COVID: No instruction to make it mandatory for Malaysians to get booster jabs - Fahmi

KUALA LUMPUR: There has been no instruction from the government to make it mandatory for Malaysians to get booster jabs following the increase in COVID-19 cases, as being viral on social media, said Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.

The spokesperson for Unity Government said for the time being, the Ministry of Health (MOH) only encouraged people, especially those in vulnerable and high-risk groups, to take a third booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.

"This is a minor misunderstanding on social media; please verify the content before we share any information; sometimes the headline doesn't match the content, and I advise that we verify (the content) first," he told reporters at Wisma Bernama today.

He said this after witnessing the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) and China's Xinhua News Agency, which was also attended by Bernama's Editor-in-Chief (also discharging the duties of Chief Executive Officer) Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin.

Also present was Bernama chairman Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai.

Fahmi said he would meet Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad to suggest that he hold a meeting with the editors-in-chief of media outlets in this country to clarify issues related to the booster dose.

Meanwhile, Fahmi described claims that Chinese nationals who participated in the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme were eligible to become permanent residents (PR) in the country as slanderous and baseless.

He stressed that anyone seeking Malaysian citizenship must go through a stringent screening process.

"The government will ensure that the situation is under control and will not simply grant citizenship to anyone," he said.

Masjid Tanah member of Parliament Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsuddin, who is also Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman, was reported to have made such allegations on the X application based on hearsay.

Fahmi also expressed regret that the statement was made by the PAC chairman, who had the power to to ask for clarifications on the matter in Parliament but chose not to do so.

-- BERNAMA