MUAR – Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin managed to spend time joking with a group of Orang Asli who came to get their vaccine shots at the Pagoh multipurpose hall vaccination centre here today and help allay their fears before being inoculated.
The Pagoh MP was present at the centre to observe the process of vaccinating the local community as well as the facilities provided at the centre, including a bus being used as a mobile vaccination unit.
He took the opportunity to ask the Orang Asli whether they were afraid of being inoculated.
“Okay or not, are you scared?” he asked them before one of them immediately replied: “Actually, we are afraid.”
It is understood that 38 Orang Asli from Kg Searak Api, Pagoh and Kg Sentosa, Lenga were scheduled to receive their vaccine jabs today.
Muhyiddin, who spent about 30 minutes visiting the centre, was accompanied by his wife Puan Sri Norainee Abdul Rahman, Bukit Kepong state assemblyman Sahruddin Jamal and Muar district health officer Dr Noorhaida Ujang.
Meanwhile, one of the Orang Asli, 34-year-old Ida Kandi said she was surprised and excited when greeted by the prime minister, especially since it was the first time she had come face-to-face with the country’s top leader.
“I was so happy that I was speechless…I came with my husband to get vaccinated and, by chance, he (the prime minister) came and greeted me. I was stunned for a while, but then I was a little emboldened,” she told reporters after getting her vaccine jab.
Ida, who admitted to being afraid of needles, said she still went ahead anyway for the sake of her family’s health and safety.
The Pagoh multipurpose hall centre, which has been operating since June 6, is the second non-health centre in the Muar district after Dewan Maharani and is capable of administering 700 doses of shots a day through the involvement of 50 workers from various government agencies and 20 volunteers.
According to statistics from the Johor State Covid-19 Vaccination Report, as of Sunday (June 20), a total of 35,490 people have received the first dose of the vaccine while 15,719 have completed both doses in Muar.
Meanwhile in Jempol, Negri Sembilan, a total of 733 village heads (tok batin) from 853 Orang Asli settlements nationwide have agreed to get vaccinated under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme as of yesterday.
Rural Development Deputy Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Mohamad said of the total, almost 50% had been inoculated, setting an example for the community to also take the vaccine.
“They look up to the tok batin and today, the number of tok batin has increased. If they get inoculated, their people will follow suit.
“The process will start with the tok batin. This is really important for the Orang Asli group. They can convince others to take the vaccine,” he told reporters at the vaccination programme for the Orang Asli community here today.
Rahman said 28,413 individuals from the total 144,180 Orang Asli eligible to receive the vaccine have registered for vaccination, as a result of various initiatives conducted by the ministry and its agencies, including the outreach programme by the Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (Risda).
He said 4,496 individuals have received their first dose, while 1,511 others have completed both doses of the vaccine.
“Many Orang Asli need assistance to register via the MySejahtera app. A programme that goes into the interior areas will make things easier for them.
“We are proud because more people have agreed to receive the vaccine through this outreach programme,” he said.
Meanwhile, Risda chairman Datuk Mohd Salim Mohd Sharif said the organisation was directly involved in the programme as almost 80% of the Orang Asli were smallholders undertaking the Cluster Replanting Project.
“We are among the agencies close to them, so we convinced them (to take the vaccine). Before this, when we came down with the district health office, many of them were reluctant because they were influenced by misleading information about the vaccine,” he said.
Earlier, 260 people from Kg Orang Asli Panchor and Kg Batu Peti here received the Sinovac vaccine. – Bernama, June 22, 2021
