'Councils not doing their job to curb dengue'
The Perak Consumers Association (PCA) asks whether the stiff fine of RM500 and a possible jail sentence for consumers who breed Aedes larvae also applies to civil servants who don't perform their duties in containing dengue cases.
PCA president Abdul Rahman Said Alli (left) said, “(Deputy Premier) Muhyiddin (Yassin) is barking up the wrong tree when he announced stiff fines for consumers who contribute to Aedes larvae breeding.
“He should be going after local council employees who do not perform their duties in containing the disease like cleaning clogged drains, which is one of the major contributing factors for the rise in dengue cases,” he pointed out.
“Now mother nature has taken up the role, in bringing rainfall to clear the clogged drains,” he said sarcastically.
“Even the fogging of mosquito-infested areas is done half-heartedly, so why blame consumers for the shortcomings of services rendered by the local councils?” he asked.
“So each time there is an outbreak of communicable diseases, the consumers are made the punching bag; and what has happened to Premier Najib Abdul Razak's theme of 'People First, Performance Now'?” said Rahman.
Rahman suggests that Muhyiddin follow in the footsteps of his boss and go to the ground to find out in person who is at fault.
'Use KPI on officers'
He said the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) must be used on all health-duties related personnel to weed out underperforming officers.
He says they should be sacked to make the local councils and the Health Ministry more efficient in combating communicable diseases like dengue.
“We have managed to contain malaria so why the long delay in containing dengue?” asked Rahman.
He reasoned that it all boils down to bringing back elections for local councils, as elected personnel will need to be more responsible and answerable to the public.
“At present, man-hours and precious public funds are wasted on half-hearted personnel who underperform and do not measure up to the expectations of ratepayers,” he said.
Rahman was commenting on Muhyiddin's announcement yesterday that the present compound fine ranging between RM50 and RM100 will be increased to RM500 for the first offence and subsequent offenders may face a jail sentence.
Under the Control of Communicable Diseases Act and the Destruction of Disease Bearing Insects Act, those who are repeatedly found to be 'breeding' larvae of the Aedes - the mosquito (left) responsible for transmitting dengue - in their premises can be fined and jailed for not more than two years.
Muhyiddin wants the public to be more conscientious about cleanliness to prevent further increase in dengue cases.
35,533 dengue cases were reported between January and Sept 18, which was 14 percent higher compared to the same period last year. The number of deaths also increased by 53 percent to 107, over the past nine months.
PCA president Abdul Rahman Said Alli (left) said, “(Deputy Premier) Muhyiddin (Yassin) is barking up the wrong tree when he announced stiff fines for consumers who contribute to Aedes larvae breeding.“He should be going after local council employees who do not perform their duties in containing the disease like cleaning clogged drains, which is one of the major contributing factors for the rise in dengue cases,” he pointed out.
“Now mother nature has taken up the role, in bringing rainfall to clear the clogged drains,” he said sarcastically.
“Even the fogging of mosquito-infested areas is done half-heartedly, so why blame consumers for the shortcomings of services rendered by the local councils?” he asked.
“So each time there is an outbreak of communicable diseases, the consumers are made the punching bag; and what has happened to Premier Najib Abdul Razak's theme of 'People First, Performance Now'?” said Rahman.Rahman suggests that Muhyiddin follow in the footsteps of his boss and go to the ground to find out in person who is at fault.
'Use KPI on officers'
He said the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) must be used on all health-duties related personnel to weed out underperforming officers.
He says they should be sacked to make the local councils and the Health Ministry more efficient in combating communicable diseases like dengue.
“We have managed to contain malaria so why the long delay in containing dengue?” asked Rahman.He reasoned that it all boils down to bringing back elections for local councils, as elected personnel will need to be more responsible and answerable to the public.
“At present, man-hours and precious public funds are wasted on half-hearted personnel who underperform and do not measure up to the expectations of ratepayers,” he said.
Rahman was commenting on Muhyiddin's announcement yesterday that the present compound fine ranging between RM50 and RM100 will be increased to RM500 for the first offence and subsequent offenders may face a jail sentence.
Under the Control of Communicable Diseases Act and the Destruction of Disease Bearing Insects Act, those who are repeatedly found to be 'breeding' larvae of the Aedes - the mosquito (left) responsible for transmitting dengue - in their premises can be fined and jailed for not more than two years.Muhyiddin wants the public to be more conscientious about cleanliness to prevent further increase in dengue cases.
35,533 dengue cases were reported between January and Sept 18, which was 14 percent higher compared to the same period last year. The number of deaths also increased by 53 percent to 107, over the past nine months.
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