Any other govt facing same Covid-19 setback as Malaysia would’ve resigned, says Dr Mahathir

KUALA LUMPUR, July 26 — Perikatan Nasional should respectfully resign as the current government of Malaysia, for failing to properly handle the Covid-19 pandemic and reduce the number of new infections, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.

With daily cases breaching 17,000, Dr Mahathir claimed that the measures implemented by the government have failed to yield any results while exacerbating the situation.

“From within the hundreds, cases have ballooned to 17,000. If this number is seen in other counties, the government would have collapsed, or at least would have agreed to resign.

“I know personally because I have resigned twice. So what is the big deal in resigning especially if you have failed?” he said during Parliament Special Sitting this morning.

Dr Mahathir said quick and effective measures should have been taken by the government when daily cases were even below the 2,000-mark, saying any effort being done now is too late with the healthcare system already at breaking point.

“This government just copies what is mentioned outside of government, with the most recent being a suggestion to form a National Recovery Committee,” he said.

“But even when they formed one, they apparently said its members would comprise professionals. But it’s clearly a political body made up of political leaders who in the end will report back to the prime minister.

“Such moves do not give focus to the problem at hand. The issue is now a health-related one, of an outbreak which can spread easily, but not enough attention is being given to reduce the number of cases,” he added.

Dr Mahathir had previously proposed a bipartisan national recovery council to administer the country amid the pandemic.

Additionally, Dr Mahathir said given how cumulative case numbers have breached the one million-mark, it leaves a ratio of one person in every 32 who have contracted Covid-19 with a population of around 32 million.

“This number will only increase, because the government is nowhere to be seen, and every time they seem to do something, the number of cases seems to go up,” he added.

Dr Mahathir was speaking in response to an explanation of the country’s National Recovery Plan presented earlier by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.