GEORGE TOWN: After coming under fire over the controversial offer by an allegedly bogus private company to donate two million Covid-19 Sinovac vaccines, the Penang government wants the "company" to clear the air.
In a nine paragraph statement issued this evening following Coordinating Minister for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NIP) Khairy Jamaluddin's revelation about the company, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said such serious allegation compelled the company and its director, named by the minister, to come forward to reject the claim.
"The Science, Technology and Innovation Minister has made a very serious allegation, that the company offering the two million doses of Sinovac vaccine is a bogus company, and that the offer was a scam. Such a serious allegation warrants the company and its director to come forward to reject the claim.
"The state government appeals to the company to explain the matter and come out with appropriate proof to clean its name and image," he said.
In a press conference yesterday, Chow had called on the Health Ministry to approve the state's request to accept a donation of two million doses of Covid-19 vaccines offered by a private company.
He had said the vaccine donation would be beneficial to the people of Penang and expedite the NIP to achieve herd immunity.
Chow had also said that if Sarawak and Selangor were allowed to purchase their own vaccines, Penang should be allowed to accept the donation.
He claimed the people were angry with such inconsistencies and wanted the Health Ministry to explain the issue.
In his press statement today, Chow said the Penang govenment had taken prudent actions when it received the offer through a letter dated Feb 1 this year, by seeking the views of the state Health Department.
He said the department had asked that the matter be referred to the Health Ministry for further advice.
Chow said the State Secretary Datuk Abdul Razak Jaafar had written to the ministry's secretary-general on Feb 15 seeking its view on the use of the vaccine offered by the private company.
He added that on March 12, the ministry's secretary-general Datuk Mohd Shafiq Abdullah had replied to the state that there was no need to consider the offer as the federal government had implemented the NIP.
Chow said Mohd Shafiq did not at all touch on the issue of the status of the company.
"The Penang government was not capable of following up on the matter as it could not issue the ministry's 'surat perakuan' (authorisation letter) to the company to enable further negotiations with the vaccine producer.
"The vaccine offer was again raised yesterday when I questioned why the Health Ministry did not grant approval to the Penang government based on the ministry's secretary-general's answer when it was reported that Sarawak and Selangor could procure vaccine for their respective states."