

Registration For Covid.19 Vaccination

In today’s (Friday, 30th Apr 2021) issue of the Borneo Post, the chief advisor to the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) Dato Dr. Sim Kui Hian is reported as saying that Sarawak supply of vaccine may exceed recipients. 

There are at least two ways on interpreting this: 1. That the registrations for Covid.19 vaccination is well below what it should be, for reasons either not known or that cannot be made public. 2. For reasons best known to the Sarawak GPS government, their stated intention to buy the Covid.19 vaccines is not practicable and has to be abandoned. The confirmed registration numbers against available vaccines will justify them not proceeding with their plans to buy the vaccines outside the national plan managed by the federal government.

What are the possible reasons contributing to the low registration among Sarawakians? Surely it cannot be because Sarawakians do not value their lives or they have lost their desire to return to normalcy.

According to Dr. Sim K.H, of the 1.2 million registrations in the books, 868,000 was made online via the MySejahtera app while about 300,000 made manually. Two things can be said here: 1. The Sarawak GPS government has failed miserably to provide internet connectivity to Sarawakians that only 31% of all Sarawakians have access to internet and was able to register for vaccination online. 2. There was very little efforts made the Sarawak GPS government to register rural based Sarawakians that we have to asked why was there an urgent need to vaccinate the privileged ADUNs for rural areas. Only 300,000 manual registrations was recorded. 

The end result of this is that rural based Sarawakians may not get to be vaccinated at all or they will have to endure a long wait in the queue. And all this makes us wonder, is the GPS government people centric or perihatin rakyat as they often claimed to be?

https://www.theborneopost.com/2021/04/21/ulu-baram-covid-19-vaccine-roll-out-in-doubt-due-to-moh-requirement-says-dennis/

Breaking The Chain Of Transmission Of Covid.19

Yesterday was another day of misery for Sarawak. There were 522 new cases recorded, bringing the total to 29,899 cases since the pandemic started in Sarawak. There were 2 new fatalities, bringing the Covid.19 related death tally to 173. The number of death involving people in their 30s and early 50s too have increased. Equally critical, as at yesterday, there was only 1 green zone left in Sarawak. Our public hospitals are stretched to the limits.

https://www.theborneopost.com/2021/04/28/covid-19-tanjung-manis-turns-orange-simunjan-sole-green-zone-in-sarawak/

Our public hospitals are stretched to the limits and surely our medical front liners are drained and stressed beyond words. Images of burning funeral pyres in Delhi, India comes to mind.

https://codeblue.galencentre.org/2021/04/26/sarawak-general-hospital-hits-full-capacity-for-covid19-patients/

There was a time when Sarawakians were hopeful. Our leaders in the GPS government spoke about how Sarawaks’ autonomous power will stem the tide on Covid.19 and that Sarawak will make sure that enough vaccines will be available in Sarawak so that no Sarawak will be left behind.

Up until Oct 2020, the numbers of Covid.19 infections did not cause numbing fears among Sarawakians. It looked like it was under control. Then it all went wrong in Nov 2020.

Where did it all go wrong? Simply put, the GPS government failed to do the necessary to break the chain of transmission. Why for example was surge or mass testing of all Sarawakians, to identify all asymptomatic people and isolate them not done? We live on an island and that should have made it relatively easier to contain the virus. Why were entry points into Sarawak not sealed in the early days? I suspect that because we were approaching the state elections, selfish requests from groups with vested interest or from groups which the GPS deemed to be their votes bank were entertained and this rendered successive MCOs ineffective.

How long do we want to leave our fate in GPS hands. Renung renung lah.

The Covid-19 Mystery in Malaysia - Converging Conveniences For The Privileged Few

 The Covid-19 Mystery in Malaysia - Converging Conveniences For The Privileged Few

 

“The chief minister and the state Cabinet shall wield full authority to government Sarawak beyond the expiry of their term on June 6 this year….this is provided for under Section 11(b) the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance”…..GPS federal minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.

https://www.newsarawaktribune.com.my/state-cabinet-has-executive-authority/

Disclaimer - Readers Discretion Is Advised

The following is just my Sunday morning musings which I was moved to put into writing. It was not based on any in-depth analysis of any data and truth be told, there was a strong impulse to indulge in conspiracy theory and I succumbed to the impulse.

I would like to first state that my musings were triggered by the above-mentioned news article which appeared on last Sunday’s (25th Apr 2021) issue of the ‘New Sarawak Tribune’ (NST) .

