The Malaysian Insight

KHAIRY Jamaluddin and Saifuddin Abdullah, ministers who are supposed to be responsible in ensuring front-liners receive their vaccines, have failed in ensuring that media workers are prioritised in the national Covid-19 vaccine rollout, said political party Pejuang.

Pejuang information chief Ulya Aqamah said the vaccination of media practitioners should be expedited and not delayed.

He said it is odd because many government programmes to address Covid-19 issues require media personnel to be present.

“It seems like the risks and sacrifices made by media personnel are not being appraised,” he said.

Ulya said media personnel often put aside personal safety while on duty to record Covid-19 situations at mortuaries and funerals.

In April, Saifuddin, who is communications and multimedia minister, had asked Putrajaya to prioritise vaccinations for the media as they are also considered front-liners.

He suggested that the rollout involving media personnel be done in the second phase of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, which began in April.

On April 28, the science, technology and innovation minister, announced a total of 1,500 media personnel will be given vaccinations in May.

“Unfortunately until today, two months after the second phase of the programme had begun, it turns out that both ministers responsible for vaccinating media personnel have failed to keep their promises,” Ulya said.

“Media personnel have families too. Photographers and videographers have to go out everyday to film the virus situation in the country with the intention to show how much the state has to go through in order to achieve herd immunity,” he said.

He said the media are at the forefront and Putrajaya has to help them simplify their tasks as information channels to the public.

The country recorded a slight dip in Covid-19 cases yesterday at 6,241. The fresh infections have taken the national caseload to 616,815. – June 7, 2021.