Lessons From A Royal Example

In these difficult times, it seems that our leaders are far more interested in maintaining or obtaining power – all the while, the average Malaysian suffers in silence and fear as our total COVID numbers march beyond 1 million cases and even beating the infections per capita of even the most populous of nations.

While politicians continue to harp on for vaccinations to be our silver bullet, we have seen time and time again that their implementation has been far from what is needed. Take for example the recent controversy over the lack of SOP seen at Rumah Prihatin@Grand Seasons – where potential vaccine recipients were literally standing shoulder to shoulder while queueing.

This sad state of affairs was only solved when it became viral on social media, and even after that, it was up to kind individuals and organizations such as MCPlus to even put basic measures such as cones and markers for social distancing.

Is this sort of laissez-faire tak-apa kind of attitude the only type of leadership left in Malaysia?

It is for this reason that Tunku Mahkota Johor’s proactive attitude in building a robust and comprehensive COVID-19 vaccination strategy in Johor is an approach that needs to be emulated – especially by our politicians.

https://www.facebook.com/hrhcrownprinceofjohor/posts/370623204420072

It is clear to many that the National Vaccination Program is clearly focused on the Klang Valley – the reasons of which are understandable. However, the slow rollout has left not only those in the capital territories concerned but also those in other states as well, especially in Johor which is currently fighting a sudden rise in cases.

The fact of the matter is that despite the 91% adult vaccine registration rate in Johor and the state government’s own capability of vaccinating 60,000 individuals per day, there simply isn’t enough vaccines being distributed by the Federal Government for the rest of the country.

This high rate of registration came in no small part to TMJ’s own contribution of mobilizing the Johor Southern Volunteers to assist in registration outreach and his own personal visit to PPV at Permai Hospital to ensure vaccine supplies are sufficient – providing a great deal of comfort for those coming in to receive their vaccinations.

While most states with opposing political views see themselves mired in political brinksmanship as seen in Selangor, TMJ has leveraged his position to build consensus building and to bring various stakeholders together to help build up Johor’s capability in resolving the COVID crisis.

Not only has he called the Federal Government to task for delays in vaccine distribution as seen in his one-on-one meeting with YB Khairy Jamaluddin and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry but has also called upon various stakeholders in Johor to share the burden of healthcare in these difficult times.

As a result? 2 Million Johoreans will get their vaccinations in August alone.

https://www.facebook.com/hrhcrownprinceofjohor/posts/361706305311762

His most recent meeting with the Menteri Besar of Johor YAB Datuk Haji Hasni Bin Mohammad, Health and Environment EXCO YB Tuan Vidyananthan A/L Ramanadhan, JKNJ director YB Dato' Dr. Aman bin Rabu, YBhg Dato' Prof. Adeeba Kamarulzaman and Dr. Dhesi Baha Raja will lead to the improved transfer of non-Covid-19 patients to private hospitals to ease the burden on the public health system to start in stages. Non-Covid-19 patients from the Sultan Ismail Hospital will be transferred to the Columbia Asia Hospital, while those from the Sultanah Aminah Hospital will be transferred to the KPJ Hospital.

More importantly, the new IPA-C initiative will be a clear step forward for vaccine advocacy in local communities, which will bring together the Johor state government, Johor State Health Department and local community leaders to take better charge of towards the safety of their own communities and more importantly help tackle the twin issues of vaccine hesitancy and misinformation.

These initiatives and the role of mediator taken by TMJ goes beyond the material contributions that we have seen from kind benefactors and patrons across the country, as it helps address the root of our country’s national COVID response, an unwillingness for those in power to listen to one another.

After all, innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower. After all as a crown prince he does not need to do anything as the governments of the day should be proactive in doing all this.

As the country is standing on the brink of a new political crisis, unity and a keen focus to get through COVID will be needed to ensure that we all can navigate through these difficult times. But if there is one thing that is certain, the spirit of kita-jaga-kita is present in every Malaysian, even in the most unlikely of places.

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