KOTA KINABALU:Government leaders and department heads, especially those in charge of the health sector, should be more cautious with their remarks and not to issue statements which are confusing or misleading, amid the trying time of Covid-19 outbreak, said Tan Sri T.C Goh, president of The Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia (Huazong).
He asserted this while expressing regret over a series of ridiculous, dubious and misleading statements made by a certain government leaders, which he described as tantamount to issuing ‘fake news’.
He cited for example, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba claimed that drinking warm water can help to prevent the Covid-19 infection, while Penang Health, Agriculture and Agro-based Industry and Rural Development Committee Chairman Dr Norlela Ariffin proposing sunbathing to fight Covid-19, which are not evidence-based neither medically-proven and grossly misleading.
“Dr Norlela had subsequently apologized and retracted her statement, likewise, Dr Adham too should rectify his statement,” stressed Goh in a statement issued today.
He went on to note that some experts had subsequently come forward to clarify that drinking warm water or sunbathing would not eliminate coronavirus.
“When the entire world is currently still struggling and rushing to develop the vaccine, no one should simply come out with such ridiculous suggestion of “drinking warm water” and “sunbathing” as a solution.
“If such methods are workable, why bother to impose the Movement Control Order, then?” he contended.
Goh who is also the president of The Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS) thus reiterated that, with the worsening Covid-19 outbreak in the country, government leaders, especially those who are in charge of the health sector, both at the federal and state level, should be more cautious with their statements.
“They should make their statements based on actual facts to lead and guide the people out of this dreadful situation, instead of misleading them,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, Huazong also expressed its utmost regret and disapproval over Dr Adham’s scornful and sarcastic remark that, “Since China is the ‘exporter’ of the Coronavirus, and now that China is recovering from the epidemic, it should donate the remaining essential resources to other affected nations”.
Dr Adham was reported to have said this when interviewed by RTM on Thursday, over China donation of medical aids to Malaysia.
“Such a remark is grossly unbecoming and disgraceful especially coming from a senior government leader. The minister should also retract and apologise for his remark as, it is not something that can be treated as a joke,” he concluded.
On Friday, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein personally called up Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia, Bai Tian, to thank the Chinese Government upon receiving the first batch of medical aides donated to Malaysia.
The medical aids include 100,000 face masks, more than 20,000 medical devices specially for use by Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) personnel.
“Malaysia and China are inseparable,” Hishammuddin said on his Facebook site.-pr/BNN
