Malaysia must have a vaccine mandate

Photo of COVID-19 vaccination by Mufid Majnun

By ZAIDI ISHAM ISMAIL
editor@dagangnews.com

KUALA LUMPUR Sept 14 - FOR the past one year, the country has been embroiled with vaccination issues. On one side, one camp espouses on the need to be vaccinated while the non-vaxxers continue to throw the spanner in the works.

On top of this, there were numerous news reports on how several parties wanted to spoil the vaccination drive.

A soldier, teachers and even civil servants were highlighted in the media  refusing to get jabbed for reasons only known to them.

This does not include the estimated 2 million undocumented workers who have yet to receive even their first jab.

Some do not believe in medicines believing that their bodies can fight against the pandemic naturally.

In all the states, the vaccines have arrived at vaccine centers but many refused to be jabbed.

To these selfish people, present your case and arguments to the already 20,000 people who have died from COVID-19 in Malaysia and millions globally - and still counting.

The economy needs to restart

The economy has been in the doldrums for the past 2 years due to the lockdowns and it needs to restart.

At the last count, the Department of Statistics said some 800,000 Malaysians have lost their jobs.

There are rumours that some of the country's devoted investors from Japan, Germany and the US are also planning to leave the country to neighbouring nations due to better COVID-19 controls over there.

They are also leaving due to the country's inconsistent SOPs and partly due to the fact that we have not reached herd immunity.

The population needs to be inoculated and the anti-vaxxers are not making things easy.

Take a cue from the US

Although the US is not exactly a model state to look up to in terms of fighting COVID-19, its drive to pressure the anti-vaxxers should be emulated.

US President Joe Biden had pushed for vaccine mandates for months, and he has taken forceful steps in the last few months to pressure the 80 million unvaccinated Americans to get their shots.

Biden is thumping his fist and sides with the fairly quiet but increasingly frustrated majority: vaccinated Americans who see the unvaccinated as selfishly endangering others and holding the country back.

So if the US can pressure its citizens to support a COVID-19 law, why can't we?

MPs must pass the law

To legislate the COVID-19 mandate, all the members of Parliament (MPs) must unite and at least a two-third majority can pass it into law.

If they are not in consensus, then the country will never achieve at least 80% herd immunity.

Lawmakers must put aside their differences and pool their weight together and enact Malaysia's first get vaccinated or else law.

It is time to crack the whip on these anti vaxxers.

The newly etched political ceasefire signed yesterday will provide the much needed breather from politicking and focus their attention on helping the rakyat.

Under their memorandum of understanding, the federal government and Pakatan Harapan have agreed to continue holding parliament until August 2022 and subsequently hold the 15th general elections.

Lawmakers must use this time to fully devise and pass the country's first COVID-19 get yourself vaccinated law or else.

It is time to come down hard on these anti-jabbers. - DagangNews.com