Press Statement By Michael Kong:
Usually, a minister’s role when calling a press conference is to give the public assurance and also to allay any fears or concerns they may have. However, it seems that the ministers of the PN government, particularly our Minister of Health, only knows how to make things worse.
Yesterday’s press conference by our Minister of Health, Adham Baba, raised more concerns than ever. In his press conference, Adham Baba admitted that most Covid-19 infections this year are sporadic cases. According to him, they could spread to schools in situations where even the authorities cannot ensure personal safety equipment and good personal hygiene are used. In essence, Adham Baba has admitted that schools are one of the places where Covid-19 infections are high.
By looking at the statistics given by Adham Baba, he is absolutely right. This year alone, a total of 23,739 students below the age of 12 years have been infected with Covid-19. In comparison, there were 8,369 cases reported for the entire 2020.
With all these data and statistics proving what DAP and many members of the public have been saying is right, we can only wonder why GPS did continue to allow schools to open when Covid-19 cases were at an all-time high? While some may point to Ismail Sabri’s statement that the closure of schools falls within the Ministry of Education’s jurisdiction, we can only look at Abang Johari’s announcement on 19.04.2021 (where he announced that schools in red zones will be closed for 2 weeks) as proof that indeed GPS has the power to close schools. Now with this power, the only question is why was this not exercised any sooner?
By reacting to close schools at a snail pace, Abang Johari is equally guilty for the spread of Covid-19 as any of those who have deliberately refused to adhere to the SOPs. Even Dr Sim had confirmed on 25.04.2021 that there is possibly a new cluster being linked to SMK Tabuan. Other than that, we also hear of 99 secondary school students in Selangau as well as 177 teachers and students from two (2) clusters in Sibu being tested positive for Covid-19.
GPS has over time and time again shown that it is a power-hungry coalition that will always crave for more. However, when clothed with authority and power, it has over and over again failed the people. It is time for GPS to put their ego down and accept the constructive criticisms that the opposition and fellow Sarawakians dish out for the betterment of Sarawak.
Michael Kong Feng Nian
Special Assistant to YB Chong Chieng Jen
