Set up Federal-State Council on health and economy, Upko proposes
22 Aug 2021
By Ilona Andrew
KOTA KINABALU: The United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (Upko) has proposed the establishment of a Federal-State Council to revive the economy and health of the people which is also an effort to resolve confusion in the implementation of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
Its president Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Madius Tangau said the Council should involve the Federal Government, State Governments, Local Governments and Governments at the village level.
He said the motion along with several other motions were submitted last Thursday to the Secretary of the Dewan Rakyat to be debated during the Parliamentary Session scheduled for this September.
“This motion was made with awareness and taking into account the suffering of the people due to the loss of loved ones due to Covid-19, loss of sources of income, as well as the difficulty of continuous learning and teaching in the existing school system.
"It is also an effort towards resolving various problems and confusion in manufacturing and implementation of Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) involving the Federal Government, State Government, Local Government and Government at the Village level," he said in a virtual press conference today.
According to Madius who is also the MP for Tuaran, it has been proven that the existing structure of the National Security Council (NSC) cannot adequately encompass the voices of the Federal opposition and state governments to form effective cross-party and cross-governmental consensus to address economic and health recovery.
Apart from being chaired by the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition as the deputy chairman, among other conditions for the establishment of the Council is that it must be composed of three groups.
"First, a number of ministers including the Minister of Defense, Minister of Health, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Minister of International Trade and Industry; Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of Tourism, Minister of Education and Minister of Affairs of Sabah and Sarawak.
"Second, the opposition MPs who reflect the diversity of the party and in the same number; and third, all the Chief Ministers and Chief Ministers from 13 states," he explained.
He added that the Council should also receive professional input and expertise from the economic, medical and education sectors along with the top leadership of the civil service, army and police.
In addition, weekly meetings should be held prior to Cabinet meetings to receive reports and take action on matters such as unemployment and business closures, infections, hospital admissions and deaths due to Covid-19, vaccination performance of citizens, SOP implementation, school conditions and key sector performance. economy.
“We also note the policies and SOPs needed to tackle the Covid-19 outbreak may not be popular at first and can only be successful if political responsibility is shared by all political parties and state governments as the Malaysian Team to convince the community.
“We also take note that the centralization of powers in the field of health and public health under the Ninth Schedule of the Federal Constitution has prevented state governments from making greater contributions in fighting the Covid-19 epidemic,” he added.
Madius also asserted that all parties need to accept the fact of the importance of the views and support of various parties to assist the Federal Ministers and the top leadership of the civil service, army and police in making policy decisions and inclusive SOPs.
