By Michael Tay, Johor MCA Government Coordinating Affairs chairman.

Our beloved Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah and our dearly loved and very capable Prime Minister Tan Sri Datuk Muhyiddin Yassin has proclaimed that the Pifzer and Moderna vaccines will arrive in Malaysia somewhere in February.

I am very thrilled and happy to hear this news I read that  Japan, being a highly advanced, loving and very well-mannered superpower and country is going to be clinically testing these vaccines for three months, (wherever these vaccines are obtained from) to see if the vaccines are suitable for people with underlying health problems like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, liver, kidney and/or those on dialysis treatments as well as those who already have cancer cells or chemotherapy are suitable to be injected with all these vaccines as it is a new and untested vaccine.

I would like to suggest to the public that they buy medical health insurance policies in case they encounter are any side effects after vaccination.

Why hasn’t the former US President Donald Trump, leader of the free world, take the vaccination himself?  This would reassure the whole world that these vaccines are safe and secure?

We must remember that Dr Anthony Fauci, an expert on infectious diseases, also mentioned that the immune durability and the life span of of these vaccines is only one year or less whereby we need to take the  jab once a year.

I did some research on the immunity period for Moderna and found that it is only 119 to at most, half a year meaning that we have to rejab once half/one year.

This would be a very costly protocol for most world governments as they need to be inoculated every six months or one year.

I will take the vaccine myself,  but not before showing the doctor my blood tests results.

What I also need to know is that after one year,  if I failed to take the second series of inoculation, will it be detrimental to my health?

It would be nice if  Dr Anthony Fauci can shed light on these concerns of mine.

Anyway, have a great 2021 but at the same time I am encouraging people to take the vaccines. If they are unsure about it,  they should consult their doctors.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in Your Say are those of the contributor, not the blog owner.

By Michael Tay, Johor MCA Government Coordinating Affairs chairman.

The economic situation in America is in dire straits meaning that an economic relief bill is paramount and for the first time I agree with former US President Donald Trump that the relief of USD600 is insufficient. It is a meagre amount.

USD600 in Asia will be used up in one dinner restaurant session.  I feel it should be upped to at least USD2000 per person.

Frankly I don’t know how are Americans going to survive without Federal funding from their government?

Rental moratorium will last only up to January 31st so after that what is going to happen? Another congressional and senate majority heated debate for another stimulus package after January 2021 again while millions of Americans will still face extreme adversity for additional Covid relief?

The narrative theme here is I know that Americans do not like emploring handouts as they have their own ego and self esteem triggering them into an unprecedented twilight zone situation.

The only fundamental and consistent constant for the Americans are jobs, jobs, jobs so that they can begin to be able to feed their families once again as Americans are proud and respectable people.

The government should re-structure the fundamental restoration of employment infrastructures so that people can start working again and start to take care of themselves and their families.

There are about 1,000 American billionaires that are wealthy beyond imagination who can easily bequeath their hard earned wealth to their next few generations.  I urge these billionaires found in every state of America to fund food banks until this pandemic is over and done with.   

As far as the car and loan moratorium issue is concerned, let the Joe Biden presidency come up with a viable financial/bank moratorium and financial formula. I have faith in the new President who has his talented cabinet team members by his side.  Among them, the newly-appointed Transport Secretary who is such an eloquent speaker and talented leader.

Ok thank you all, and have a great 2021 ahead for all of us.

By Michael Tay, Johor MCA Government Coordinating Affairs chairman.

The World Health Organisation has mentioned that their ultimate medical goal is to inoculate the entire world population so that economic, social and political stability can be restored to pre-pandemic times and travelling around the world can once again materialise.

Hence, economic activities will be re-activated and become vibrant once again.

May I request that the variant emerging from the UK be researched and resolved as we do not want to face a second wave of variant virus that is supposedly even deadlier than the first Covid 19 virus?

Nobody knows how long this virus mutation is going to prevail and all the best medical brains in the world are also baffled by this Covid 19 onslaught as everyone is tired and fatigued by this seemingly endless plague onslaught that has forced us to recalibrate a new normal lifestyle.

My second point is to congratulate all governors in the United States of America that is already battled tested for close to one year already, and everyone is clearly tired and I believe every governor is working overtime and burning the midnight oil and getting this problematic and deadly virus under control.

