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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia could be ready for general elections once half of its 32 million inhabitants are vaccinated, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said.
Speaking to the CNA in an exclusive interview on the eve of the launch of the largest national immunization program, Khairy said he would not be surprised if national elections could be held before September, if not by the end of the year.
“If we comply with an effective immunization program and it has decent coverage, let’s say 50 to 60 percent of the population, and the Directorate General of Health feels that things are under control, then perhaps the time is right,” said on Tuesday (February 23), referring to the director general of the Ministry of Health, Noor Hisham Abdullah.
“It is not impossible to imagine that it could take place sometime this year … in September at the earliest,” he added.
Malaysia’s COVID-19 vaccination program will begin on Wednesday, and Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin will be the first to be inoculated. Their goal is to vaccinate at least 80% of their population in one year.
In January this year, a state of emergency was declared to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak and will last until August 1 or earlier, depending on the status of coronavirus infections. Parliament has been suspended until the time determined by the king.
Muhyiddin, who took office in early 2020 in a power dispute in Putrajaya, has faced increasing pressure to dissolve parliament and call new elections. He promised that elections will be held when the pandemic ends.
READ: Malaysia to start COVID-19 vaccination campaign early when first doses arrive
Khairy, the coordinating minister appointed by Muhyiddin to oversee the vaccination program, said he should reach the goal of vaccinating 150,000 people a day by June, when the third phase is rolled out in more than 600 vaccination centers across the country.
“All countries are doing this for the first time and on an unimaginable scale. In Malaysia, we are talking about vaccinating more than 23 million people this year, ”he said.
“I want to finish it by December of this year, and we have to reach a peak of around 150,000 or 160,000 a day … as long as we have the supplies,” he added.
The government, he said, has spent nearly RM3 billion to purchase more than 66.7 million doses of vaccines, enough for its population.
Half of the vaccines will come from Pfizer-BioNTech. The Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines make up about 20 percent each, with the remainder coming from Russian-made Sputnik V and single-dose CanSino.
On top of that, it is also ordering single dose vaccines from Johnson & Johnson.
VACCINE HESITANCE IS A CHALLENGE
Mr Khairy estimated that he will need at least RM 1 billion for the implementation of the vaccine which will be carried out in three phases.
The first phase will encompass approximately half a million frontline people, both medical and non-medical workers. Phase two targets 9.4 million people aged 65 and over, as well as high-risk groups, while phase three will involve 13.7 million people aged 18 and over, including foreigners.
While vaccinations are free for everyone, vaccination is voluntary.
With registration scheduled to begin March 1, questions about the vaccine remain one of the toughest challenges, Khairy said.
“What worries me most (are) not the anti-vaccines. But the ones on the fence. “
“We have seen a lot of comments from Malaysia saying ‘Give it to the politicians first. After all, they are the ones who bought the vaccines and they are the ones who want us to get vaccinated. So they should show that vaccines are safe. ‘
Containers carrying the first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines are unloaded from an aircraft at the MASkargo Complex in Sepang, Malaysia, on February 21, 2021 (Photo: Reuters / Malaysia Department of Information / Fandy Azlan).
That’s why Mr. Muhyddin and Dr. Noor Hisham are among the first to be vaccinated, Khairy said.
To inspire more confidence, the minister said he will be vaccinated when the next batch of vaccines arrives.
Malaysia received its first batch of 312,390 doses of Pfizer vaccines on Sunday. He is scheduled to receive 1 million doses in March.
Meanwhile, China’s Sinovac bulk order is scheduled to arrive on February 27 to be filled and finished (bottled) locally.
So far, only Pfizer’s vaccines have been conditionally approved by the National Drug Regulatory Agency, while approvals for the rest of the vaccines are pending.
READ: Students in Malaysia will return to schools from March 1, says Minister of Education
VACCINES COULD END POLITICAL IMPAIRMENT
With so many moving parts, Khairy, a father of three, said they keep him awake most nights.
“My mind is on the future, what to anticipate about the inventory level, about the vaccination centers, about the rate of return.”
“My mind is racing back to see if we could have done better the day before. My mind is scanning the world to see what we can learn from other parts of the world, like wasted vaccines that are thrown away because people don’t show up at vaccination centers, ”he told CNA.
Workers transfer a container with the first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines at the MASkargo Complex in Sepang, Malaysia on February 21, 2021 (Photo: Reuters / Malaysia Department of Information / Famer Roheni)
The minister is determined to overcome the challenges and vaccinate 80% of the population of the entire country, including the most remote parts of Sabah and Sarawak.
All systems work, he said, and he hoped to finish things before the end of the year.
“It is part of our arsenal to defeat the pandemic. It is not the only bullet, of course. We have to continue for now with non-pharmaceutical interventions, such as the use of masks, ensuring physical distancing, having SOP ”.
“We have to ensure a robust testing and isolation protocol for those infected over the next several months until the vaccines really have a chance to show their efficacy in the general population.”
The sooner the country achieves it, the faster the economy will recover, he said.
And as a politician. It will also end the stalemate because we can have general elections, ”he said.
