The National Chinese Guilds and Associations (NCGA) has called for the formation of an independent commission of inquiry to study the appropriateness of the actions taken during the Nipah epidemic last year and identify any dereliction of duties among officers involved.

The Malaysian government, the Health Ministry in particular, must bear greater responsibility for the spread of the (Nipah) virus from Ipoh to Bukit Pelandok and other parts of Negri Sembilan which subsequently caused the loss of nearly one million livestock and more than a hundred human lives, according to the NCGA JE Victim Relief Committee.

"The unscientific, unprofessional and irresponsible attitude of the government in dealing with the outbreak was serious and lethal," said a report prepared by the committee, titled "The Facts Finding Report on the Encephalitis Outbreak in Malaysia 1998-1999".