 The Nationwide Malaysia’s Covid-19 Scene

From the Monday of 19th Apr 2021 to Sunday, 25th Apr 2021, Malaysia recorded 17,888 new

Covid-19 positive cases, averaging 2555 new cases daily.

I would like to bring readers back to 12th January 2021 - the day a proclamation of Emergency by the Yang Di-Pertuan Agung (YDPA) was officially gazetted. The Emergency, which is to last until 1st August 2021, has just one sole purpose, according to the government: to enable the Malaysian government to eradicate the Covid-19 virus in Malaysia, stop the pandemic and bring back normalcy to our lives.

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/01/12/ten-things-to-know-about-malaysias-emergency-2021/1939648

At this point, it would be good to remember that the pandemic in Malaysia first started when local clusters appeared in March 2020 so it was about 10 months later when the Emergency was declared. It is also equally good and useful to remember that one of the results of the Emergency is the suspension of parliament. The Perikatan Federal (PN) government will rule Malaysia through Emergency powers which includes making laws without convening parliament.

The first movement control order (MCO) was implemented on the 18th March 2020 and from March 2020 until Aug 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic appeared to be well under control in Malaysia. The surge in the numbers of positive cases started around the 1st week of Sept 2020 and it coincided with the state elections in Sabah. The blame for the upsurge in the numbers of positive cases throughout Malaysia was put squarely on the Sabah elections. By Dec 2020, the figures had breached the 2500 per-day levels.

In the meantime, worries and anxieties about the impending dissolution of Sarawak’s Dewan Undangan Negeri, scheduled for automatic dissolution on the 6th June 2021 began escalating in earnest. At that time, the PN federal government helm by PM Muhiaddin Yassin had 111 seats (out of parliament’s total of 222). UMNO, who was and still is not part of the PN government but  had pledged support for PN, started showing signs of discontent with Muhiaddin.

Sarawak, who was the ‘kingmaker’ that helped PN became the federal government, was fast approaching the end of the current DUN’s term and a decision must be made on whether to hold an election or not. GPS, the incumbent state government and GPS’s MPs from Sarawak must have their sense of security during this difficult time.

How?

https://www.nst.com.my/news/politics/2021/01/656289/perikatan-nasional-government-still-control

The 2021 Emergency Proclamation

A GPS federal minister, Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar put it very clearly when he said the Sarawak’s cabinet shall wield full authority to govern Sarawak beyond the expiry of the current DUN’s term “by virtue of Sect 11(b) the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance.”

The Emergency was for one purpose i.e. to control the Covid-19 pandemic and Sabah’s experience of an upsurge in the Covid-19 positive numbers was a very valid precedence that must be avoided at all cost. So how long can GPS govern Sarawak without an election? The answer is until the Emergency is lifted and that is the security that GPS wants.

So, with all these in mind, a question that now begs an answer is this: was the purpose of the Emergency, declared by the YDPA ‘on the advice of PM Mahiaddin’, to help the government control Covid-19 or was it to avoid a vote of no confidence in parliament, one that may just come if GPS feels that their crucial support during the formation of the PN government is not being reciprocated ? Was the idea for an Emergency something that was prompted by GPS from Sarawak?

The advice here now is – ‘keep your thoughts on this to yourself.’

Why do these questions arise?

Well, for one, the Emergency has not shown itself to be an effective tool in the efforts to stop the pandemic. Of course, it does not stop Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin from saying that the Emergency is helping to contain Covid-19 as it ‘could have been worse’. ‘Could have been worse’ - than what?

The Sarawak Covid-19 Nightmare

As was said earlier, from 19th Apr 2021 to the 25th Apr 2021, Sarawak recorded a daily average of 567 new Covid-19 positive cases. The total for the week was 3974. Almost all these positive cases were supposed to have been isolated and treated in public hospitals in Sarawak. If you are looking at a 14-day period for a hospital to resolve and discharge a Covid.19 patient, you will be looking at close to 1000 patients over the last 2 weeks.

There are 22 public hospitals in Sarawak with a combined bed-capacity of 3862 beds. All these hospitals are hybrid hospitals, meaning these hospitals also treat non-Covid-19 cases.

http://sarawakfacts.sarawak.gov.my/modules/web/policy.php?clsid=&polid=365

State Health Department director Dr. Chin Zin Hing is on record saying that Sibu Hospital is no longer experiencing congestion. His statement was affirmed by the chairman of Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) who said nobody sleeps on the hospital floor in Sibu.

