KUALA LUMPUR, May 19 — National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NCIP) coordinating minister Khairy Jamaluddin criticised former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today for continuing to attack the vaccination plan despite the former’s clarifications.
During a virtual press conference on Facebook today, Khairy said Najib has repeatedly ignored explanations that the NCIP could achieve its vaccination target by the end of the year based on projected rates.
“As I have said again and again, the rate of vaccination will increase. It will increase in June, it will increase in July, it increases in August.
“Of course, if we take the vaccination rate today, it will take a long time.
“But as I have said again and again and again, which he (Najib) conveniently ignores, we will increase the vaccination rate from month to month. That’s what he continues to ignore” he said.
Khairy added that yesterday alone, 76,000 people were vaccinated via the NCIP.
“But it’s okay… malu apa, kan? (what’s to be ashamed of, right)?” Khairy said, in veiled reference to Najib’s popular tagline “Malu apa bossku” — Malay for “what’s there to be ashamed of boss”.
The tagline became popular among Najib’s supporters who used it as a show of support for the former prime minister after he was charged in the 1MDB scandal.
Recently, Najib took to social media repeatedly to say the NCIP is being implemented too slowly, and today claimed that at the current vaccination rates, Malaysia would take six years to reach herd immunity.
