GEORGE TOWN, May 20 — Gerakan has urged Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow to lodge a police report against the individual who allegedly offered a donation of two million Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine doses to Penang.
Penang Gerakan spokesman Mohd Aswaad Jaafar said it should be done immediately if Chow felt that he had been deceived by the individual, who identified himself as Yong Chee Kong, and who is allegedly the managing director of a Hong Kong-based company.
“We think he should lodge a police report to defend his reputation as chief minister,” he told reporters after lodging a police report against the individual at the Timur Laut district police headquarters here today.
He said the police report was made to safeguard the interests and welfare of Penang citizens as there were at least two state governments, Penang and Sabah, that were misled.
With the country facing a health emergency, he said the situation could shake the confidence of the public towards government trust regarding vaccines and sow discord among Malaysians.
Besides this, Mohd Aswaad also questioned whether the state government had conducted due diligence on the company and individual’s background before forwarding the letter to the Health Ministry.
“This issue involves funds exceeding RM100 million and finding out more about such a big sum is important.
“According to Chow, the offer was made by a company but didn’t he wonder why the transaction payment was done through the individual’s private account?” he asked.
Last Tuesday, Chow claimed Penang was offered two million doses of vaccine by a local company last February but the state government did not get approval from the Health Ministry.
Yesterday, however, National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme Coordinating Minister Khairy Jamaluddin explained that the Sinovac vaccine offer by the company for Penang was a scam, and investigations revealed that the company did not exist.