In the meantime, an online news dated 26th Apr 2021 described the situation at the Sarawak General Hospital as ‘quite bad with Covid-19 isolation wards and ICU beds stretched to the limits’.

https://codeblue.galencentre.org/2021/04/26/sarawak-general-hospital-hits-full-capacity-for-covid19-patients/

If these figures reflect the real situation, then the medical systems, specifically the hospitals are all at breaking point and we are all in ‘deep shit’. It is akin to an old submarine that had dived 800 meters when it was built to dive to a maximum depth of 500 meters. The crushing pressure caused it to break and crumble. That, is the kind of pressure which our public hospitals are now subject to, with the Covid-19 positive numbers which we are currently experiencing.

What of our leaders in the Sarawak government? Presumably they have all received their vaccines. The pandemic of course has caused the DUN to be suspended and the DUN is not functioning for now so the ‘wakil-wakil rakyat’ are not at risk of contracting the virus from each other in the DUN.

The movement control orders have also prevented any meeting between the ‘wakil-wakil rakyat’ and the needy people they represent. The cabinet members will continue to ‘govern’ through the provisions of the Emergency Ordinance and will continue to earn their fat RM30,000 plus per-month allowances and salaries while the B40 and lower rung M40 households continue to struggle.

That is ‘a convenient arrangement’ under the circumstances and benefits converging for the privileged few. How convenient can that be?

This is inequity and injustice at ‘micro’ level, simultaneously caused and exposed by the Covid-19 virus.

‘A friend in need is a friend indeed.’

Only question is – who’s the ‘friend’ and what’s the ‘need’ ?

Covid-19 ? The Wakil-wakil Rakyat, the Rakyat or the Emergency itself ?

Your guess is as good as mine – one man’s suffering is another man’s ‘gain’ ?

Indeed and ‘In Need’.

Hospital di Sibu kekurangan peralatan dan terpaksa meminjam dari hospital swasta

 "Hospital di Sibu kekurangan peralatan dan terpaksa meminjam dari hospital swasta.

"Pandemik Covid-19 yang sedang berlaku telah menunjukkan dengan jelas pemerintahan buruk dari kekurangan pelaburan yang serius dan keutamaan rendah di hospital berbanding di Tanah Melayu."

Dia berkata, sebagai contoh, ventilator di Sibu sebelum wabak Covid-19 datang, peralatan hospital sudah berusia 10 tahun malah telah dihapus dengan nilai sifar.

"Ini bererti ianya usang dan tidak boleh diperbaiki dan jika ianya sudah rosak, haruslah diganti. Malangnya, permintaan penggantian baru setiap tahun tidak akan datang. "

Di samping itu, dia menunjukkan bahawa kerajaan negeri baru-baru ini membeli tiga ventilator baru untuk Hospital Sibu dan sektor swasta menyumbangkan satu ventilator ke Hospital Sibu dan satu lagi ke Hospital Kapit.

"Terdapat individu yang sangat dermawan dalam menyumbangkan peralatan dan banyak barang lain ke Hospital Sibu sejak setahun lepas. Bahkan dua unit mesin ujian PCR disumbangkan oleh syarikat swasta. "

Adakah ianya patut disesali?

Untuk makluman, saya membeli-belah dalam talian - segala sesuatu mengenai produk dapat dilihat / disahkan / ditinjau SEBELUM membeli / penghantaran.

Di sini, kita bercakap mengenai kebolehtahanan peralatan 'penyelamat nyawa' untuk Hospital Sarawak semasa PANDEMIK.

Sudah semestinya, tanda aras yang tinggi ini sudah dijangka. Di manakah 'SOP'? Tidakkah Sarawak mempunyai 'pakar perubatan' untuk MENGESAHKAN Ventilator ini bahkan sebelum dihantar?

Napolean berkata - "setiap jam masa yang hilang adalah peluang untuk musibah di masa depan".

Tidakkah kita bosan mendengar kisah lama yang sama , berulang kali, untuk sekian lamanya?

Bagi mereka yang terlibat dalam kegagalan ini - anda melakukan layanan yang BESAR kepada rakyat Sarawak.

Perkara terhormat yang harus dilakukan adalah mengundurkan diri dan dengan ramah membiarkan pemimpin yang lebih cekap mengambil alih.

Kehidupan manusia dipertaruhkan.

Bilakah kita hendak belajar dari kesilapan? Apa kesan yang akan berlaku seterusnya nanti? SAYA TIDAK BOLEH BERNAFAS ..... ???

