Dr M: Govt engrossed with failed Covid-19 plans even as daily cases hit 17k

 

Dr Mahathir Mohamad criticised the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government for being engrossed with its Covid-19 plans, which he said had proven to be unsuccessful as daily Covid-19 cases in the country hit a high of over 17,000.

The former prime minister said the special Parliament sitting should have allowed the MPs to debate and discuss ways to flatten the Covid-19 curve instead of making them sit through briefings about the government's plans against the pandemic.

“The disease reached 17,000 (infections) in a day and hundreds of people die (daily). Many have also hanged themselves. This is very serious but the focus was on various plans implemented by the government.

“These plans have never been successful and the Covid-19 cases continue to rise,” he told a virtual press conference from Parliament.

“People are afraid of being infected but it is clear that the government is more interested in explaining its efforts which are not successful in reducing the new Covid-19 cases,” he added.

The Langkawi MP said the PN government was more interested in touting irrelevant figures instead of the proper ways to tackle the pandemic.

“It is strange that when the emergency was proclaimed, we recorded daily new cases of 2,000 but now when the government is ending the emergency, we cross the 17,000-mark and this is absurd when it is being done at this time.

“This proved what has been said by the opposition parties, including Pejuang, that the emergency was for the government to play politics and was not meant to address Covid-19," he said.

Earlier today, de facto law minister Takiyuddin Hassan announced that the government would not advise Yang di-Pertuan Agong to extend the emergency beyond Aug 1.

He also said all ordinances promulgated under the emergency were revoked on July 21, five days before today’s sitting.

'Contract docs not treated fairly'

On a separate matter, Mahathir threw support behind government contract doctors’ push for permanent placements in government hospitals.

He said the contract doctors’ move to go on strike today was not desirable during the pandemic but added that the government should not merely offer “sweets” to stop them.

Mahathir said the contract doctors’ grouses did not arise during his administration nor were there problems during the time of ex-prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.

“It was not brought to my attention at the time because it was not a problem.

“Because they can see that after being a contract doctor, they can be recruited for permanent service. That is why it was not a problem during my time and Najib’s trime.

“But now it is a problem because they’ve been there (on contract) for a long time. That’s where they feel the pain of not being treated well by the government,” he said.

Prior to the strike, the government offered to extend the tenure of contract doctors by up to four years.

However, this was rejected by the contract doctors who viewed it as a ploy to stop the strike and insisted on a proper solution that will set them a path for permanent placements.

Under the current system, contract doctors face joblessness after the end of their five-year training because the government does not have the budgetary means to offer them permanent positions.

As a result, many of the contract doctors have to move to the private sector or continue their specialist training abroad. - Mkini