THE announcement that private hospitals in Kuala Lumpur and Penang are set to become Covid-19 vaccination centres is a step in the right direction.

They would be able to supplement the government’s effort in rolling out the vaccination exercise faster.

Malaysia needs to meet the target of completing the vaccination of 27 million people – more than 80% of the population – by March 2022, or if possible, by this December the earliest. The quicker Malaysians, especially front liners, get vaccinated, the easier it would be for us to get our economy back on track.

Reopening Malaysia’s borders again is crucial because otherwise, we’re at a standstill.

But let’s not get entangled in unproductive debates on the merits or demerits of getting private hospitals to be involved in supporting the government’s vaccination plan.

All over the world, it’s common to involve private hospitals in such exercises. Even places of worship and community centres are being used in Britain.

Last week, Indonesia authorised its private vaccination scheme to run alongside its national vaccination programme. The regulation stipulates that companies can buy vaccines and inoculate their staff and families at privately run health centres. However, the catch is that the supply must come from the state-owned pharmaceutical company Bio Farma.

It has also been reported that Thailand and India private hospitals have ordered their own vaccine supplies with plans to carry out their own vaccination.

Our government has identified 600 vaccination sites, according to Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, comprising Health Ministry hospitals and public health clinics, university hospitals, Malaysian Armed Forces hospitals and clinics, private general practitioner (GP) clinics, and private health care facilities.

The programme involves immunising 75,000 people a day across these 600 vaccination sites nationwide from March, which is equivalent to 12,500 people per hour in a six-hour day, or five people simultaneously getting their jabs at each vaccination site, based on a target of 15 minutes per person.

Khairy said the daily goal of 75,000 jabs is the government’s first target. The next target, depending on supply, is to administer 150,000 shots a day for the second dose.

Practitioner Dr Kuljit Singh has aptly described the participation of private hospitals as an “excellent public-private partnership, which will increase vaccination numbers in the subsequent weeks, in order to complete the first phase by the end of this month.”

“All frontliners who received their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech had their listing determined by the KL health department, and the vaccinators were the staff of the different private hospitals within the state, ” he said. The key phrase here is listing determined by the authorities. But we should seriously consider allowing private hospitals to also conduct their own vaccination programmes because it will shorten the deadline.

There is no reason to discourage or stop private hospitals from procuring their own supply of vaccines, especially if they’re able to do so directly from the vaccine manufacturers. Naturally, these vaccines are the ones that have been approved by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA), which is the country’s drug administration authority.

So far, only three vaccines have been given conditional registration, including Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca-Oxford University and China’s Sinovac. The Malaysian government has procured 12 million doses of Sinovac, of which 300,000 doses have already arrived.

Khairy also said Malaysia may look at procuring the single-dose CanSino Covid-19 vaccine from China. He said the CanSino option looks better than Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) because the US pharmaceutical company can only ship its supply in the fourth quarter of this year (4Q21).

“Therefore, we will speed up negotiations with CanSino, so that we can get a single-dose vaccine in our portfolio, ” he said.

According to media reports, China has launched another single-dose Covid-19 vaccine, Ad5-nCoV, which is an adenoviral vector vaccine developed as a collaboration between Chinese biotechnology company CanSino Biologics and a group of researchers.

Khairy said Malaysia might also decide not to proceed with its order from Johnson & Johnson, adding that the matter will be finalised in a meeting on Thursday.

“Looks like we might have to drop it. They can only give two million doses at the end of the year and for us, it is too late, ” he said.

It’s heartening to hear from Khairy that Malaysia is expanding its choice of vaccines. While it’s important for the NPRA to ensure that these vaccines meet our standards and requirements, we should also not be delayed by red tape, especially with Chinese and Russian vaccines, since we have to cope with manufacturing delays from the United States and Britain.

Let’s not be handicapped by the belief that Western-made vaccines are superior to the ones from China and Russia.

The concern seems to be that Sinovac only has 50% efficacy, which may appear lower. However, experts have all said that it’s sufficient to make a difference in a global health emergency.

