Milton Foo
KUCHING (June 17): The free transportation service launched by Democratic Action Party (DAP) for Kuching folk to go for Covid-19 vaccination has been labeled as ‘just another publicity stunt’.
Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Youth secretary Milton Foo said this latest ‘stunt’ is similar to the RM100 cash aid given by DAP to food stall hawkers at Icom Square here last month, even though there are many other hawkers out there in need of similar aid.
Under the service which was soft-launched by DAP Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen on Tuesday, the party in collaboration with a local taxi association will provide return trips to vaccination centres for those without transport.
Chong said for a start, the party had set aside a budget for 100 trips at a cost of RM70 per trip, and pledged to increase the number of trips if more people required it.
“Why only limited to 100 persons or 100 trips? Why only for taxi drivers and not Grab drivers too?” Foo asked in a statement yesterday.
“If he (Chong) had honoured his election pledge to give out ‘oil bonus’ cash to every Sarawakian from 2018 to 2020 before the Pakatan Harapan government collapsed, the people would have received at least RM6,000 by last year, and not only 100 persons can benefit from the so-called free transportation to get vaccines.”
Foo also said Chong had ‘gotten his facts wrong’ when saying that the vaccination rate in countries like the United States, United Kingdom, China, Australia and New Zealand had surpassed 50 per cent of their respective population.
“In Australia, it is 18 per cent with one dose; borderline 44 per cent fully vaccinated with two doses in the UK; New Zealand at 15.5 per cent with one dose; and in the US only 44 per cent fully vaccinated with two doses.
“Chong should get the facts right first. The Sarawak vaccination rate now is 17.41 per cent, which is at least on par with Australia and better than New Zealand’s,” he added.
During Tuesday’s soft launch, Chong said he hoped the tie-up with the taxi association would help local cabbies who have been hard hit since the start of the pandemic and imposition of restrictions under the various movement control orders.