KUALA LUMPUR – The government is only interested in holding on to power, said Kuala Langat MP Xavier Jayakumar, as there is a clear lack of effort to make early preparations for the Covid-19 vaccine.
He said this in response to Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin’s announcement that a majority of the population will receive the immunisation only by the third quarter of the year.
“Instead, they have been far more interested in holding on to power than in paying attention to the welfare of the people,” said the PKR leader in a Facebook post today.
He questioned whether the national emergency will continue until year-end, given that most Malaysians will only get the jab in eight months’ time.
“Now that KJ has come out to say that most Malaysians will only get access to the vaccine in Q3 of 2021, some eight months from now, it is as if to say that the emergency will continue to the end of the year, while the nation suffers due to your incompetence.”
He urged the Perikatan Nasional administration to focus on the nation’s well-being and halt their politicking.
If government leaders are unable to contain the pandemic, he said, they should resign.
“This is completely unacceptable, and shows a gross lack of urgency and planning. PN should stop politicking and concentrate on the well-being of the nation.
“If this government is not capable of handling the situation, it should resign, as it is very clear that it no longer holds the majority in Parliament.”
Khairy today said the vaccination programme will prioritise frontliners and high-risk groups, with the rest of the population expected to be inoculated by August.
The Rembau MP said Singapore received vaccines earlier due its bigger budget and smaller population size, while Indonesia has conducted Phase 3 clinical trials for the Sinovac vaccine. – The Vibes, January 15, 2021