The effectiveness of the annual flu shot generally ranges between 40% and 60%.

So, it’s also important to understand the difference between vaccine efficacy and effectiveness.

Adrian Esterman, the chair in biostatistics and epidemiology at the University of South Australia, told the ABC the difference was simple.

“Efficacy is how well the vaccine works in a clinical trial. Effectiveness asks: ‘How does it work out in the real population?’” he explained.

Discussion among the public is healthy, but we should encourage education so that Malaysians get the right information and share them correctly.

Likewise, there is the warped argument that if private hospitals secure their own vaccine supply, that will only benefit the rich and lead to a form of queue jumping.

On the contrary, this exercise will alleviate the government’s burden by sharing the responsibility and expediting the vaccination process.

This is not a class discourse about Marxism class conflict but achieving the vaccination goal in the minimum amount of time.

Government supplies shouldn’t be touched because their allocation has already been accounted for.

Private hospitals and clinics should appropriately be used to vaccinate the people for free, and these facilities shouldn’t be saddled with hidden costs either, like registration or administrative fees.

It won’t be easy for private hospitals to get their supply because there isn’t enough to go around since most negotiations are through the government, so something has to give.

Of course, frontliners from the medical, health, security and teaching sectors are the most important, so they should be prioritised.

But let’s not forget economic frontliners, such as those working in the logistics, transportation and supplies sectors, including cleaners, lorry and bus drivers, and even foreign factory workers.

Even food deliverers and journalists are on the streets every day because working from home isn’t possible for them, and their services are just as essential to us. Then, shouldn’t they be viewed as frontliners, too?

So, let’s get Malaysia immunised fast in every way possible by getting the public and private sectors to work together. After all, many hands make light work.

IT’S a shocking revelation – Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador said many times that several individuals, including those with “Tan Sri”, “Datuk Seri” and “Datuk” titles have been identified as the masterminds behind more than five drug syndicates in the country.

The Inspector General of Police said once sufficient evidence is gathered to pin these ringleaders, the police will take action.

There are many titled individuals with dubious backgrounds running around, and Malaysians have rightly questioned their credentials for Datuk and Datuk Seri titles.

However, there aren’t many Tan Sri, although more are surfacing in recent years.

Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department director, Datuk Razarudin Husain, took it a step further by revealing these people were not politicians but businessmen.

He provided more hints, saying these criminal VIPs used their status to build networks with other influential people to launder illicit gains from criminal activities. And to avoid detection by the authorities, the funds were used for ventures in hospitality, shipping, transport and steel industries, he added.

Following this titbit of info, the media and businessmen, especially those with Tan Sri titles, have been trading notes to find out what they’ve heard.

The police have provided no extra clues, except that the businesses these VIP crooks are involved in are only a front, to conceal their unlawful trade, and to “hide” their dirty money.

There has been speculation, naturally, that since the drug raid was in Penang, the implicated Tan Sri could be from there, too. However, he could just as well be living in another state.

The person could also be someone who eschews the limelight, and is likely not a household name, although the occasional philanthropic appearances would be necessary.

After all, no titled personality can escape being approached for charitable causes.

In January, the IGP announced that police arrested eight men and seized RM366mil worth of assets and properties linked to a drug syndicate, following a raid in Butterworth, Penang.

The follow up operation this month was to identify and seize all assets belonging to the main suspect in the syndicate.

The Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department team has seized RM6,960 in cash, another RM21.68mil in an account, RM143mil worth of shares, properties worth RM198mil, various types of vehicles worth RM2.7mil and jewellery worth RM51,800.

The drugs were seized following a police operation at a warehouse in the Seberang Jaya Industrial Estate in Penang.

When elaborating on the case, Hamid said the main suspect, who is from Penang, had fled to another country after the first “Ops Eagle Diamond” operation was conducted last year.

He said police were now cooperating with their counterparts from that country to nab the kingpin.

“With our good relationship with international enforcement agencies, we are confident in tracking down the main suspect.”

