MIRI: Transport Minister Datuk Lee Kim Shin today shared his New Year’s wishes and optimism for 2021.
“2021 has been a difficult and unprecedented year globally. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought tough challenges and affected the lives of millions of people worldwide. The people had to adopt a new normal in their daily lives.
“It is fervently hoped that we will be able to get our vaccinations against Covid-19 soon and resume our normal way of lives,” he said.
Lee stressed that it is vital for Sarawakians to remain vigilant and to comply with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) laid down by the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) and the Ministry of Health.
“We can see spikes in the number of positive cases in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah. Lately, Malaysia recorded over 2,000 positive cases a day on some days. Therefore, we can clearly see the danger of the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic if we do not remain vigilant and comply with the SOPs,” he pointed out.
“In Sarawak, we can observe that to date, we have been able to consistently manage the Covid-19 pandemic well, maintaining the number of positive cases most of the time at single digit level a day.
“I wish to place on record here our thanks and appreciation to all who have one way or other contributed to the fight against the pandemic, especially the frontliners, for their dedication and hard work,” Lee added.
He pointed out that Sarawakians had been supportive of the directives and SOPs laid down by SDMC and the Ministry of Health.
“To overcome difficult and challenging tasks like stopping the spread of Covid-19, it is important for us to stay united and focused.
“We can see that our Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government has been very focused and placed the wellbeing and interests of Sarawak and its people first. Our GPS government is stable with very experienced leaders in its administration and in its service delivery.
“Our Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg has come up with ‘I Love Sarawak Special Assistance’ packages (Bantuan Khas Sarawakku Sayang) under BKSS 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 to assist the people and a special allocation has been given in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.
Lee urged Sarawakians to ensure that peace and harmony would always prevail and that the state could become a developed and high income state by 2030.
“On a lighter note, the beginning of a new year is the first blank page of a 365-page book. Let us write a good one. My warm wishes to everyone for a safe, brighter and fulfilling New Year 2021,” he said.
