KUALA LUMPUR – Former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin has claimed that he was pressured by then-top government leaders to lift the movement control order (MCO) while the nation was battling the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking in an episode of his Keluar Sekejap podcast session with former Umno information chief Shahril Sufian Hamdan which was released yesterday, Khairy revealed that he was pressured by two prime ministers who helmed the country during the global fight against the virus’ spread.
Khairy also named Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, who was finance minister at that time, as one of the forces who had urged him to ease up on MCO restrictions as the nation was suffering economic damages.
“Let me tell you about the pressure that I received every day when we were carrying out the Covid-19 immunisation process.
“The prime minister at that time – at first it was Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, then it was Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob – and especially with (Zafrul) as finance minister, reminded me to ‘open’ (lift the MCO) faster because the first phase cost us over RM2 billion in economic losses every day.
“During the second phase (of the MCO), when we opened up some sectors, there was still a loss of RM300 million every day,” Khairy said.
Malaysia’s MCO was first executed in March 2020 under Muhyiddin’s administration. Movement restrictions nationwide were then lifted in January last year during Ismail Sabri’s tenure as prime minister.
Khairy was the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme coordinating minister from February to August 2021 under Muhyiddin’s leadership, following which he was appointed health minister as part of Ismail Sabri’s cabinet.
Khairy held the ministerial post up until Parliament’s dissolution in November last year to make way for the 15th general election.
Meanwhile, Khairy was also on the defensive during the podcast session when discussing Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report on how the government bore about RM505 million worth of losses due to 8.5 million doses of expired Covid-19 vaccines.
“I said that there might be a bit of an excess (of vaccines), (but) the cabinet decided then that it’s fine if there’s a bit extra (because) we want a sufficient buffer (of vaccine stock).
“At that time, we didn’t know how long Covid-19 would be around. It’s easy to say now because Covid-19 is still present, but it’s not as threatening to public health as it was then,” Khairy said.
He also alluded that those who want to pin the blame on him have failed to do so, saying: “The cynic in me (says) that there are some parties…who think that I’ve done something criminal. But then, they didn’t get that. Far from it.”
The PAC report, released on Monday, said that the Health Ministry had justified the amount of vaccines purchased based on its projection of the number of Covid-19 vaccines required at the time.
However, there was then an unforeseen decrease in demand for vaccination, as well as delays in receiving vaccine supplies purchased and donated from foreign countries. – November 2, 2023