Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Youth Central expressed disappointment over the remarks from Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak Chairman Chong Chieng Jen which created doubt and anxiety among public on Covid-19.

The SUPP Central Youth secretary, Milton Foo opined that Chong’s act was not for the sake of people but out of his own political agenda.

Foo added Chong’s recent allegation towards Local Government and Housing Minister Dato Sri Prof Dr Sim Kui Hian and Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) as having concealed certain information on Covid-19 pandemic from the public is manice.

“Indeed, SDMC as a responsible authority, always place the safety and livelihood of Sarawak’s people first in everything. At this very moment when the mutant virus is raging, the epidemic is changing rapidly, hence the measures taken have to be constantly improving and adjusting, for the maximised benefit for the people. Regrettably, Chong didn’t perceive in this way but described the “no dine-in” order as U-turn. What does his words contribute to the fight against the epidemic? Is he suggesting to SDMC that people’s life and safety to be placed under political image and consistency of policies, when a timely adjustment to existing policies is needed? Isn’t the people’s health and life above all else?” he asked.

Chong, he said has focused his attention on SDMC’s shortcoming, but was not the case when it comes to Federal departments. For instance, he said Federal Health Ministry (MoH) used to be short of appropriateness in naming the infection cluster.

The cases named as ICOM cluster were actually not happened in ICOM Square. The outbreak site of Kenyalang Park cluster was actually the food court of the wet market, and the chain of infection that occurred in an electronics plant in Samajaya was named as Muara Tabuan cluster. Dato Sri Prof Dr Sim himself has more than once urged the federal authorities for necessary correction, so as to avoid stigmatization to the residents of affected areas.

On the other hand, Chong, who is Stampin MP and Kota Sentosa assemblyman, didn’t voice out to the people on this matter. Could it be that he gave higher sense of recognition to Malayan authorities in fighting the epidemic? How does he rate the effort and contribution by the frontline personnel in Sarawak fighting against the epidemic? Or is that DAP Sarawak, out of current political considerations, trying to avoid conflict with PPBM or UMNO, just to stand a chance for their cooperation to form an alliance in seizing the power of federal government?

Foo added that despite Chong’s disregard on SDMC’s achievement in dealing with pandemic, the Covid cases in Sarawak is obviously way lower compared to the states under the governance of Pakatan Harapan (PH) such as Selangor, Penang, and Negeri Sembilan, where peoples there live in unprecedented panic.

If DAP truly concern about the people, he reckoned they should recommend some of Sarawak’s successful experience in fighting the epidemic to its colleagues in Malaya for the benefit of the people there.

At this critical moment in the fight against the Covid epidemic, all the people of Sarawak, regardless of ruling parties or the opposition, should put the lives of the people in Sarawak first and stop operating the political agenda. Any repeating of this kind of baseless allegation will only cause panic and hinder the progress of the anti-epidemic work, and ultimately sacrificed the well-being of the people.

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