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.
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’.
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’.
