Selangor Menteri Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo said statistics related to the dengue outbreak this year, including the number of fatalities, cannot be made public due to an instruction from the cabinet.

This revelation made in an e-mail communiqu to DAP chairperson Lim Kit Siang confirmed the allegation that the authorities were trying to put a lid o­n the matter.

Copies of Mohd Khir's e-mail were distributed during a press conference at the DAP headquarters in Petaling Jaya today.

The menteri besar was responding Lim's fifth, out of eight e-mails, sent to him o­n the matter.

However, Mohd Khir disputed the charge that the state government had not released any figures o­n the epidemic.

"The comment that the Selangor state government did not release figures is not true as last year all the current up to date figures were released at press conferences almost every two months following the state dengue action meeting chaired by (exco member in charge of health) Tang See Hang and also after the exco meetings.

"The figures of this year could not be publicly released following the cabinet instruction," he said.

Overturn ban

Reacting to this, Lim said the menteri besar should seek to overturn the cabinet ban in the interest of the nation's welfare.

"I urge him to make an immediate and urgent representation to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his deputy Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to ask the cabinet today to lift the completely unwarranted and unjustified ban," he said.

Mohd Khir could not be reached for comment.

The veteran politician also claimed that Health Minister Chua Jui Meng had requested the blackout in view of the five-day 13th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit held in Kuala Lumpur, which ended yesterday.

"This is the height of irresponsibility, as it is tantamount to sacrificing the welfare and even lives of Malaysians for the NAM Summit.

"It is o­nly with timely, accurate and full information about the dengue epidemic that there could be effective government -community campaign to bring it under control and end the long list of unnecessary and avoidable deaths," he added.

Frustrated and outrage

Lim also recounted a brief chat with Chua, whom he bumped into at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport last Saturday.

"Why continue to stifle?," he had asked the minister but the latter pretended to be ignorant.

When Lim told the minister that he should know that the question was in reference to the dengue outbreak, Chua replied that a lot of work was being done o­n the ground.

The DAP chief retorted that the work was not sufficient since people were still dying and this, according to Lim, prompted the minister to make a hasty getaway.

"I do not hide my deep sense of frustration, outrage and even anger at Chua, who has time for the MCA Team A and B struggle but no time to spearhead a nationwide dengue epidemic awareness and alert campaign," he said.

Lim said his party would lodge their third report with the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) regarding the dengue outbreak next week if the minister does not launch a full-scale nationwide campaign.

He added that DAP members of parliament would also raise the issue in the Dewan Rakyat, which will convene o­n March 10.

Bapa Malaysia Day

In an unrelated issue, Lim called o­n the cabinet to honour first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj's birthday centennial by proclaiming Feb 8 as Bapa Malaysia Day, which should be celebrated annually.

He said DAP will organise a year-long nationwide commemoration of the centenary, which include forums, discussions and dinners.

The celebration would kick-off with a "remembrance night" at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur next Friday and several prominent figures have been invited to speak at the function.

Among them are former ambassador to the United Nations PG Lim, Just International president Dr Chandra Muzzaffar, former Univerisiti Malaya vice-chancellor Prof Dr Syed Hussein Al-attas and UN special rapporteur for the independence of judges and lawyers Dr Param Cumaraswamy.