Health Ministry and its mishandling of
public health, in particular the worst dengue epidemic in nation's history,
are the worst Malaysian example of Mahathir's lament of "no trust and no
good governance" at the recent Davos World Economic Forum
Media Statement
by Lim Kit Siang
(Penang, Thursday):
The theme of the recent 33rd Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in
Davos was "Building Trust" as the past year witnessed the world-wide
breakdown of trust in many sectors of society which was confirmed by a major
global public opinion survey that suggests that trust in many key
institutions, whether government or corporate, has fallen to critical
proportions.
As a result, restoring confidence in the future is regarded by the World
Economic Forum as the most important and timely leadership challenge in the
world today.
Speaking at the first plenary session of WEF in Davos on "Trust and
Governance for a New Era", the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir
Mohamad said: "We have not done such a good job managing this Global Village
of ours. There is no trust and no good governance."
Sadly, Malaysia is not exempt from the this worldwide phenomenon of critical
breakdown of public trust in governance. The Health Ministry and its
mishandling of public health, in particular the worst dengue epidemic in the
nation's history and which is raging unchecked, are the worst Malaysian
example of Mahathir's lament of "no trust and no good governance" at the
recent Davos World Economic Forum.
The shocking disclaimer of responsibility by the Health Minister, Datuk Chua
Jui Meng on Monday for the worst dengue epidemic in the nation's history on
the novel ground that dengue cases do not come under the jurisdiction of the
Health Ministry and the repetition by the Health director-general Tan Sri
Dr. Mohamad Taha Ariff yesterday denying that the current dengue outbreak
has reached epidemic level are evidence why the Health Ministry is heading
the national list of the least-trusted Ministries and government
institutions in the country.
In asserting that the occurrence of dengue fever in the country has not
reached epidemic level, Dr. Mohamad Taha said the situation was not as
serious as in 1998, "when more than 17,000 cases were reported". (Star)
I would advise Dr. Mohamad Taha to jealously guard his professional
reputation when taking orders from the Health Minister, as he raised two
serious questions touching on trust and governance in his press conference
statement yesterday:
Firstly, based on reports from the Malaysian Government, various World
Health Organisation (WHO) publications cited 1998 as the worst dengue year
for the country until the current outbreak, with 27,379 cases and 58 deaths
reported. Is the Health Director-General, who now claims that there were
only 17,000 dengue cases reported in 1998 (which would be lower than the
19,544 dengue cases reported in 1997), suggesting that the WHO figures had
been wrong and that the Health Ministry had been misleading WHO all these
years?
Secondly, in denying that there had been over 32,000 dengue cases reported
last year, (Nanyang Siang Pau) Dr. Mohamad Taha is jeopardizing his
professional reputation. He cannot be unaware that early this month, the
Selangor State Exco member in charge of health, Datuk Tang See Hang had
released data on dengue outbreak nation-wide as of 14th December 2002, with
a state-by-state breakdown of the dengue cases and fatalities which showed
that there were a total of 29,615 cases and 53 deaths. On 19th January, in
the first of a three-part series on the dengue epidemic, Sin Chew quoted
official sources to report that as of December 28 last year, there were
32,289 dengue cases and 57 deaths. Is Datuk Mohamad Taha suggesting that
both Tang See Hang and Sin Chew Daily were wrong and had misled the public
with fictitious figures? If Tan See Hang and Sin Chew had given wrong
figures, why is the Health Ministry taking such a long time to correct them
with the correct data? Up to now, the Health Ministry has refused to release
the "true" data to the public, when there should be timely release of such
information on a weekly and even daily basis!
Both Chua and Dr. Mohamad Taha will be specifically cited in the second
report which DAP leaders will lodge with Suhakam next Friday on the
violation of additional human rights in the worst dengue epidemic in the
nation's history, which is still raging on unchecked, claiming more and more
human lives. The first report lodged with Suhakam on Monday was with regard
to the violation of "the mother of all human rights", the right to life,
while the second report with Suhakam would focus on the violation of the
right to information and press freedom.
Suhakam should launch a full and thorough investigation not only into the
denial of information but even more serious the officials involved in a
deliberate campaign to misinform the public in the worst dengue epidemic in
the country.
I commend Dr. Mohamad Taha for his media conference unveiling the dengue
poster to give information about the dengue outbreak - but it has come seven
months too late, after 32,000 dengue cases and some 100 lives have been lost
when over 90 per cent of these deaths were unnecessary and avoidable.
The dengue poster unveiled by Dr. Mohamad Taha is an anti-dengue effort
which is too little and too late, and will have no significant impact in the
absence of full co-operation by radio and television to give daily warning
and information about the dengue epidemic. When will the denial and
irresponsibility syndrome of the Health Ministry end? When will radio,
television and the printed press come on board in a daily campaign against
the deadly aedes mosquito until the worst dengue epidemic has been brought
under control?
(30/1/2003)
*
Lim Kit Siang, DAP National
Chairman
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http://dapmalaysia.org