GEORGETOWN – A Penang PKR leader has asked the Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Special Committee (JKJAV) to spell out the mode of acceptance of vaccine donations following a controversy arising from an allegedly bogus company’s offer to donate two million doses of the Sinovac vaccine to the state.
Penang PKR vice-chairman Jason Ong Khan Lee said that despite the alleged scam, he was confident that there were individuals or companies which were willing to donate vaccines in order to achieve herd immunity globally.
“The donors may come from China or other developed countries who want to help Malaysia or its private sector overcome the hurdles of ensuring that most of the population are inoculated.
“I am not saying that the offer by this (Sabah-based) company is genuine.
“What I am stressing here is that other donations may (still) come in, perhaps with a hidden agenda but if it can help us create a herd immunity the soonest, I think we can consider unless it means selling our sovereignty,” he said.
Ong said that he was informed of several companies which were willing to donate and JKJAV needed to define the guidelines to accept the vaccines.
The guidelines will have to be based on competency, transparency, and accountability standards.
Meanwhile, Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P. Ramasamy said that he accepted the argument that the state government should have shown due diligence and conducted checks on the offer of two million doses of vaccine.
“It was done in good faith. It is just that perhaps we could have checked the offer.”
However he did not discount the notion that Science Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who oversees the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, was “playing politics” with regard to the issue.
“The offer was made in February and Penang urged the health authorities to forward the offer to the federal side and the response came back with a firm no.
“We left it as such as the vaccination then was under the sole purview of JKJAV.
“And back then, the cases were seen to be under control unlike now.”
But now with reports that Sarawak and Selangor were given the green light to procure vaccines on behalf of their states, Penang decided to ask why it was left out, said Ramasamy.
“The offer was made in February but it was not until now that Khairy decided to respond claiming that the offer may be bogus or a scam.
“Why didn’t Khairy respond in February? Why wait until now. Surely it has a hint of politics,” he said. – The Vibes, May 20, 2021