So, the main culprit has escaped, and we aren’t sure if the police have found him.

Despite the media excitement over the Tan Sri drug lord, the police seem to have given a disclaimer too, saying they “would not rush to take action against them as the police needed to collect enough evidence first.”

Now, that’s worrying because these Tan Sri and Datuks won’t be working from home like the rest of Malaysia, and neither will they be watching endless Netflix movies during the Movement Control Order (MCO).

They would have left Malaysia, MCO or not, now that the police have publicly revealed their pursuit and even named the Tan Sri and their trades.

Indonesians have also attempted to leave or enter Malaysia illegally during the MCO period, and that’s what Ops Benteng is supposed to tackle.

These VIP tycoons with ill-gotten gains would have enough resources to leave the country comfortably. They won’t need to use the lorong tikus or illegal jungle tracks.

Had they been arrested and held for questioning, then it would be much easier for the police to wrap up the case. But these head honchos can afford a battery of lawyers to argue against all forms of detention or remand.

We wish the police every success in concluding their investigations soon because the media expects the Tan Sri and his Datuk associates to be charged in court soon, or at least be remanded.

The latest episode reveals the lack of checking by some states in awarding titles to businessmen. Some are far too young to earn the Datuk title, and some have barely contributed to the said states or country.

The cynics among us would say, well, they probably contributed monetarily, but to which individuals or organisations would be the question. Maybe they are legitimate.

Intriguingly, a confession video of a Datuk proudly claiming he’s a gangster, has gone viral.

Recently, a Datuk and a Datuk Seri challenged each other to a fight. So now, the legitimacy of titles is being questioned.

Except for certain states, particularly Selangor, none of the rest provide an online registrar of titles for public perusal. Anyone can claim to be a Datuk, act like one and be addressed as one, and walk away with impunity.

It’s said that if a Datuk threw a stone, it would hit another. But recently, if it’s not another Datuk, it could be a Datuk’s son.

There have been strong statements from the police in the past about locating certain wanted individuals, but attempts have fallen short of expectations. Let’s hope this won’t be one of them.

Always ready: Election Commission staff Nelly Golor making the final preparations during the Sabah polls in September last year. Now, many are betting that the general elections will be held by August this year.

PREPARATIONS for the next general election have sparked into life, even though the national Emergency only ends in August. But that’s just about five months away.

Negotiations between Umno, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia and PAS, the three main political parties in the federal government, have entered a crucial phase. As with any deliberation, each is pushing hard to get the most seats.

Working out a deal is obviously most frustrating for Umno and Bersatu because of overlapping claims.

Many of the Bersatu Members of Parliament contested on Umno tickets in the previous general election, but Umno is now insisting these seats be contested by its own candidates instead.

From the union of three parties, Umno is also demanding it be given the most seats to contest this time.

Then, there’s the role of PAS. Umno has sent the Islamist party a message – work with Bersatu or us.

Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has also given Umno an ultimatum, insisting the party makes clear its stand on contesting the general election as part of the Perikatan Nasional. And he wants the answer by March 1 – tomorrow.

The sentiment emanating from Umno is that it’s prepared to go to the polls on its own because its grassroots feel that without a well-structured party machinery, Bersatu can’t function.

Umno feels Bersatu needs it and not the other way around.

But Bersatu has the ace – the Prime Ministership. So long as Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin retains the post, despite having only a two-seat majority in Parliament, he holds the trump card. He’s Boss in form and function.

PAS, which is labouring to hold the three Malay-based parties together, will find it easier to partner Bersatu if forced to choose, because it’s unlikely Bersatu will squabble over Kedah, Terengganu and Kelantan.

Umno, on the other hand, has long battled with PAS over these three predominantly Malay states.

Given the uncertainties, Umno has openly hinted that it’s prepared to work with its foes to draw a political equation.

It has worked with PAS, its once bitter rival, and now, it’s ready to even cooperate with the DAP.

