ASAJAYA: The state of emergency has empowered the federal government to open more places to treat Covid-19 patients and subsequently improve the effectiveness of anti-pandemic efforts.
Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said prior to the emergency, the nation reached a point where it recorded about 4,000 positive cases daily.
“During that time, our government hospitals were already full with Covid-19 patients. This scenario was harder because unlike previously, we could not put Covid-19 patients and those of different illness in the same places.
“We were running out of places to put these patients, especially when private hospitals were not ready and did not want to cooperate with government hospitals for fear of the virus,” he said.
Hence, Wan Junaidi said the government at the time, had to implement a state of emergency with the consent of the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, so that they could address the Covid-19 pandemic effectively.
He explained that the state of emergency enabled laws to be enacted without being debated in Parliament and undergo a series of processes which could take months or up to several years.
He explained that in a state of emergency, laws could be passed within 15 to 20 days and enabled the authorities to address the pandemic promptly in order to curb its spread.
“With the emergency, the government has the power to take over certain buildings or abandoned places and even private ones so that we can use these places to treat the Covid-19 patients.”
Wan Junaidi had earlier officiated at an event in conjunction with Malaysia Prihatin Programme held at the Cavendish Banana Plantation owned by Koperasi Penduduk Daerah Asajaya Berhad (KPDAB).
