KUALA LUMPUR – Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has taken the government to task over its subpar planning of the vaccine roll-out, the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme and approach in handling fake news by anti-vaxxers.
Anwar said while Malaysians must be hopeful that the vaccination drive goes well, it should not be used as an excuse to legitimise the government’s lack of respect towards democratic institutions.
He also took a swipe at the “minister responsible” for the vaccine roll-out for keeping the acquisition process secretive.
“He claims that the vaccine procurement has been a drawn-out process over many months, yet there is so little to show for it.
“Even when the vaccines arrived, other than the one personally reserved for Abah (Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin), who else will get it and when? And what of educating the public on the risks and benefits (of the shot)?” Anwar said on the Covid-19 vaccination drive in a live video on his Facebook page tonight.
The Port Dickson MP also questioned the RM3 billion allocated for the vaccine in the Budget, highlighting that the cabinet indicated that the procurement costs only RM2.05 billion.
“How can we ensure this RM 2.05 billion is going to the vaccine, and nothing is being skimmed off for middlemen or to feed the pockets of cronies?”
On fake news, Anwar emphasised that it is important to combat the matter, but criticised the government’s authoritarian approach.
“While it is important to keep ourselves vigilant against fake news and misinformation, this approach has a high likelihood of backfiring and feeding the conspiracy theories it hopes to destroy.”
He, instead, recommended fake news to be taken head-on, using logical thinking.
“Also, where will an authoritarian government draw the line on what is misinformation and what is informed opinion, or is this the beginning of a move towards the only truth being what the government says is the truth?” – The Vibes, February 26, 2021
