YOURSAY | ‘China doesn’t compromise with SOP violators, anti-vaxxers.’
Bintulu MP wants Noor Hisham replaced, questions Khairy's strategy
Xenobio: China's draconian zero-Covid strategy is neither morally, economically nor politically feasible in Malaysia, a democratic country with fewer resources.
Bintulu MP Tiong King Sing, if you put Bintulu in a China-style hard lockdown for 10 Covid cases, people would starve to death because the government wouldn't be capable of delivering food and medication to many people. And you wouldn't be Bintulu MP anymore after the next election.
By the way, the Sinovac vaccine is inferior to mRNA and adenovirus vaccines, period. China has good scientists, and I'm sure they're aware of that.
The government may be using aggressive lockdowns rather than admit defeat by switching to better vaccines as boosters.
Iphonezours: Tiong, I am not a public health expert, but certainly, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has done a better job than the previous minister.
Also, don't forget your previous boss who appointed you, then prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, was a total failure.
He not only mismanaged the handling of the pandemic, causing cases to rise to more than two million; worse still, it resulted in thousands of deaths and a wrecked economy with massive loss of livelihoods.
As the special envoy to China, is the "zero-Covid policy" adopted by China only what you have learnt? Have you really thought if this policy is applicable in Malaysia looking at our economic, financial and resource strength? Also, how much do you know about public health?
The people expect a lot more from our special envoys, otherwise, these appointments are just a waste of taxpayers’ money.
GreenBear3468: I am not quite sure what Tiong is going on about. Malaysia's Covid situation seems to be under control. Our economy has opened up for months now, but our Covid numbers are stable.
Yes, mistakes have been made, but nothing bad enough to warrant this kind of rebuke. And what does Tiong mean by adopting more anti-epidemic strategies from China? If he means lockdowns, no, thank you, we don't need it.
Maybe China does; even their own university said their health system could not handle the ensuing outbreak if they abandoned their zero-Covid policy. This makes sense, considering the World Health Organization (WHO) said half of China's medical practitioners do not even have a bachelor's degree.
UbofUifsa1782: Everyone knows that the population in China, where the communist ideology is propagated for more than half a century, have been very disciplined and successful in curbing the Covid-19 pandemic.
Their government does not compromise with SOP (standard operating procedure) violators, anti-vaxxers and opportunists.
Would "Bolehland" dare and afford to adopt that approach? There are too many loopholes in our system and we are too lenient in the implementation of SOPs.
We always closed one loophole and deliberately created more. There are too many opportunists waiting to make a fortune in every business transaction and everyone is eager to create a "livelihood" - vaccination, government aid and EPF (Employees Provident Fund) withdrawal are good examples.
Never compare China with Bolehland.
Spinnot: It's better to read what Tiong has actually said before commenting. Tiong did not just criticise, he did make some suggestions and pointed out drawbacks in some of our SOPs.
And he did not suggest a lockdown. This is what he has said, as quoted in the above report: "We can no longer afford another comprehensive lockdown that puts the people on the edge of survival. But we must deeply think and review the negatives and drawbacks of the current SOPs and make true adjustments that protect the life and health of our people".
Are the current SOPs adequate? Are the SOPs strictly enforced without practising double standards?
Tiong claimed that "travellers returning from overseas are now allowed to quarantine at home instead of being strictly monitored in quarantine hotels". If true, is that adequate?
China's "zero-Covid" strategy is not achievable simply by mass vaccination and targeted lockdowns. It also has very strict preventive and control measures and an accountability system that punishes derelict officials, including dismissals as reported in other media such as the South China Morning Post and The Star.
Wira: In Malaysia, if the minister wants to punish senior civil servants for the failure of containing Omicron from pilgrims returning from their umrah, he is against the deep state that protects itself against intruding threats.
That's why we find nearly zero civil servants being severely punished for job negligence or dismal performance.
China had been more successful than most countries in the containment of Covid-19. This is indisputable, as evidenced by the many video clips of tens of millions of Chinese moving and holidaying freely when the pandemic was, in 2021, still maiming and hospitalising many around the globe.
We have to give credit where credit is due.
Clever Voter: It’s all relative. One doesn’t need to be a medical expert to lead a health ministry. Khairy is doing fine and he stands above the rest who cannot even think straight.
Many in the establishment are paid for doing nothing. Health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah, too, is fine, and he stands above the rest, especially his peers.
BrownPigeon1359: But even if Noor Hisham is replaced with the best professional available, our supporting staff and civil servants are not dedicated enough to see it through.
Not all of them, but the majority, including MPs and ministers, are clock watchers, just punch in and out. Just look at recent floods.
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