The Malay-Muslim unity narrative is perhaps much easier to use to convince the Malay grassroots but it will be much harder to justify working with DAP. After all, Umno attacked the DAP when the latter was given key positions under the Pakatan Harapan government. Even Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad struggled to handle the criticism.

It didn’t help that some DAP ministers lacked tact and finesse to work with key Malay government officials.

Their mannerism and language, and the way they behaved like opposition figures despite being in government, led to a complete breakdown in the relationship. It was unfortunately a wasted opportunity.

But Umno, which played the race card by harping on purported DAP dominance, is now ready to work with it to form the next federal government because it believes DAP can deliver 40-odd seats in the Dewan Rakyat.

Hardcore DAP supporters still find it hard to believe that Umno – which DAP leaders have demonised since its formation – has started dating ahead of the next elections.

In fact, the Perak DAP is trying to wriggle its way into the Umno-led Perak state government, which was formed in December last year after DAP failed to get state executive councillor seats.

Perak DAP chief Nga Kor Ming revealed that there was a series of negotiations with Umno, but in the end, DAP got nothing.

Nga wouldn’t have had discussions without the blessings of the national DAP leadership.

It’s almost certain DAP won’t respond or commit to Umno’s eager overtures now as it would cause premature controversies, which would surely anger the DAP grassroots.

For justification’s sake, DAP, too, has worked with PAS after criticising the Islamist party for decades.

Datuk Seri Najib Razak is also testing the waters by saying such an arrangement would only be struck if the grassroots approved.

But any real pact would only happen after the general election. Based on the present political climate, Malaysians can expect their decisions to be fragmented and messy.

As Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said last week, the general election is just around the corner.

One senior Minister has put up her election billboard in her constituency. A potential PKR candidate has openly declared he’s in the race, even before his party has officialised his role.

Many potential Barisan Nasional candidates have already started making their presence felt in their respective constituencies.

Every indication now points to a general election by August. By then, the number of Covid-19 cases would have dropped sharply, the mass vaccine programme would be near completion and the economy would be stable, aided also by oil’s price surpassing the US$60 per barrel mark. All this against a backdrop of commodity prices spiralling.

Malaysia gains RM300mil for every US dollar increase in crude oil price, so it will certainly be a boost to the economy.

The court sentences of key political figures facing various graft charges provides a barometer to how serious the PM is in combating corruption. Even if they have avenues of appeal in the higher courts, their political careers have still taken a beating.

The deadline for the Sarawak state elections is August, and the bet now is that it will coincide with the federal election.

Why illegitimise a legal trade and legitimise an illegal one by doing what’s obviously counter-productive?

EVERYTHING in Malaysia seems to be politicised. Nothing is missed and as the nation heads towards a possible general election by August, the situation has progressively become worse.

PAS is grumbling about the gambling sector reopening, saying it doesn’t benefit the country.

Its Federal Territories committee is upset that the government is allowing casinos and gambling companies to operate again.

Now that’s no longer news to us, really, but PAS has ramped up the campaign.

Likewise, for the federal government, increasing sin taxes on liquor and cigarettes has always been a populist move.

However, life isn’t that straightforward.

In fact, if we talk about the world’s oldest profession, for example, it has existed since time immemorial, in different forms and under different names. Whether it’s a contract marriage or sugar daddy arrangement, it’s basically paid sex. So let’s not kid ourselves.

In PAS’ Utopian world, vices don’t exist, and punishment by lashing is apparently the answer to such evil.

I don’t condone gambling. In fact, I frown upon it, but I’m also a realist. For PAS, it ends there. For me, I have other “vices”. I love my beer and whisky.

Truth be told, illegal betting syndicates steal large chunks of the legitimate Number Forecast Operators’ (NFO) business and rob the government of some RM3bil in tax revenue annually.

According to news reports, the activities of these illegal 4D operations have expanded and become more sophisticated over the last decade, eating up market share by the day.

“These illegal 4D syndicates not only offer bigger cash prizes compared with the legitimate NFOs but also extend credit and allow online buying via WhatsApp on draw days, ” said the source in a report.

