YOURSAY | Let states procure vaccines on their own

YOURSAY | ‘The best way forward now is for Putrajaya to give green light to Penang to bring in the vaccines.’

Company’s vaccine offer to Penang bogus and a scam - KJ

Kim Quek: Irrespective of whether the donor is genuine or bogus, the federal government has done grave injustice to the people of Penang by withholding its approval to the state government procuring the vaccines - from donors or otherwise.

Minister in charge of coordinating the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NIP) Khairy Jamaluddin said he has just found out that the donor was fake, but what about earlier?

If Khairy didn’t receive the blasting from Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow, wouldn’t he have continued to withhold consent to Penang? Is it right for the federal government to do so?

The whole nation is exasperated by the hitherto snail’s pace of vaccination under the monopolistic control of vaccine supply dictated by the federal government, while Covid-19 infections have skyrocketed to a fast-plunging economy.

Shouldn’t it release the stranglehold on vaccine supply like the Indonesian government which has just expressed that it is overjoyed at the private sector chipping in to expedite the vaccination programme?

This has exposed the utter incompetence of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government and cries out once again for the urgent resumption of Parliament to seek a comprehensive solution to the current pandemic and economic crisis.

Beman: In the interest of the truth and the safety of the people, the best way forward now is for the government to give the green light to the Penang chief minister to bring in the vaccines.

If he fails to produce them, then it is definite proof that the vaccine offer is fake. Even if the vaccine offer is fake, if the chief minister is able to obtain the needed vaccines through a different way, then so what? It ends well for the people of Penang.

By not giving approval to Penang to source for its own vaccines, it is likely that we are going to see shouting matches between former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng and KJ (Khairy).

Lim can also just hold up a piece of paper in a press conference, claim that what KJ said is not true, and say that it is not fair that the Penang government is not given the chance to prove that it can bring in the vaccines.

We know how combative or ‘militant’ (if I may use the forbidden word here) Lim can be. On the other hand, if the vaccine offer is not a scam, then by not permitting Penang to procure vaccines on its own, KJ is playing politics and suppressing the truth at a time when the lives of many are at stake.

I would say that the ball is now in the court of federal ministers. Will they give permission to Penang to source for vaccines?

JusticeNow!: To be fair, if I were to donate such a big amount of highly sought-after vaccine, I would be stupid to place an order before approval is granted by the authorities.

And for such a big amount, which company is happy to start discussing a possible deal when approval is so hard to get especially at a time when National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) has not given approval for Sinovac?

This is not a supply contract, this is a donation and a donation from outside Malaysia. Penang should be commended for seeking approval before jumping the gun, and only when there was silence that they had no choice but to go public.

Let us see who will have the last laugh.

Dr Raman Letchumanan: KJ, the real issue is your promised vaccination plan is awfully slow. Many of the seniors in phase 2 are still waiting. Tell us the real reasons why this is awfully slow.

If you had already ordered the vaccines for RM3 billion plus RM2 billion for the required 80 percent of the population, contracts signed, delivery schedules determined, why are we still waiting for the vaccines?

Also, you don’t have to worry about others overriding the federal government in delivery. And we don’t have to have this silly debate about the equity between rich and poor, nor preferences or priority.

Just open up to all states and the private sector to import. Those who can afford to pay, let them avail it. Stick to your plan for those you promised the free vaccination. That way, the best wins and everybody gains.

As someone said, the federal government is purposely hogging the traffic lane, not allowing others to pass. Despite all the doubt about the AstraZeneca vaccine, see what happened when you opened up for opt-in.

There is no need to do all this investigative work on donors, etc. That is not your job. People are panicking and crying out to be vaccinated.

Ferdtan: Khairy, don’t divert and distract from the real issue. Did you allow Penang to source their own vaccine independently? That is the main issue here, not whether the offer was a scam or not.

If the PN government were to give the authority, we are sure Penang with their own expertise would follow through with the procedure to determine whether it is a scam or not. Until then, Khairy should stop his cheap talk.

If Selangor was able to obtain the vaccine independently, free or otherwise, then we see no reason why Penang would not be able to get it free or buy some from outside sources.

Khairy is obviously trying to do damage control here because people are angry. They are very angry because many senior citizens are still waiting for their turn to be vaccinated.

Wee_R_Malaysian: Indeed, if that is true, why didn’t the Health Ministry reply in that manner in the first place?

You mean you just found out? Then what was the basis to reject Penang previously? I mean if the Health Ministry knew about this, then it’s perfectly fine to reject it. If not, then it doesn’t sound right at all.

Myobserver: While this might be a scam - and it’s good that KJ did his homework to expose the scam - the rest of Malaysia would like to know why Pharmaniaga is given the exclusive right as the licence holder for Sinovac when they can’t add any value to the whole supply chain.

Rebottling is not value-adding, it can be done in China. Please tell us this is not a scam on the taxpayers’ money.

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