An opposition leader today called o­n the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) to ensure that the Health Ministry disseminates accurate information without covering up anything on the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) outbreak here.

DAP national chairperson Lim Kit Siang said transparent, accurate and timely information was crucial to restore public confidence and to assure the people that the government was o­n top of the outbreak.

Lim cited several epidemics which were allegedly aggravated by sheer mishandling.

Among them, he said, was the Coxsackie and Nipah virus outbreaks as well as the o­ngoing dengue epidemic.

"Can the health minister (Chua Jui Meng, right ) and its director-general (Dr Mohd Taha Arif, left ) be prosecuted under the law for giving false declarations to the people about the state of the Sars outbreak in Malaysia?" asked the veteran politician when met at the Suhakam headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

He had earlier lodged a report with the commission against Chua for allegedly violating human rights in handling the Sars outbreak, including denying the right to information and expression.

Last week, the health minister had accused the DAP leader of rumour-mongering and making irresponsible statements about the disease.

Chua said the matter was being regarded as national security and warned the veteran politician that he could face action if he continued to 'misinform' people.

People are prepared

Meanwhile, Lim today questioned why the ministry did not reveal the first suspected Sars case in the country instead of suddenly announcing that there 40 such cases here.

"People must know how the nation can develop such cases in a short time and we want to know the full details about it. We just want full transparency and the true picture about Sars," he said.

"People are prepared for the worst-case scenario."

The ministry has said that there are more than 90 suspected Sars cases nationwide since March 18.

Lim also expressed concern that the work in ensuring public confidence, cooperation and support in the nationwide Sars alert and awareness campaign has not been given top priority.

"(Public cooperation) can o­nly come about if they are fully convinced that the health authorities are fully complying with the new cabinet policy of full transparency o­n the Sars outbreak and not pursuing a semi-transparency approach by withholding all the facts and figures about the outbreak or engaging in a game of semantics to downplay its full severity," he said.

The opposition leader also took a swipe at Chua over the briefing the latter held with top editors from the local media about the disease yesterday.

"(The briefing) is not to restore full public confidence but to belabour the point that Malaysia was as good as Singapore in handling Sars or even better," he said.

On the health minister's warning to Lim to stop rumour-mongering, the DAP leader said as a lawyer by profession Chua should have known that threatening him was tantamount to a violation of human rights.

Human rights issue

Suhakam commissioner Asiah Abu Samah, who received the report, promised Lim that an investigation would be initiated.

Speaking to reporters later, she said the commission would do its "homework" as soon as possible o­n Lim's report but declined to elaborate.

"I think action has been taken (to tackle Sars) by the ministry but I also agree with Lim that this is a basic human rights issue. We will check with the ministry," she added.

When it was pointed out that the ministry refused to reveal information when the commission investigated the dengue epidemic, Asiah replied: "We'll give them (another) chance this time."

In a related development, a DAP Socialist Youth (Dapsy) delegation, led by its national secretary Loke Siew Fook, submitted a memorandum to the Health Ministry this morning in conjunction with the World Health Day yesterday.

Among others, the memorandum contained suggestions and appeals regarding the Sars and dengue epidemics.