PAS has questioned who are the beneficiaries of gambling. The answer: criminal-linked illegal bookies and corrupt police officers, if gambling is banned or even further regulated.

So the more action taken against legal gaming operators who pay taxes, the happier these crooks will be.

The Straits Times reported that revenue from the NFOs was more than RM9bil, with sales tax amounting to about RM2bil annually.

However, a news report quoting a source said the illegal 4D operation was known to be one-and-a-half to two times larger than the legitimate NFOs’ business.

So the government could be losing up to RM3bil a year.

The pay-out for a winning number is 70/30, meaning for every RM1 4D sale, 70 sen would go towards the payment of the winning number while the operator makes 30 sen.

Given its lucrative nature, illegal operators are often connected to the underworld or triads.

“They make much more than the NFOs because they don’t pay tax, ” said the source.

The source revealed that the syndicates also pay good commissions of between 20% and 30% to illegal 4D runners.

“For full-time runners, they can make between RM3,000 and RM10,000 a month, depending on their locality and credit given to punters, ” said the source.

Another news report said authorities need more legal muscle to curb the growing illegal gambling and bookmaking menace in the country.

Lawyer R. Rishi said the Common Gaming Houses Act, which was enacted in 1953, needs to be revised to keep up with the times, particularly with regulating online gambling.

“The government must be serious about looking into this, as current technology allows users to place bets from their cellphones easily, ” Rishi said.

He added that even though there are the Anti-Money Laundering Act 2001 (Amla) and Prevention of Crime Act 1959 (Poca), these laws are not tailored to deal with illegal gambling, especially if it is conducted in cyberspace and beyond national borders.

Welcome to the digital age. One doesn’t even need to go to a casino or empat ekor outlet to place a bet when it’s available at a click – on any gambling link from outside the country.

Resort World Genting pays annual government fees, duties and taxes amounting to over RM2bil, according to analysts’ estimates.

It supports the employment of about 70,000 people, including staff, third party businesses, suppliers and contractors.

It also buys more than RM1.2bil worth of products and services from local suppliers, which benefits more than 40,000 people through its philanthropic efforts.

Then, there’s the issue of smuggled cigarettes.

Up to RM5bil a year in taxes goes up in smoke at the expense of the Malaysian government because of this recurring problem.

JT International Berhad said in one report there were more illegal cigarettes purchased by Malaysians than legal ones in 2018, and that this scenario is an upward trend.

The “2018 Illicit Cigarette Study”, conducted by research house Nielsen and commissioned by the Confederation of Malaysian Tobacco Manufacturers, showed that 58.9% of all cigarettes sold – about 12 billion sticks – were contraband.

So like it or not, Malaysia is a haven for smuggled cigarettes.

And the losses don’t end there either. According to the Malaysian brewing industry’s estimates, contraband beer makes up 70% of the total beer volume sold in Sabah and Sarawak.

For Peninsular Malaysia, contraband beer represents 14% of the total beer volume sold.

This means the Malaysian government loses more than RM1.1bil in annual revenue to the illegal alcohol trade, a figure which is part of the RM300bil shadow economy of the country, according to The Edge.

In 2019, the brewery industry contributed some RM2.27bil in tax revenue to the public coffers. But there’s an estimated tax revenue loss of RM1bil a year caused by illicit alcohol, according to the Confederation of Malaysian Brewers Bhd.

The problem is that issues like gambling and liquor are always fraught with difficulties, in terms of busting them.

We must deal with our unique dual system of law and contrasting stands of Malaysians.

These industries are already highly regulated so there’s no question of making it more difficult for them.

If smuggling is a problem, making it tougher for traditional (and legal) gambling companies will not help when one can just place a bet online, which comes in various guises.

So does PAS want to bet that it can eradicate illegal gambling and smuggled cigarettes and liquor, and that we don’t truly need billions of ringgit in taxes?

Ultimately, the smugglers and crooked cops will be laughing all the way to the bank should these legal gaming and drinking outlets be terminated.