Bravo America and special thanks and motivation to all the governors in America who have worked so diligently.

By Michael Tay, Johor MCA Government Coordinating Affairs chairman.

The top priority for America and the rest of the world now is to curb and suppress the Covid 19 infection rates around the globe.

Every government in the world is scrambling for the Pfizer and later the Moderna vaccines as the political survival of many politicians worldwide hinges upon the curbing and the control management of this deadly virus.

As inoculations of every country’s populations are paramount and urgent in the world, we have to abide by the standard operating procedures in the mean time to prevent prevasive and uncontrollable spread of this deadly virus while every person in this world awaits his turn to be inoculated which might stretch into the end of next year and maybe even 2022.

The SOP is still very relevant to contain further spread and a prevent a black hole from spiralling out of control. Secondly economic resilience must also be restored so that people around the world will feel hopeful for themselves, their families and their future. Cut to the chase, economic prioritisation must be on the minds of all governments around the globe.

I really see that the merger of the Western countries and their Asian counterparts, especially China.  This must be a priority whether we like it or not and this has nothing to do with race or the fact that I am Chinese because if China has huge reserves amounting to the tune of USD30 trillion or even more with 3.15 trillion invested in the US treasury bonds.

If China buys another USD5 trillion of treasury bonds the US can afford additional stimulus package, and my beloved American friends who needs the money badly for the coming Christmas and New Year will benefit from this.

Trumpnomics targeting China has been a dismal failure plunging America into the worst reccesion/depression ever with more that 60 million Americans out of jobs and in desperate despair for economic survival.

Whether China will invest in factories or any other industry in America is subjectively up to President elect Joe Biden but remember there’s no nuance of a political agenda here but a fast track to absorb the unemployed in America.

Similarly American companies should be allowed to invest in China as well,  just like Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who is reportedly the second richest man on the planet.

I also propose that Westerners who speak fluent Mandarin be allowed to work in China, as well as the infatuation rates of Westerners loving Asia and eventually residing in China and Asia are also very high and they love it there.

By Michael Tay, Johor MCA Government Coordinating Affairs chairman.

First of all my heartiest congratulations to US President-elect Joe Biden and his beautiful vice president who was also the previous attorney-general of California, Kamala Harris.

We are also turning a new fresh page on the future of American future economic and political direction.

But whatever it is, I have the fullest confidence in Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Both are also very talented and far-sighted leaders.

On the pandemic, thank God we now have Pfizer and Moderna that can alleviate the situation by at least 60% and the rest is abiding by the  standard operating procedures, and restoring the economic confidence for all Americans.

Whichever way that Kamala Harris and Joe Biden chose as their economic directions, let us support them.  However,  I would advise cautious calculations, moderation and a balanced approach to world trade unlike the stance taken by America’s predecessor who had created so much chaos and turmoil around the world.

Thank God Joe Biden and Kamala Harris both got elected, thus changing the dynamics of things.

Please release the vaccines to all of Asia with no preferencial or political treatments in the distributions of these vaccines.

Lastly I would like to extend my thanks to Dr Sanjay Gutpa and Dr Anthony Fauci who have been our guiding medical light throughout the pandemic.

By Michael Tay, Johor MCA Government Coordinating Affairs chairman.

China was battered by tariffs and tech restrictions under the administration of former US president Donald Trump. Its President Xi Jinping was quoted as saying no country should “be allowed to do whatever it likes and be the hegemon, bully or boss of the world.”

Now that Trump is moving out of the White House, hopefully President-elect Joe Biden will not treat the Dragon in the same manner.  But can Biden salvage the damage brought about by his predecessor?

China’s foreign exchange reserves registered at US$3.15 trillion, making it the highest foreign exchange reserves of any other nation.  Who does not want to be friends with China?  US may even need China’s help to revive it’s economy pummeled by job loss, racial tension and the coronavirus.

As I had studied and worked in the US before, it pains me to hear and read about the emotional distress faced by the US citizens who seem to have lost hope.

The US should emulate Malaysia’s model in curbing the spread of Covid-19 which includes prohibiting inter-state travelling. Over here one can only travel if they have permission from the police during the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO).

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo handles the pandemic brilliantly but if inter-state travelling is not imposed, someone from another state may just enter the state and infect someone in New York. The US should also strictly adhere to the standard operating procedure (SOP) at all times.

