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Chua Jui Meng should concentrate on preparing his ministry and the country for the possible outbreak of SARS in the country instead of threatening a clamp down on legitimate criticisms and queries   Press Statement by Ooi Leng Hang (Petaling Jaya, Saturday): It is most unfortunate that the Health Minister Datuk Chua Jui Meng is up to his old habit of trying to cover up the truth about the impending SARS outbreak faced by the country instead of abiding by the Acting Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi's instruction to be transparent and provide full information to the people on the matter. It is precisely due to the act of cover up by the China government that the deadly virus is now attacking the whole world and causing unnecessary deaths in so many countries. Malaysia should learn from China's fault and also our own experience in the past ie the Cosackie virus, the Nipah disaster and the on-going dengue epidemic - which were all under the care or lack of care of the Ministry of Health led by Chua Jui Meng - and adopt a more responsible attitude in handling the mysterious SARS virus attack. The fact that the Minister tries to blur the distinction set by the WHO on the two-stage test of the SARS, ie the suspected cases and the probable cases, in order to downplay the total number of suspected SARS cases in the country is most dangerous indeed because it will misguide the people into complacency by thinking that the country is much safer that it really is, and thus may not take the necessary precaution to prevent the disease. By labeling the legitimate critics and queries on the way the ministry is handling the SARS issue as a threat to national security, Chua Jui Meng is in fact denying the people the right to know in order to safe guard their lives! Instead of threatening a clamp down on legitimate criticisms and queries, the Health Minister should concentrate on preparing his ministry and the country for the possible full outbreak of SARS in the country. Temporary adverse publicity and setback for the sake of honest and frank disclosure of the actual situation of the SARS attack in the country is a worthy price to pay for the people and the world community's confidence in the country in the long run. We should not allow the continuance of Chua Jui Meng's approach in covering up the matter especially now that the SARS issue is one of world concern. (5/4/2003) * Ooi Leng Hang, DAPSY Publicity Secretary