Press Statement By David Wong:
We urge Sarawak state government to set up a bipartisan Covid-19 committee to tackle the pandemic and bring hope to Sarawakians.
After a month of the outbreaks of Pasai cluster that brought Sarawak to its knees we have yet seen any improvements at all and Sarawak now ranks the top 5 states in Malaysia with the most number of Covid-19 cases.
The whole disaster started with the SDMC’s policy to allow home quarantine for those coming back to Sarawak and thus the Pasai cluster which has infected more than 2000 persons within a short span.
Remember that Sarawak is on the Borneo island and it’s easier to control the pandemic as long as our ports and immigration points are secured and good policy to quarantine all those coming into the state.
Instead of tackling the pandemic head on such as a full lockdown and giving BKSS to help all those affected the SDMC follows the half-baked SOP of the Malaya peninsula with so many businesses allowing to operate and non existent of enforcement to stop the spread.
Businesses in Sibu and all those under MCO suffers in anguish, many can’t open for business but have to pay the rental and employees salary, many lost their jobs and more businesses are going to close in the near term.
Many not only lost their incomes but have to worry about their loans payment or might lost everything they have worked for. Is there any end to their suffering?
A Dayak NGO reported that more than 1000 of migrant workers in Sibu from the rural areas are without food which I can understand. Yet the state government came out to criticise the NGO instead of helping those affected by the MCO.
The spread to the rural areas in central Sarawak and northern Sarawak is alarming as the way of life of our native community is conducive to the spread. The lack of healthcare facilities and the lower standard of living in the rural heartland is going to be very difficult for the government to overcome the pandemic.
The vaccine promised by the state government and the strategy to get mass vaccination is yet another crucial part of returning Sarawak to the norms and yet we have not seen any promising sign that this will be carried out efficiently.
We urge the state government to face the reality that they need help and the opposition can contribute towards strategizing policies and SOP to help our fellow Sarawakians.
This is no time for politics and let us put our political differences aside to stop the pandemic.
David Wong
Deputy chair of DAP Sarawak.
