Most Read
Most Commented
mk-logo
News
Yoursay: Awesome threesome: Zuraida joins Rina, Adham in Covid-19 gaffe

YOURSAY | ‘Indeed, Zuraida forgot that it’s not her money she is spending.’

Better to sanitise more than sanitise less, says Zuraida

Anonymous_Reader: “Thus far, there is no accurate formula on how this coronavirus spreads. One moment it’s coughs and sneezes, this and that, maybe it’s airborne and so on…

“So, if we spray the roads, it is not an issue because we cannot miss anything […],” said Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin.

Former deputy Health director-general Dr Lokman Hakim Sulaiman and other experts said sanitation operations should focus on commonly touched surfaces instead.

Zuraida should have gotten the facts right, especially when she is a minister (that people typically would look up to for wisdom). Spending our taxpayers' money with a “maybe” attitude to scientific research, and then be so sure about road disinfection... is self-proclaiming.

It is not “one moment... this and that”. It is not “maybe” it is airborne. The researchers in the field of coronavirus are not flip-flopping over their statements published in well-established medical journals. They talk facts based on scientific evidence.

Malaysiakini does a good job to educate readers here. In general, researchers reported that the virus can be airborne for 3-4 hours and survive on the surface for 2-3 days.

A small study based on people infected on a bus ride in China found that the virus can last for 2-3 days at 37°C on glass, plastic, metal and fabric surfaces. Clearly, no “maybe”. Hence, numerous experts advised on the need to use masks and wash hands frequently as preventive measures.

Without having the various government initiatives being proposed questioned in Parliament, it seems to me ministers are acting/using our money based on what they believe is right, and hence, the blunders.

From excluding Pakatan Harapan from pandemic meetings and resource allocation crucial to protect the people to the advice on drinking ‘air suam’ (warm water), road disinfection, and whether we need to wear masks, asking wives to put on make-up and be Doraemon-like to please husbands... a real circus indeed.

Anonymous_1576493962799.39091576493037474: Even if other commonly touched surface areas are already sprayed, you have to do repeated rounds as these are areas where human contact is touched frequently with bare hands.

Zuraida, are you saying that the roads are touched with our bare hands and feet frequently? I should put it in simple terms, do we walk barefooted, touch the roads barehanded or kiss the roads?

Even though the cost of each operation is less than RM1 million, and because 100,000 litres of disinfectant had been donated to the cause through corporate social responsibility initiatives, it has to be used effectively and not wasted on disinfecting roads.

Please use it on places touched by humans frequently. I am lost for words.

FairMalaysian: There are thousands of people who sneeze and contaminate the roads. And from the roads, it “could” infect people in houses more than 10 feet away…

This is all about economics, Zuraida. With huge demand but limited available resources, it is a matter of choice.

Of course, if we have trillions of ringgit and don't know what to do with it, it may be okay to splash the money but we are going through difficult times. Some prudence please, minister.

Just Wondering: Indeed, Zuraida has not understood the basic problem of economics, that is the scarcity of resources… her mere theory assumes infinite resources.

She knows what she did and why she did it, and she knows we know. But she can’t tell us what everybody already knows because she is ‘bodoh sombong’ (arrogant) and therein lies the problem with most politicians.

Anonymous_ba958b7b: “The cost of each operation is less than RM1 million, she said,..”

The problem with Malaysian politicians is that they think that a million ringgit is small change. This money is not yours, Zuraida.

They could be used to feed a few thousand families or save a few small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Anonymous_1547638166059.10451547637684383: Zuraida, are you challenging the opinions of the experts? Since when you became a doctor?

A mistake is a mistake. Don't try to save your face by saying those things. It only made you look very stupid. Apologise and move on.

What kind of ministers do we have in Perikatan Nasional? From drinking warm water (Health Minister Dr Adham Baba to curb coronavirus) to Doraemon (Women's Minister Rina Harun on how to deal with husbands), and now disinfecting roads. They are a bunch of jokers.

Anonymous 768161504478789: When people are of no substance, they feel insecure. Then, they would carry out every trick trying to convince other people that they are indeed very knowledgeable. This is basic psychology.

I would say almost all our backdoor politicians, unfortunately, belong to this category.

KenRyuu: Indeed, Zuraida forgot that it’s not her money she is spending.

Please don’t try to justify your stupidity and lack of protocol with some senseless excuse because the world is watching. Resources are scarce and we are heading towards stagflation.

Vgeorgemy: Health Ministry director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah had said that the Housing Ministry’s and local councils’ disinfection operations were done without proper guidelines.

We didn’t expect such a wastage and violation of the guidelines of the Health Ministry deliberately done by a senior cabinet minister.

The continued justification of her action is nothing but questioning the intelligence of Ampang voters. Zuraida must stop such taunting immediately to lessen the anxiety and anger among the voters.

RZee: Another idiot minister. The roads don’t cause the spread of coronavirus. Do your research, read what measures are being taken in other countries which have been successful, seek funding and implement them.

And there is no need for the photo opportunity with you in full combat gear. Just do your work, keep us safe and alive until the next general election so that we can vote you and politicians like you out.


The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. In the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now.

These comments are compiled to reflect the views of Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini does not intend to represent these views as fact.


Keep up with the latest information on the outbreak in the country with Malaysiakini's free Covid-19 tracker.

Malaysiakini is providing free access to the most important updates on the coronavirus pandemic. You can find them here.

Help keep independent media alive - subscribe to Malaysiakini.

ADS