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DAP will go nation-wide with the SARS public awareness campaign to ensure that Malaysia does not suddenly become another Singapore or Hong Kong shunned by the rest of the world, where a cough or sneeze is more frightening than terrorists or bombs Media Conference Statement (2) -  DAP campaign to raise public SARS awareness at Bayan Baru market by Lim Kit Siang (Penang,  Friday): Penang State Executive Councillor for Culture, Arts and Tourism, Datuk Kee Phaik Cheen, said yesterday that city and beach hotels recorded an occupancy rate of under 50 per cent over the past nine days, attributing the "bad" occupancy rate of 45 per cent to the outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and describing Penang as going through the worst tourism crisis in 12 years. She said that the US-led invasion in Iraq last month was damaging to Penang tourism but the situation was under control, while "the SARS outbreak has got out of hand and tourists, especially those from Hong Kong, China and Singapore, have stopped coming to Malaysia".(New Straits Times) The worst tourism crisis in Penang in the past 12 years as a result of SARS outbreak for the past 10 days shows that even before the Cabinet meeting of April 2 which overruled the denial syndrome of the Health Minister, Datuk Chua Jui Meng and decided on a new policy of full transparency on SARS, there is general national and international suspicion about the actual SARS situation in the country and lack of public credibility of the Health Ministry's stance for three weeks that Malaysia was "SARS-free". This should be a lesson to both the Penang and Federal Governments that in the era of IT, when information travels at the speed of light 24 hours a day, there is no way to hide or suppress information. The authorities may succeed in denying information to the local people, because of their dependence on the radio, television and the print media which could be controlled by the government, but there is no way to deny information to the people outside the country, resulting in the frequent phenomenon of people outside Malaysia knowing more about what is happening in the country than Malaysians inside the country and a fertile ground for all sorts of rumours to take wing. The over 50 per cent drop in hotel occupancy rate in the Penang city and beach hotels which started as far back as ten days ago, even before the Cabinet had decided on a policy of full transparency on SARS, is the best example of the speed and the un-suppressible nature of information in the era of IT. At present, the authorities are not practising a "smart" information policy on SARS which gives full, accurate and timely information about the SARS situation to the public which could secure their full confidence and trust giving no room for any doubt or suspicion of any 'cover up' whatsoever. This is why I had suggested that the Penang Chief Minister, Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon should set an example of full transparency to all other states by giving daily updates of suspected and probable SARS cases in Penang to assure the people and investors that the new killer virus is fully under control. In the IT era, there is no more dumb, short-sighted and self-defeating information policy than the "gag" mentality of Chua Jui Meng, demanding a monopoly to give information about the SARS situation and gagging the state government authorities from being prompt, open and frank about the SARS situation in their respective states. It is an open knowledge that wild rumours about SARS were flying around Penang yesterday which should have been confirmed or scotched immediately. This was not done because there is no mechanism in Penang or in any other state where the local people and media could get instant information about the latest SARS situation - as there are only three people in Malaysia, Chua Jui Meng, the Health director-general and his deputy, who are authorized to give information about the SARS situation in the country. This is a very dumb and unsatisfactory arrangement, not conducive to enhancing public confidence in the government handling of the SARS outbreak, where the latest update on SARS could be given in a timely manner - including instantly, if the situation warrants it. Under the "gag" policy devised by Chua, where all information is centralized in three out of 23 million Malaysians who are mostly in the Federal capital, there is bound to be a time-lag of 24 or even 48 hours before information in the various states like Penang, Kelantan, Johore, Sabah and Sarawak could be announced - when what is needed is instant and timely information to the people who are directly concerned about local developments in the different states and areas. The national daily SARS update by Chua or his director-general or deputy should continue to be held as they give the national picture, but this should not preclude or prohibit the various state authorities from their duty and responsibility to give full, accurate and timely information on the SARS situation in their respective areas - or public confidence will continue to be the casualty! DAP will go nation-wide with the SARS public awareness campaign, which had been launched in Penang in the past four days, to ensure that Malaysia does not suddenly become another Singapore or Hong Kong shunned by the rest of the world, where a cough or sneeze is more frightening than terrorists or bombs, and the right of the people to have a smart information policy on SARS to get full, accurate and timely information. Every state should have at least one hotline, with a top officer in charge and available at any time 24 hours a day and authorized to give the latest update on SARS information to the local media and people. (11/4/2003) * Lim Kit Siang, DAP National Chairman