INTERNATIONAL Trade and Industry Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali’s former press secretary has blamed director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah for the continuing spike in Covid-19 cases as pressure mounts on the government over the prolonged lockdowns.

As reported, it was not the first attack by Adlin M. Zabri. To be sure, Adlin is not the first person to do so as well. Many have indeed.

We recall that in November last year, Bintulu MP Tiong King Sing had refused to retract insulting remarks suggesting Noor Hisham was a coward for not going to Sabah to assess the Covid-19 situation. He said that in Parliament while debating the budget.

Lest we forget, under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342), it is the health minister who, if he is satisfied that there is an outbreak of an infectious disease in any area in the country, or that any area is threatened with an epidemic of any infectious disease, declares such area to be an infected local area.

That every state in the country continues to be a local infected area is simply because the minister has so declared as such by an order in the gazette.

It is also the minister who prescribes the measures to be taken to control or prevent the spread of any infectious disease within or from an infected local area.

That every state in the country was under some form of movement-control order – MCO, conditional MCO, recovery MCO, enhanced MCO, targeted enhanced MCO – and continues to be under MCO, whether Phase One or Phase Two, is simply because the minister has so prescribed regulations made under Act 342 and published in the gazette.

That the minister is empowered with more than the above is well spelt out in Act 342.

So, the minister is the first in command, so to speak. If the country is at war with Covid-19, he is the general, next only to the prime minister. The director-general of health is also a general but next in command to the minister.

One must recall that when Noor Hisham received multiple recognitions for his contributions in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic, he said the credit should not go to himself alone, but to the whole team, especially the prime minister.

“One person cannot make a difference. If you want to give credit, give it to the prime minister because he made the decision, I only advised him,” he had said.

It beats me that Adlin, like Bintulu MP in November last year, should have a first go at the director-general of health. When successes are not there, it seems that Noor Hisham should take the fall.

Undoubtedly, under the amendments to Act 342, the director-general of health has wide powers to issue directions. But as he has rightly said, he mainly advises the minister.

The health minister remains the first in command. – July 14, 2021.

* Hafiz Hassan reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.