The Governors of each of the 50 states should hold a forum with representatives of all the local hospitals and come up with a standardised SOP. They should also follow the mandate of Biden who issued a call for everyone to wear masks and practise sanitisation.

I would like to suggest that any state with a high death rate from the coronavirus, the governor should take responsibility and resign or assign the duty of managing the pandemic in that state to a health official.

I’m giving the US this advice because like I said before, I do not wish to see the citizens there dropping like flies.

I’ve been the chairman of a public hospital in Johor for the past 15 years. I mingle with doctors and top health officials regularly, and I must say Malaysia’s SOP is one of the best.

My earlier post Take Covid-19 Seriously bears testimony to the fact that I care about the US people. At the same time, being a Chinese, Trump’s attacks on China has hurt the feelings of many Asians, myself included. The US needs to change their direction and look East if they want to see a rapid economic recovery.

Since I mentioned Andrew Cuomo, let me take this opportunity to congratulate the Governor for winning a founder’s award “in recognition of his leadership during the pandemic” from the International Emmy Awards.

I must admit that I idolised his father Mario Cuomo, a former New York Governor and also his brother Chris Cuomo, a TV journalist.

In my earlier post Curb Cyber Attacks!, I  also talked about the discord brewing among the races but we were able to prevent the situation from escalating as we had set up a watchdog to contain the spread.

I would suggest that the US set up an Anti-Racism Watchdog committee under a judicial branch of the US government.  This committee should comprise of Latinos, Blacks, Asians and Anglo-Saxons.  The committee should also include Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan are so talented and gifted. They will be able to make immense contributions to the US constitution which is in disarray now.

Cases of police brutality, hate comments and derogatory remarks appearing in social media platforms should be taken down immediately. The watchdog should be empowered to have any law officer accused of any wrongdoing against an ethnic minority —-after a tribunal hearing had found him guilty of the crime —- to have the officer removed from his job. This will ensure that justice is served and the much needed harmony in the US will be restored.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in Your Say are those of the contributor, not the blog owner.

By Michael Tay, Johor MCA Government Coordinating Affairs chairman.

A strong  alliance between China and Japan could be just what the world needs right now  to withstand the recession, and revive the global economy.

If the world’s second biggest economy (China) and the third biggest economy (Japan) could form something like the Axis alliance, it would be ideal.

What is the Axis alliance? The alliance comprise of Germany, Italy and Japan which recognised German domination over most of continental Europe, Italian domination over the Mediterranean Sea and the Japanese domination over East Asia and the Pacific.

If there can be bilateral free trade without any tariffs and technology transfers between China and Japan, coupled with the support and cooperation of Germany and France — the two leaders of the EU, and neighbouring Southeast Asian countries, this union will be a force to reckon with.  It will be an alliance that the United States cannot divide.

I would also like for China to be given a chance to be a member of the advisory board of NATO, The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, aka the North Atlantic Alliance.  China can offer stimulus packages that will strengthen the ailing economy and make the world a better place.

Regarding concerns about China’s technological advancement, I would think any allegations that came up was born of ignorance or politically and racially-motivated, namely, the claims by US that China’s communications supplier Huawei Technologies is a national security risk and a threat to transatlantic intelligence sharing.

China should send an elite IT experts to give an indepth explanation about 5G.  To put it briefly, 5G offers a faster transmission speed and enhances connectivity.

Malaysia actually has one of the best intelligence in Southeast Asia.  Anyone remember the horrific jams at the Johor-Singapore Causeway and massive manhunt in the republic when a militant named Mas Selamat Kastari gave Singapore authorities the slip in Feb 2008.

In April 2009, we caught the fugitive in Johor and handed him over to Singapore. So, this proves my point that Malaysia has one of the best intel in the region.

Our government will continue to bank  on digital transformation for long-term sustainability and profitability, and is upgrading its technology.

Our Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had said that technology mastery is the only way for Malaysia to become a high-income nation and history has proven that military, economic might and world superpowers are dependent on the mastery of technology.

By Michael Tay, Johor MCA Government Coordinating Affairs chairman.

With the decoupling of US and China, I believe there’s a strong possibility of investors turning to China.

Taking that into consideration, it would be beneficial for non-Chinese students to learn and master the Chinese language.

