THE opposition has distorted Bintulu MP Tiong King Sing’s statement regarding the director-general of health, said Shahidan Kassim.

The Perikatan Nasional Backbenchers’ Club (PNBBC) chairman said Tiong was only delivering a message from Sabah front-liners, who asked why Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah did not go to the ground in Sabah, which is currently the state with the highest Covid-19 cases.

“Tiong did not intend to say more than that. Then we see the opposition taking the opportunity to ask that the statement be withdrawn.

“Even though he made a statement for the people, the front-liners were just asking why the D-G did not come and if he was afraid to die (of Covid-19).

“It was a simple term he (Tiong) was expressing and they (opposition) are taking advantage. It was their (front-liners) expression (towards the D-G),” he said at a press conference in Parliament today

He was commenting on Tiong’s criticism against Noor Hisham during the budget debate in the Dewan Rakyat.

Jelutong MP RSN Rayer, who tried to defend the director-general of health, was later expelled during the Dewan Rakyat sitting.

In his speech, Tiong claimed that “the director general of health was afraid to die” because he had never visited areas severely affected by Covid-19 in Sabah.

He said Noor Hisham did nothing but read daily Covid-19 statements in a live press conference, which Tiong said could be done by an office boy.

He added that the PN government cares and believes in the ability of its officers unlike during the Pakatan Harapan administration.

“If we remember the early days of Covid-19 in Malaysia, a tourism minister and the PH health minister said that Chinese tourists entering Malaysia were not dangerous.

“At that time, the D-G was there, but when PN took office, he was given a bigger role.

“When Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin took over, he introduced the movement-control order and we managed to handle the first wave of the pandemic.” – November 11, 2020.