Military better suited to boost medical facilities, not enforce MCO - Kit Siang

CORONAVIRUS | Military involvement in the fight against Covid-19 would be better placed to boost medical facilities and other capabilities, instead of “patrolling purposes”, opposition MP Lim Kit Siang said.

Lim (photo) said the armed forces, which will be deployed nationwide tomorrow to help police enforce the two-week movement control order (MCO), could instead utilise its engineering, medical and other units to prepare military hospitals or temporary structures for use.

He said this when calling on all Malaysians to unite to battle the pandemic, which has to date infected some 1,027 people in the country and killing three.

“But Malaysians uniting to fight the war against the Covid-19 virus does not mean a military take-over.

“The armed forces have a range of capabilities with its medical corps, engineering corps, CBRNE (chemical, biological, radioactive and nuclear explosive) units which should be tapped in the war effort against the Covid-19 virus.

“These professional services like preparing extra beds and ward areas in military hospitals to supplement public hospital capacities, mobilisation to build temporary structures for emergency use and for disinfection efforts should be deployed but not deployment for patrolling purposes,” the Iskandar Puteri said in a statement.

He questioned if Malaysia could emulate China, which had built an emergency hospital in Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, in just a few days.

“What is important is to focus on boosting our medical facilities with more beds to handle those infected, all necessary equipment and medication, as well as more human power, giving priority to providing protection to the frontline medical personnel,” he added.

Lim is not the only one to have questioned the inclusion of the armed forces in the federal government’s bid to enforce the MCO, scheduled from March 18 to 31.

Yesterday, armed forces and police veterans group Patriot called the move “too hasty” while activist Fadiah Nadwa Fikri today urged caution by the public, as “emergencies have always been used to expand authoritarian powers”. - Mkini