As of the fear that the US may be threatened by China, I would like for China to declare all its military assets and nuclear capability as well state its military ambition to the world.

It also could do well too to declare its actual military alliance with Russia.

Does China have any naval bases or army bases set up in any part of the world?  China is more interested in trade more than anything else.

China clearly has the capability to land a robotic spacecraft on the moon but it has never uttered or conveyed any nuclear threat to another nation.

A country considered to be a rouge nation like North Korea should actually be a bigger threat to US than China as it has the unpredictability of utilising its nuclear missiles.

I wish to urge China to cooperate more with the UN, if they were approached by the latter, to volunteer in the world body’s programmes. 

China should also not threaten Japan or any other country, if they want to enhance bilateral ties. A superpower also needs allies and friends.

I don’t think it’s right for the US to impose sanctions on Chinese companies as it’s simply bad diplomacy. They should not be burning bridges instead of building them.

If the US is saying that Chinese companies like Huawei, for instance, has links with the Chinese military, then they should show proof of such allegations.  And to say that hundreds of Chinese companies have military links … please prove these allegations to be  true.  If not,  please let these Chinese companies remain in the US stock exchange.

China is the emerging superpower whether you like them or not. That’s why I’m urging fellow Malaysians — the local Chinese and non-Chinese — to learn the Chinese language.  It will be very useful someday.

Lastly, I also  believe that  China could surpass US in term of relations, and they should practise technology transfer with Europe due to its much larger population. Europe should also collaborate with China as its population is much bigger than that of the US.

By Michael Tay, Johor MCA Government Coordinating Affairs chairman.

I’m saddened by the fact that US President Mr Donald Trump, the leader of a great nation has been infected with the coronavirus.  The number of new cases in the US showed that the containment of the Covid-19 needs to be stepped up, or the situation is only going to get more serious.

I had studied and worked in the US for a period of time, so I care about this country even though I am not a US citizen.

From what I’ve read and heard, the fear factor is sadly lacking among some of the residents.  Mr Trump himself declared that “Covid is not something to be afraid of.” Social distancing is not practiced and there is a lack of respect for authority.  If the US does not come up with a better model or infrastructure, the situation is only going to get worse.

Things are not going to be like what it used to be.  Get use to it.  At least for now until a cure is found, I would advise people to stay at home unless you really need to go out.  And if you do go out, please wear a mask.

It is a big mistake if people insist on believing that Covid-19 is a hoax, that sanitisation isn’t necessary and social distancing is stupid. Do not rebel against an indiscriminating virus in the name of democracy. 

Looking at Worldometer, US with a population of 331.5 mil has 7.6 mil cases to date with more than 210,000 deaths while China with a population of 1.4 bil has 85,000 cases and less than 5,000 deaths. 

I received a call from my sister in Taipei recently and she was telling me how impressed she was with the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic in Taiwan.  She told me the residents there were fearful and they strictly observed all the SOPs.

A friend in South Korea told me the same thing.  The country’s new coronavirus cases dropped from 3 to 2 digits as the people were fearful of the virus and were very disciplined in their daily lives.

Once you have the coronavirus, you’re on your own.  Your friends and family can’t be with you at the hospital.  Do you really want to die alone, without any loved ones by your side?

Everyone’s affected by Covid-19 in one way or another.  There’s no more big scale celebrations or international vacations.  There are lesser shoppers and diners.  Some people are going bonkers and getting edgier due to financial constraints and emotional challenges.

This is a time where we need to help one another, especially towards those who have lost their jobs or are unable to put 3 meals on the table for their family due to pay cuts.  In Indonesia, the residents share food with friends and neighbours.  This is admirable.

On the subject of a General Election in Malaysia, unless the EC can come up with a mail voting system, a GE15 is not likely to take place anytime this year.  Just look at the effect of the Sabah election that was held on Sept 26.

People are not coming out to vote during an outbreak.  We do not want to be like the Philippines which recorded 3,190 new coronavirus cases on Oct 4.

My heart goes out to everyone regardless of race and religion, and in whichever part of the world you are right now.  Most economies can’t afford another lockdown.  Please don’t be in denial, and keep believing that the coronavirus is a hoax.  Covid-19 is claiming lives indiscriminately.  It can infect anyone, even a world leader.