“Probe” ventilator yang rosak dihantar ke Sarawak

https://www.newsarawaktribune.com.my/probe-why-faulty-ventilators-sent-to-sarawak/

➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖

(English)

“Hospitals in Sibu are running low on equipment and have had to resort to borrowing from private hospitals.

“The pandemic has revealed the ugly truth of the serious lack of investments and the low priorities on hospitals here compared to Malaya.”

He said, as example, ventilators in Sibu before the pandemic were already 10 years old and had been written off with zero value.

“This means they are obsolete and should not be repaired if broken and had to be replaced. Sadly, yearly request for new replacements never come.”

In addition, he pointed out that the state government recently bought three new ventilators for Sibu Hospital and the private sector donated one ventilator to Sibu Hospital and one to Kapit Hospital.

“People have been very generous in donating equipment and many other items to Sibu Hospital over the last one year. Even the two units of PCR testing machines were donated by private companies.”

****

Crying over spilt milk ?

For information, I do online shopping - everything about the product could be viewed/verified/reviewed CLEARLY PRIOR to purchase/shipment.

Here, we are talking about procurement of 'life-saving' equipment for Sarawak Hospitals during a PANDEMIC.

Surely a HIGHER benchmark is expected. Where are the 'SOPs' ? Doesn't Sarawak have 'medical experts' to VERIFY these Ventilators before they are even shipped over ?

Napolean said - "every hour of lost time is a chance for future misfortunes".

Are we not tired of hearing this same old story, being repeated, for umpteenth times ?

For those involved in this fiasco - you are doing GREAT disservice to Sarawakians.

The honourable thing to do is to step down and graciously allow more competent leaders to take over.

Human lives are at stake.

WHEN will we ever learn ? WHAT's NEXT ? I CAN'T BREATHE.....???

Probe why faulty ventilators sent to Sarawak

https://www.newsarawaktribune.com.my/probe-why-faulty-ventilators-sent-to-sarawak/

Nganu enda nuan? - Tu peminta pemadu mimit enti deka terus idup ba Sarawak

Nganu enda nuan? - Tu peminta pemadu mimit enti deka terus idup ba Sarawak

MIRI (21 April) : Pengara program vaksinasi Covid-19 renggat kedua ba menua pesisir Ulu Baram diatu nyau ditangguh dua kali. Jaku tu dipansutka ADUN Telang Usan, Dennis Ngau.

Dennis Ngau madah ke pekara senentang Menteri Pengerai Malaysia (KKM) udah netapka semina menoa ke ngembuan 8000 rayat aja deka diberi Vaksin. Tang, menoa ka ba pesisir baka Ulu Baram nadai datai 8000 iku penyampau rayat ka diau diak .

https://www.theborneopost.com/2021/04/21/ulu-baram-covid-19-vaccine-roll-out-in-doubt-due-to-moh-requirement-says-dennis/

Nama seput orang menoa Sarawak iya ke deka idup , bepanggai ba kepala menteri pia?

Mayuh pekara ke ngasuh siku-siku orang nganu perintah Perikatan Nasional (PN). Perintah ke netap ka penyampau rayat ke ulih nerima vaksin amat ngasuh orang begedi serta ringat baka gunung berapi ke deka meletup. Aku amat pedis ati maya aku maca berita pasal perintah Sarawak ianya Perintah GPS ka begulai sama dalam Perintah PN nyau meri kuasa agai ketuai-ketuai ba malaya ianya PN. Utai tu dipeda kitai amat ngemain serta ngemelik ke seput rayat Sarawak. Ketua-ketua ke diberi kitai tabi basa ke dikarap kitai nyaga pengelantang menoa nyau ngena kuasa sida peneka ati ianya sida ke nentuka ni bagi sapa patut dijaga ari Virus Covid-19, sapa ke patut kena virus lalu sapa ke patut mati.

Nadai kala ba mimpi aku sebedau tu, tu meh mimpi aku ke pemadu remban maya aku ngingatka bisi menoa ke ngembuan pengarap rasmi serta rayat ke diau di menoa nya ke udu belayak pasal pengarap laban penemu pengarap ke nadai sama lalu bisi sekeda ketuai-ketuai menoa ke deka sida ya empu nyadi tauka nganti kereja Tuhan.

