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MP SPEAKS | There is an urgent need for a special humanitarian crisis package for Sabah now, as some 29 people in the state of Borneo may die from Covid-19 if we wait until the 2021 Budget is presented in Parliament next Friday 6th of November.
The third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia claimed 102 lives in Sabah in the first 28 days of October, with an average mortality of 3.64 lives per day, and if we wait another eight days until November 6, we may see another 29.12 deaths.
In contrast, eight lives were lost in the rest of Malaysia during the past four weeks.
Across Malaysia, there were 30 deaths during the five months from April 28, when Covid-19 claimed 100 deaths, and on September 22, when the total deaths rose to 130.
This state of vulnerability of Sabah to the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic is unacceptable and contrary to all the promises made during the Sabah state elections last month to pay serious attention to the problems and needs of the people of Sabah.
The impression, especially by the people of Sabah, that they have been left to fend for themselves against the ravages of the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, which had been caused by the greed of the Perikatan Nasional government in Putrajaya because it wanted to seize power in the state of Sabah, it should not be allowed to continue.
The third wave is officially considered to have started on September 20, although it could have started earlier, during the Sabah state elections, which had its nomination of candidates on September 12.
It would be highly irresponsible and inconceivable to deny the Sabahans a special humanitarian crisis package immediately, as Putrajaya must accept responsibility for the skyrocketing increase from 426 Covid-19 cases and eight deaths on September 1 to 13,701 Covid-19 cases. and 114 deaths yesterday, an increase. of Covid-19 cases 32 times and deaths more than 14 times.
Sabah’s humanitarian crisis in the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic is also the result of prolonged negligence by the federal and Sabah governments, resulting in Sabah becoming the poorest state in Malaysia with the development of most backward infrastructure.
This is the time for Putrajaya to provide emergency aid to Sabahans facing a humanitarian crisis, considering that Sabah’s oil and gas revenues have provided billions to national coffers.
LIM KIT SIANG is Iskandar Puteri’s DAP MP.
The opinions expressed here are those of the author / contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
