Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin should stop playing politics with the COVID-19 health crisis by deciding whether Bintulu MP Tiong King Sing or Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham should take responsibility and provide full accountability for the Covid-19 health crisis. In castigating Noor Hisham’s failure to handle the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia especially Sabah, Tiong made 3 serious derogatory and baseless allegations against Noor Hisham’s character and competency in Parliament.
One, that Dr Noor Hisham was seeking cheap publicity with his daily press conferences which could be read out by Noor Hisham’s office boy. Two, that Dr Noor Hisham dared not to go to the ground in the COVID-10 cluster hot spots because Noor Hisham was “afraid to die”. Three, that Dr Noor Hisham was looking for publicity to project himself to angle for the job of Secretary-General of World Health Organisation(WHO), which Tiong said Noor Hisham was unqualified.
Tiong’s scurrilous attacks against Dr Noor Hisham’s character and competency is unacceptable and deserves condemnation. Despite widespread criticism from social media, Tiong has refused to withdraw and apologise, but instead doubled down on his criticism of Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. This symbolizes the sheer arrogance of a government out of touch with the people and current events, or that Tiong’s criticism of Dr Noor Hisham is valid and must be addressed.
Tiong’s remarks cannot simply be overlooked because he represents the Malaysian government as the Special Envoy of the Prime Minister to China with Ministerial status. For this reason, the Prime Minister must take a stand between a world-renowned fighter against COVID-19 recognised internationally or this politician from Bintulu well-known for his colourful language and abrasive personality.
Tan Sri Muhyiddin should tell the nation who is right and wrong, Tiong or Noor Hisham. At the very least the Prime Minister should ask his Special Envoy with Ministerial rank to prove his allegations. Failing to defend a public civil servant performing his duty is shameful of the Prime Minister motivated by political expediency.
This has raised speculation whether the Prime Minister is afraid to call out Tiong because he is worried about losing another MP when his government has already lost its slim Parliamentary majority. The Prime Minister is so weak that he is afraid of telling Tiong to do the right thing by withdrawing and apologizing to Noor Hisham. How then can the public have confidence that Muhyiddin is serious about battling COVID-19 when he is appears to place priority on his political survival as Prime Minister?