GEORGE TOWN – The Penang Legislative Assembly was today told that the national state of emergency imposed from January to July did not help the state eradicate Covid-19.
Deputy Chief Minister II P. Ramasamy (Prai-DAP) said the emergency order was enforced only to save Perikatan Nasional’s hold on Putrajaya under then prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
“If asked whether the emergency helped the Penang government, the answer is simple: no. The second question is whether the emergency managed to bring down Covid-19 cases. The answer is also no,” he said in response to an oral question by M. Satees (Bagan Dalam-DAP).
“So, if this emergency did not help the eradication of Covid-19, why should it have been imposed? This emergency was only to save Muhyiddin’s government.”
As of yesterday, Penang had recorded a total of 88,253 coronavirus cases and 603 deaths. In the two weeks from August 19 to yesterday, the state registered 23,442 cases.
Ramasamy said if the Muhyiddin government had taken into account the role of state and local governments, the coronavirus crisis would likely be resolved.
In Penang, as in other states, the issue of vaccines became the main focus – and a major problem – when the rise in infections became even more alarming.
“I also do not want to blame anyone. But, we must act and cannot rely on the federal government alone,” said Ramasamy.
The same concern was raised by Lim Guan Eng (Air Putih-DAP), who urged the Penang administration to take its own mitigation measures in dealing with the pandemic, especially to save more lives.
Virus deaths in Penang at this time are very worrying, he said, noting that in just 15 days – between August 11 and 26 – a total of 211 lives were lost.
“If vaccination can be expedited, we may be able to save more lives. I hope the state government, especially the health exco, does not delay this any longer, and cares about this matter,” he said, referring to exco Dr Norlela Ariffin (Penanti-PKR). – The Vibes, September 2, 2021
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