HOW DUMB & PATHETIC IS MUHYDDIN’S CABINET! AS WORLD GOVTS MULL ‘LOCKDOWNS’ – MUHYIDDIN REGIME TO PRESENT ‘ISLAMIC VIEWPOINTS ON COVID-19’ TO RULERS TO SEEK CONSENT FOR ACTION

The last few days have been a nightmare. I can safely say that everyone was glued to the television or online news media to get the updates on Covid-19.

And the latest details don’t look good. The total number of cases in Malaysia stands at 428 and there were 190 cases on Sunday alone.

These cases are increasing every day. While most of the infections are from the Sri Petaling mosque cluster, it’s frightening to note that 30,000 Hindus gathered in Penang for a festival on March 8.

If this is not all, it’s now confirmed that Malaysia has its first sporadic case: an indication that Covid-19 has now spread into the community.

There have been re-infections in China and Japan and according to news reports, people without symptoms are causing substantial amounts of infection in the US.

But if we drive around Kuala Lumpur, we will see people in restaurants, cafes, coffee bars, cinemas, night markets and places of worship.

Businesses and shops remain open. And if not for the school holidays, our schools would be open as well.

We need to observe how Italy had 200 cases three weeks ago and now more than 20,000 infections.

More than one thousand four hundred people have died as I write this compared to seven, three weeks ago.

So, we need to act now before it’s too late. And I urge the government to consider a lockdown for the next two weeks so that everyone has no choice but to stay home unless they go out for food, medicine or in the event of an emergency.

This should then be reviewed at the end of the fourteen days.

Spain is under lockdown. Canada has announced a stimulus package to help its citizens cope with increasing expenses. Our neighbouring Singapore has called for all Friday prayers in mosques to be stopped.

We haven’t seen a clear policy statement from Perikatan Nasional, other than the government urging people not to gather in large crowds.

But that hasn’t stopped people from doing so since it’s not mandatory.

We need tougher action that will help curb the fast-rising infection rate or we may see a drastic increase in cases in the coming weeks.

I, therefore, hope the government will give due consideration to a lockdown as Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin meets his ministers on Monday to discuss the way forward.

CHARLES SANTIAGO is the Member of Parliament for Klang.  – MKINI

Islamic viewpoints on Covid-19 to be presented to rulers to seek consent for action

The viewpoints of Islamic jurisprudence in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic will be presented to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and state rulers for consent for further action.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri said the viewpoints were gathered during the national council for Islamic affairs fatwa committee meeting yesterday as decreed by the Agong.

“The Fatwa committee members also examined the legal studies tabled by Aizam Mas’od, director of the Fatwa al-Zuhaili Research and Management Centre, Federal Territory Mufti’s Office,” he said in a statement today.

The meeting chaired by the fatwa committee chairperson Zahidi Wan Teh was attended by all state muftis and representatives, state Islamic religious department directors as well as state Islamic religious council representatives.

Also present were Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah and National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) director-general Mohtar Mohd Abd Rahman who gave updates of the Covid-19 situation.

Meanwhile, Noor Hisham on his official Facebook today said he also held a  discussion with the tabligh members who attended a recent convention with the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) and the Sri Petaling Mosque management.

He said among the issues raised were the current Covid-19 situation, particularly on the cluster related to tabligh members and steps taken by the Health Ministry as well as the mosque.

“The mosque management will assist and work closely with the Health Ministry and Jakim to continue to get in contact with the tabligh members to ensure that all involved would go for health examination and screening,” he said.

Noor Hisham also urged those who attended the recent tabligh rally to contact the nearest district health office for further action.

Participants at the tabligh convention will be placed under surveillance and observation under Section 15 (1) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases 1988 for a period of 14 days from the last day of the gathering held at the Sri Petaling mosque or last had contact with a Covid-19 case, whichever is later.

As at noon today, 190 new Covid-19 cases were reported, bringing the cumulative number in the country to 428 cases.

According to preliminary investigations, most of the new cases are linked to the cluster involving the tabligh assembly at the Sri Petaling mosque. – Bernama

MKINI / BERNAMA