THE recent attack on the Health director-general, where the Member of Parliament from Bintulu used the august Dewan Rakyat to cast aspersions on Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, was callous and irresponsible.

It was also shocking and totally unnecessary.

Although Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing explained later in a Facebook posting that he did not “intend to maliciously target” Dr Noor Hisham, the damage has been done.

Tiong should have known better. Accusing Dr Noor Hisham of being “takut mati” (afraid to die) for failing to “turun padang” (going down to the ground), insinuating that he was craving publicity and eyeing a post in the World Health Organisation was simply below the belt.

Dr Noor Hisham is the face of the Covid-19 pandemic and he is the person Malaysians trust most at the moment.

He is a voice of authority on the subject. His no-nonsense approach, cool demeanour under pressure and commitment to doing everything at his disposal to fight the scourge is commendable.

We can’t fault his conviction and fortitude. He is also working in a pressurised political atmosphere to add to the challenges of cajoling the Malaysian public to be with him in the fight.

People listen to him. He is a soothing voice that people can rely on when politicians are jostling for power and positions, even as the nation fights the worst pandemic in recent memory.

Dr Noor Hisham has been facing the media since the government decided there should be spokespersons on the pandemic.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob is providing the bigger picture on the management of the movement control order while Dr Noor Hisham handles matters pertaining to the pandemic itself. Every day, they provide us with the latest Covid-19 facts and figures.

During the early days of the MCO, both saw massive viewership when they appeared on television. A head of a TV station told me that during the initial stages, Dr Noor Hisham’s daily media conference had higher ratings than any drama shown on television at the same time. He is a celebrity no less.

But more important is the role both of them are playing in managing the pandemic. After all, we are never good at managing crises.

The collapse of the Highland Towers and the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 took place 21 years apart, but both manifested our initial failure in managing a crisis. It took days before someone took control of the microphone and provided a more coherent narrative of what happened.

When Covid-19 made inroads into the physical health and psyche of Malaysians early this year, the government was still grappling with uncertainty and confusion.

It took a while before there was a situation-based management protocol to be followed. Communication is everything in such cases. Things get worse because the social media has become the harbinger of fake news and half-truths.

Everyone was manufacturing and planting their own version of figures, conjectures and conspiracy theories.

In 1993 when the Highland Towers collapsed, there was no social media. In 2014 when Flight MH370 disappeared, the anxieties were largely confined to the families of those involved. But in 2020, Covid-19 is a catastrophe that could inflict every Malaysian.

Just look at the numbers for Malaysia. It took us almost eight months to breach the 10,000-case infection. After the Sabah state election, we added more than 30,000 cases in less than a month.

Dr Noor Hisham is not shying away from responsibility. He has been tackling the issue head-on.

He has to be there every evening to allay our fears, to remind us incessantly of our part to play and to give us hope. To accuse him of being afraid to die is totally unacceptable.

Dr Noor Hisham is 57 and still in his prime. With his reputation even before the Covid-19 crisis, he could easily have been lured to the private sector, but he chose to stay on at the Health Ministry.

We are lucky to have him around. In times of crisis, we need someone trustworthy. And we need a “general” like him, leading his people into dangerous and uncharted territories for the sake of many.

At the very least, Tiong should commend Dr Noor Hisham, his team and other frontliners battling the virus that have affected more than 50 million people the world over.

Criticising an exemplary civil servant like Dr Noor Hisham the way he did is the last thing Tiong should have done.

Johan Jaaffar was a journalist, editor and for some years chairman of a media company. The views expressed here are entirely his own.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/11/16/why-attack-a-model-civil-servant