KOTA KINABALU – Tuaran MP and Upko president Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau urged the state government not to follow the federal government’s decision to limit contact tracing procedures in a statement here today.
He said the state must assert its autonomy and demand to take over the handling of health matters from Putrajaya to curb the spread of Covid-19.
“Sabah’s borders are porous to foreigners due to its long coastline and the presence of illegal entry points along the Indonesia and Philippines borders.
“Decision-makers in Putrajaya cannot assume that every part of Malaysia is like the Klang Valley, where police roadblocks are enough to stop interstate and inter-district travels.
“In Sabah, how do we set up roadblocks on the South China and Sulu seas?”
Wilfred said that abiding to Putrajaya’s one-size-fits-all policy on contact tracing means Sabahans will be extremely vulnerable to the threat of imported Covid-19 cases.
“Can’t the state government reject a flawed policy that might be lethal to our community’s safety?” said Wilfred.
Wilfred was responding to the Health Ministry’s move to reduce the volume of testing for Covid-19 clusters.
Wilfred said he strongly believes matters like health, education, policing and transportation must no longer remain federal matters given that federal policymakers do not understand the geographical challenges Sabah faces.
He said the state government must assert autonomy, especially on health-related issues, and take charge of the war against Covid-19.
“Decision-making must be sensitive and responsive to local needs, and must be made concurrently so decisions can be jointly made by the federal and state governments.
“Such decentralisation must happen not only for Sabah and Sarawak, but for all states,” he said.
Wilfred said Sabah should look at Australia and New Zealand’s models of dealing with the pandemic as these nations record minimal or non-existent infections due to well-functioning health services.
“Their essential strategies include widespread testing (32,000 tests done within the community, of which five cases were detected) with many test centres and drive-through test facilities.
“In this instance, any particular individual seeking to get tested will receive appropriate attention. Their track-and-trace procedures are fast and effective,” he said.
Wilfred said the Australian government uses a scheme where hotels are used as quarantine centres for foreigners coming into the country.
He said the state government can emulate Australia’s health authorities as designated quarantine facilities in Sabah have reached maximum capacity and are no longer able to provide space for new patients.
“Just as the example shown by the Australian government, this modus operandi will secure efficient enforcement of quarantined persons.
“People who tested positive for the virus should be quarantined in dedicated facilities, not at home,” he said.
Wilfred said the state government should also hire more staff to guard quarantine centres if those currently employed under the Health Ministry are unable to cope with the number of patients rising exponentially. – The Vibes, January 19, 2021
