Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar has urged critics of the government's handling of the Covid-19 vaccination programme to be careful with the words and not enable the anti-vaccination movement.
In a statement today, Nurul Izzah (above) said there are frustrations and justified criticisms of the weaknesses in the country's governance, but it must not hinder the progress of the immunisation programme.
"The ongoing mudslinging and politicising will serve to create further uncertainties and lend credence to the growing anti-vaxxer movement that is rapidly emerging on social media.
"It is our joint, bipartisan duty to see this immunisation programme through," she said, adding that Malaysia's primary objective now is to achieve herd immunity against Covid-19.
Nurul Izzah said the correct platform for those with grouses on the vaccination programme should be Parliament and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which she is a member of.
The PAC had hitherto heard from Putrajaya's Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Special Committee (JKJAV) once and was satisfied, at the time, with the vaccine pricing and planned delivery schedule.
However, she said that PAC proceedings need to continue now to ensure bipartisan space to provide full support for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.
"The solid beginnings achieved through the PAC session with JKJAV must continue through the immediate reopening of Parliament.
"The Dewan Rakyat is the watchdog of the executive - a place for the enactment of legislation to protect the rights of the people; to raise and debate on critical issues. It must not be reduced to a vote-casting-cat fight," she said.
In a related development, Umno president and Bagan Datuk MP Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today complained that after the fanfare in February over the arrival of the first batch of Covid-19 vaccines, the actual rollout was slow.
"What went wrong? As of Monday, only 451,237 have received two doses. They are the chosen ones. What about the rakyat? Please wait," Zahid wrote on his Facebook page. - Mkini
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