Let MoH, army run the show, politicians handling vaccination drive told

GEORGE TOWN – Let the Health Ministry and army run the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, Lawyers for Justice movement coordinator S. Raveentharan urged politicians.

Politicians need to give up their role in the campaign as their presence has not resulted in a higher vaccination rate, he told The Vibes.

“The numbers speak for themselves – we are seeing record deaths every day. Yesterday, we had 59 deaths. There were 331 deaths recorded over the past seven days (up to yesterday), and an 11% increase in cases in the same period.”

He said the majority of people have lost confidence in political leaders’ ability to oversee the vaccination drive.

Raveentharan, who is former PKR deputy secretary-general and Batu Uban assemblyman, said he is not politicising the issue, but speaking on behalf of the average Malaysian who is frustrated with politicians.

The immunisation programme should no longer be in the hands of politicians, as they have sown the seeds of doubt. And when people lose confidence, there is no trust, and they will disobey those they have lost respect for.”

He said politicians should confine themselves to issues concerning security, public safety and the economy, as many have a background in business prior to switching career paths.

“Leave the business of public healthcare to those who are qualified, and allow the army, who are formed to fight in warfare and act in crisis management, to take on a bigger role.”

He challenged the authorities to increase the vaccination rate threefold, saying if the country can hold a general election within a day, it can surely immunise more than 100 people against Covid-19 at one vaccination centre daily.

Data available online showed that as of 12.30pm today, 2.3 million people in Malaysia have been given the first dose of mainly the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines, of whom 891,000 are fully vaccinated, accounting for 2.8% of the estimated population base of 33 million.

The country also has a sizable number of migrant workers, expatriates, and retirees under the Malaysia My Second Home programme.

Raveentharan said the role of politicians in the immunisation programme has given rise to speculation that there are many middlemen involved, and the presence of elements trying to monetise the process.

It is unhealthy for Malaysians to hear such things, as it may discourage more from registering to be vaccinated. At the present rate, it will take four years to achieve herd immunity.”

He urged politicians to convince more people to get the jab, as the rate of no-shows in Penang is relatively high at 30%.

“We are not moving in the right direction due to the prevailing old way of doing things. We cannot be doing the same thing and expecting better results. We need to innovate, and politicians should be honourable enough to vacate their role here and allow a neutral movement to take the lead.” – The Vibes, May 21, 2021