Penang deputy CM wants aid provided to impoverished in self-quarantine

GEORGE TOWN – Welfare authorities need to provide assistance to the poor and jobless infected with Covid-19 and forced to self-quarantine, said Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P. Ramasamy.

He said that many offices of elected representatives have received pleas for help, particularly for food and healthcare aid.

Ramasamy said that this was especially the case as many asymptomatic cases were asked to self-isolate at home due to an acute shortage of space in publicly-managed quarantine and treatment centres here. 

“Here is where the federal government needs to play a bigger role. We cannot just leave these people left to their own devices as they cannot afford food delivery services and they may require medicines as well as psychological attention,” said the Prai assemblyman in an interview with The Vibes.

“Many people call my assistants or service centres at the constituency to seek help and assistance and the numbers (calling) have increased over the months,” he said. 

Ramasamy was also confident that working-class voters, of whom many are Indians, would support Pakatan Harapan in the next general election after they grew disillusioned with the present Perikatan Nasional government, who have performed poorly in the face of the pandemic.

“Indians are badly affected, like any other communities in the country, under the tightened movement control order 3.0 which was implemented on June 1 and ends on June 14.”

“A major portion of the Indians are wage earners and petty traders. They will not get paid when their employers’ close shop, especially petty traders of non-essential items like those selling flowers and prayer items. They will be affected by the lockdown as they have lost their income.

“However, we cannot segregate the issue to one community alone as it affects other communities too as when it comes to the poor and underprivileged, there is no such thing as colour, creed and religion,” Ramasamy said.

Ramasamy, however, stressed that the issue has nothing to do with race or religion because at this juncture, people are simply fed up by the present government’s inability to contain the pandemic as effectively as it should, despite Malaysia’s relatively small size. – The Vibes, June 5, 2021