By Adrian Lim
KUCHING, April 3: Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing has hit back at Bintulu Lorry Association’s chairman Ling Kah Kiong for making what he termed to be an irresponsible statement regarding the need to go for a pre-arrival polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test upon arrival in Bintulu.
Tiong in a press statement yesterday said Ling’s statement went against the interests of the entire Bintulu community to curb the chain of Covid-19 infections in the town.
He added that Ling’s remarks ignores the efforts of frontliners in Bintulu in combating the Covid-19 pandemic day and night.
“Is Ling aware of how serious the pandemic is in Bintulu? The number of confirmed cases in one day including yesterday (April 1) approaches 100, and how many deaths have occurred in the past few days?
“If such things happen around him, would he still want to make frivolous remarks with regard to his own relatives and friends?” he questioned.
Tiong was responding to a statement released by Ling, who criticised the Bintulu Disaster Management Committee (BDMC) for requiring visitors to undergo a PCR test three days before entering Bintulu.
Tiong went on to say that the committee would not be able to prevent more Covid-19 infections if BDMC did not implement stricter movement measures.
Tiong, who is also Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) president, said Ling was welcome to contact BDMC and discuss a compromise measure if the latter thought that the pre-arrival testing measures were too burdensome.
He opined that Ling’s statement which said that each lorry needs three or four personnel was inaccurate.
“According to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) as stipulated by the authorities, each lorry can only carry up to two people.
“Is he not concerned about the SOPs at all in his industry or is Ling trying to mislead others into making the pandemic worse than it is now?
“He has even hinted that the cost of these tests will be passed on to consumers.
“This is unpleasant, as the testing is done not only for the safety of the public, but also as protection for the lorry drivers themselves,” Tiong added.
Hence, Tiong called on Ling, who is also the Sarawak Lorries Transport Association (SLTA) chairman, to fulfill his social obligations and be a conscientious professional.
At the same time, he hoped that SLTA and Bintulu Lorry Association would think twice before making further statements that could put the town’s public health at risk.
“In helming any trade association, their leaders must lead by example and shoulder some responsibility by giving correct information and being good mediators, instead of inciting fear and creating chaos,” Tiong pointed out. — DayakDaily