Nama patut ka rayat ke nadai manah nasit ke diau ba pesisir diberi peminta minimum ke ditatak perintah PN ia ke enda ulih digapai patut di’lak bakanya aja? Nama sida ya mensia taula jelu ke dibuai serta enda dikibuh peneka ati? Ketuai Sarawak dalam perintah PN enggau perintah GPS patut meri jaku saut ngagai pekara tu.

Rayat Sarawak di’lak diau ba dalam utai ke mundup redup

Ketuai kitai, nadai  ngira ketuai ba renggat pusat tauka negeri nyau baka udah ngerampas kuasa enggau hak dikena sida nentuka sapa patut idup lalu bisi hak mejam ke mata rayat tauka ngelalai pekara ke beguna bagi sida.

Aku diau ba bandar lalu aku semampai berunding laban aku bisi ngembuan capai internet ke chukup manah, bisi tv baka saluran tv astro lalu aku ulih maca berita ari surat khabar. Nya meh kebuah aku nemu utai ke nyadi ngagai menoa kitai. Aku amat tekenyit pagi tu tadi maya maca berita pasal perintah ke meri vaksin ngagai siti-siti menoa. Perintah nyau natak maya sida deka nyadung vaksin covid-19 ianya enti siti menoa nya, rayat enda datai 8000 iku, menoa nya enda diberi vaksin. Nama kebuah rayat sarawak enda madah ke pekara tu sebedau perintah muka sistem dikena rayat nerima regista ngambika diberi vaksin?

Bisi 5 chara kitai regista vaksin ke patut ditemu kitai : 1. Ari Aplikasi MySejahtera, 2. Laman web JKJAV COVID-19:  vaksincovid.gov.my, 3. Talipaun agai :1800-888-828, 4. regista kediri empu agai sepital enggau klinik lalu 5. Bisi urang regista agai pintu ke pintu.

https://www.klook.com/en-MY/blog/vaccine-registration-mysejahtera-malaysia/

Bagi sapa ke landik serta ngembuan penemu pasal bakani pengidup urang ke diau ba menoa pesisir sigi nemu chara 1,2,enggau 3 amat nadai ulih dipejalaika laban sida nadai ngembuan internet ke manah tauka sigi te nadai internet. Regista ngagai sepital enggau klinik mega mayuh kelikuh laban ngambi masa ke panjai serta tusah kelimpak agi rayat ke diau di teluk menoa.

Semua utai ke nyadi nyau ngasuh rayat ke diau di pesisir menoa pedis deka ngaga nama-nama laban perintah nyau udah meri takat ngagai sida. Enti ketuai Sarawak ia ke beserakup enggau perintah PN serta perintah GPS bisi ngasai pengasih tauka penyiru ngagai sida ke diau di pesisir, sida patut ngiga jalai ianya chara bekunsi ka berita nya agai rayat di pesisir lalu ngiga chara bakani deka regista ke sida.

Tang, nadai siku ketuai Sarawak ke irau ngagai pengidup rayat Sarawak. Jangka aku, sida udah lalek pasal rayat nya ke milih sida ngambika nulung serta mantu sida maya susah.

Vaksin ke diungkupka agai rayat di menoa pesisir.

Vaksin ke diungkupka ngagai rayat ke diau di menoa pesisir ianya vaksin Cansino siti dos aja, Vaksin ke digaga ari menoa China. Penemu milih utai tu enda maioh pemanah ari penemu sains tang keno ko sida iya, pemansang orang Sarawak bisi ba menua pesisir

https://www.theborneopost.com/2021/04/15/dcm-sarawak-asking-federal-for-cansino-vaccine-supply/

Siti menoa ke ari luar china ke setuju deka ngena Vaksin CanSino ianya menoa Hungary.

Kitai nemu WHO ( Organisasi Kesihatan Dunia) nadai ngeluarka sebarang jaku vaksin nya pasal Malaysia begantung 100% ngagai China pasal pengelikun enggau pemisa vaksin nya.

https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-confusion-over-efficacy-of-chinese-vaccines/a-57181029

https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/chinas-cansino-covid-vaccine-shows-657-efficacy

Enti sema bisi pemanah ke datai laban utai ke nyadi tu ianya Covid-19, utai nya ianya: Kitai ukai semina meda perintah GPS nadai landik megai menoa lalu perintah persekutuan mega nadai bedulika rayat ke udah milih sida megai pangkat ke tinggi ke diulih sida diatu.

Udah chukup jam kitai rayat Sarawak ngaga pilih ke susah ianya kitai mesti lalu patut nukar perintah ke megai menoa kitai diatu.