THE government should get tough with people who avoid getting vaccinated, said Dr Mahathir Mohamad.  

The former prime minister said if the Covid-19 pandemic was to be brought under control, everyone needs to get vaccinated eventually.  

“We want everyone to get vaccinated. Eventually we have to enforce this, because it is dangerous to have people who are not vaccinated mixing with others,” he told The Malaysian Insight. 

Dr Mahathir was commenting on the effectiveness of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme and the importance of getting vaccinated.  

He said Malaysians must be informed that it is dangerous if they do not get vaccinated.  

“We find that some people have registered for the vaccine, but did not turn up for their appointment.

“The vaccine is costly, so if they register, they must turn up. Eventually we have to be tough and enforce this.” 

According to Health Ministry data, to date, the government has vaccinated 1,995,893 people.  

As of Monday, 1,234,630 recipients have received their first dose, and out of that total 761,263 people have received their second dose.  

Dr Mahathir said while the vaccination programme is picking up, there are still people who are not coming out.  

“This is especially so for people in the rural areas. Some unscrupulous people have gone and told them not to get vaccinated. This is all nonsense.”

The Langkawi MP said the first dose is crucial, as recipients in many countries had more freedom of movement after they were vaccinated. 

“Their (other countries) numbers (Covid-19 cases) have also come down. So, we must speed up the vaccination process. 

“We understand the vaccine is not 100% (effective). Of course there is some immunity, but people must continue to wear masks and sanitise.”

How effective is the emergency?

Dr Mahathir again questioned the emergency imposed in January and its effectiveness.  

“There is an emergency, but how effective is it? It (emergency) can’t control the pandemic. Moreover, during the emergency cases have spiked.  

“This shows that the government is not interested in controlling the pandemic, but staying in power.” 

On April 20, Dr Mahathir had said the current state of emergency was declared illegally as it was not brought to Parliament.  

In a blog post titled “Rule of Law”, he said the declaration of emergency did not follow the law on how emergencies should be declared. 

“The declaration had to be laid before Parliament. This was not done. Therefore the declaration is illegal,” he said. 

On January 12, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah had declared a state of emergency for the country until August 1 to curb the increasing number of Covid-19 infections.  

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had said the state of emergency proclaimed by the Agong is aimed at giving the government more powers to fight the pandemic. 

The importance of SOP compliance

Dr Mahathir said while there are some good measures taken by the government, there is still no discipline in following the standard operating procedure (SOP).  

“The government is not ensuring the people follow the SOP. For example, when we pray (at mosques) we sit far apart. That is good.  

“But, after prayers, some will shake hands then they leave in droves and there is no social distancing. We have to be strict all the time.” 

As for Ramadan bazaars, Dr Mahathir said it should not have been allowed to operate.  

“I saw recently at the bazaars, people having their temperatures scanned but still walking together. Some even brought their children. 

“That’s why where there is close proximity, that’s where infections can happen. Even during shopping it (infections) can happen, if there is no social distancing.” 

Yesterday, the country recorded 6,075 new Covid-19 cases, the highest daily count yet since the start of the pandemic, said director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah. 

The country also recorded 46 deaths and reported a record number of 559 patients in the country’s intensive care units, a reflection of the spike in cases. – May 20, 2021.