DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said he is willing to apologise to Coordinating Minister for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NIP) Khairy Jamaluddin should the latter's claim about a purported scam vaccine donor is true.
In a statement today, Lim explained that when the Health Ministry prevented Penang from accepting the purported offer, the ministry did not claim the company was bogus.
The legitimacy of the company - Xintai Development Enterprise Ltd - has come under scrutiny after Khairy revealed yesterday that Sinovac manufacturers were unaware that it had any dealings with the company.
Khairy also claimed that the company did not exist in the Hong Kong business register, where it claims to be based.
A red-faced Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow yesterday urged the alleged donor to clear the air and this has not done so at the time of writing.
On Tuesday, a livid Lim lashed out at Putrajaya for blocking the purported donation of Sinovac vaccines during a press conference.
'Core issue remains'
However, Lim said that regardless of the incident, the core issue remains - Putrajaya was still making it difficult for state governments to procure Covid-19 vaccines.
"Whether the company exists or not is a secondary issue, and should not distract from the two principal issues - the federal government granting immediate approval to all state governments to purchase vaccines or securing vaccine donations.
"It is not wrong to seek vaccines at the earliest possible time for the rakyat to protect them by every legal means possible," Lim said.
Khairy yesterday clarified that vaccine procurements could only be done with approval from the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency.
Currently, government-linked firm Pharmaniaga - a subsidiary of public-listed Boustead Holdings Bhd - is the sole distributor of Sinovac. - Mkini
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