By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, March 6: Bintulu MP Dato Sri Tiong King Sing is urging the government to implement an open concept and rope in additional Ministry of Health (MOH) certified companies to conduct screening tests at Malaysian airports, instead of relying on just a single company.
He questioned why the government has been assisting certain companies to reap big profits through monopolies while the most of the economy remains unstable as a result of the pandemic.
“The public is already in a difficult spot; why should we allow one company to monopolise and charge whatever they want for screening tests?
“Why are we attempting to establish a monopoly in our government? Why are we incapable of thinking, particularly when a large number of students returning from various countries are impacted by this situation, adding to the burden on their parents?” he said yesterday (March 5) during his debate in Parliament.
Tiong, who is also the Dudong assemblyman, stressed that while screening tests usually cost between RM100 and RM200, screening at Kuala Lumpur’s international airports KLIA and KLIA2 is significantly more expensive, costing between RM300 and RM400, which he said is unreasonable.
Meanwhile, Tiong also noted the importance of river deepening projects to mitigate flooding in Bintulu, such as at Sg Kemena and Sg Sibiyu, as well as the riverbed in Sibu, specifically Sg Rajang and Sg Igan.
“Once again, I emphasise that this flood problem will not be resolved overnight, and that this natural disaster will wreak havoc on the country if not addressed immediately. Don’t take it lightly. We must resolve this immediately, if possible,” he added. — DayakDaily
