PSB Youth demands Dr Sim apologise for post

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KUCHING: Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) Youth has demanded Local Government and Housing Minister Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian apologise for a Facebook post where he indicated 23 Covid-19 positive patients in Sibu could not be reached.

A statement from PSB Youth yesterday accused Dr Sim of causing unnecessary distress and anxiety to the people of Sibu, if not Sarawak as a whole, with the post.

“Dr Sim Kui Hian owes Sarawakians an explanation on why he could have made such an announcement without properly verifying the facts, in view of the gravity of the current Covid-19 pandemic,” stated the Youth wing.

Dr Sim, who is Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) advisor, had posted at 12.14am on Wednesday that he understood “23 positive patients from Sibu from the PCR screening can’t be contacted (for various reasons)”.

Later on Wednesday, Assistant Minister of Local Government and Housing Dr Annuar Rapaee, who is Nangka assemblyman, clarified that 10 were receiving treatment in hospital, four others were headed to hospital from lockdown areas, eight were contacted on Tuesday, while the final individual had been contacted at 12.45pm that day.

According to PSB Youth, Dr Annuar was “affirming that what Dr Sim had earlier said about the missing 23 Covid-19 positive persons was untrue”.

“Are they not seeing eye to eye or is there a breakdown in communication? Enough said. Sarawakians must know the truth and we expect nothing but the whole truth from those entrusted with that sacred duty and responsibility in the daily updates on the actual situation on the ground,” said the Youth wing.

The statement added that if two Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) leaders could not get their acts together, “it is a timely wake-up call for Sarawakians to seek a second opinion”.