SUNGAI BULOH: The Federal Government is prepared to help Selangor reduce cases of dengue fever by cleaning up the state.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak who made the state government this offer today, said cleaning up illegal dumpsites, clogged drains and other sites mosquitoes breed in, was under the purview of state administered local governments.
“However, if the state government fails to do this we can help them with gotong-royong activities,” said Najib before opening a National Blue Ocean Strategy, MyBN (My Beautiful Neighbourhood) gotong-royong campaign in Saujana Utama, Sungai Buloh here yesterday.
Najib, who drew on Selangor’s dengue statistics which have consistently outranked other states over the years, said it was not surprising that Selangor was the “champion for aedes mosquitoes and dengue fever.”
“40,000 cases a year means more than 100 Selangor folk are stricken with dengue daily. This is not a record to be proud of,” he added.
Najib was drawing on the fact that close to 40,000 of the 71, 892 dengue cases nationwide were recorded in the state as of Oct 10.
Selangor also recorded 59 deaths during the period.
Najib further said that clean-ups under the campaign are being conducted in 98 parliamentary constituencies, nationwide today, affecting the lives of 50,000 people.
He said that all this was being done in the spirit of community mindedness.
“We can’t be preoccupied with ourselves and the position of our homes as when our neighbours have issues or our area is problematic, the spillover will affect us too."
“We cannot separate ourselves from what takes place around us, that’s why the Barisan Nasional is a leadership concept which builds," said Najib.
He also expressed appreciation to Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Tan Sri Noh Omar for taking the initiative to offer houses under the People's Housing Project to victims whose houses were torn down by the state government recently.
“We do not tear down houses. We don't tear down billal and imam’s homes. We don’t. We destroy the homes of aedes mosquitoes,” he said while drawing on the incident which took place at the Subang Airport.