KUCHING, Jan 25: Bintulu MP and Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing today appeals to all large oil and gas companies operating in the division to be proactive in the fight against Covid-19.
“I would like to appeal to all large companies, especially in the oil and gas sector, that several confirmed cases have appeared in recent days. Even after the Health Department had ordered certain companies to suspend operations for testing, these companies have refused to cooperate.
“As a Member of Parliament, I cannot condone these companies’ behaviour, which goes against the greater good,” Tiong said in a statement issued here today.
He reiterated that these large companies must cooperate as corporate citizens by voluntarily locking down and having all of their employees tested.
“This is their basic social responsibility, rather than adopting the unhealthy attitude of rejecting this order on the grounds of pricey test costs or making their employees bear the costs. It is well known that testing in public hospitals is reasonably priced and within the means of even smaller companies.
“It is disappointing and alarming to know that there are large companies in Bintulu that choose to ignore the public interest during this critical juncture. Bintulu will never welcome such companies that choose their bottom lines over their social responsibilities. For the sake of the people, they need to take responsibility now and join the efforts to contain the outbreaks,” said Tiong.
On a related issue, Tiong who is also Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) president, pointed out that Bintulu is a red zone today not due to lack of standard operating procedures (SOPs) in place but due to the relevant authorities’ strictly enforcing and adhering to the SOPs of contact tracing of potential cases for several weeks via active case detection (ACD).
“This action coupled with mass screenings were able to detect many more potential cases, which had been diagnosed as asymptomatic at first,” he said.
Taking Sg Plan’s situation as an example, Tiong said, some people with asymptomatic infections or mild symptoms were located in this densely-populated area.
“With mass screenings, the authorities were able to detect the confirmed cases as soon as possible, thereby preventing another cluster. It was possible to cut the chain of transmissions here.
“This is a win for all of us in suppressing the pandemic and more outbreaks. It is the result of disciplined surveillance and ACD operations. This action must be commended and emulated. The opposite result would have been asymptomatic patients lurking in the community and disastrously spreading the coronavirus farther and wider,” he said.
At the same time, he hit out at critics and the opposition that they are wasting their time since everyone including the Bintulu Health Department, Bintulu Development Authority (BDA), police, Civil Defence Force (APM), medical staff, and even private ports have joined hands to fight the pandemic.
“Their efforts are not helped in any way by non-constructive remarks by politicians that undermine the efforts and public confidence towards these brave frontliners. At this moment, making such remarks will only deepen public anxiety and create tension against the frontliners who work day and night to help the country,” added Tiong. — DayakDaily
