Team Herald
MARGAO: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has requested for at least one joint media briefing by the chief minister and the health minister.
AAP alleged that there are reports of conflicting statements that indicate growing incoherence, casting doubts about the credibility of information shared with the public.
Party convenor Elvis Gomes has said that while people looked up to the government for a right kind of response in a situation such as COVID-19, the official briefing by the chief minister was raising more questions than answers.
Gomes said that AAP had also been requesting for a regular briefing from the head of the department of epidemiology on the medical aspects of the crisis, so that there was no room for any doubts about the government’s response as well as expectations from the people.
He said that the government had not accepted the request.
Gomes said that if the government was losing patience, it should realise that people, too, are losing patience seeing the unprofessional conduct of the government machinery.
“The government should not think that it alone is in this. There are hundreds of well intentioned people also out there who are doing their bit for others. But the government must know that whatever has a bearing on people’s health obviously will come under minute scrutiny. People have the right to know,” said Gomes
He added that whatever was shown by the Chief Minister as being done was fine only for official briefings when what was translating at the ground level was sheer incompetence.
He called for more transparency in what was going on with figures of those tested, number of tests possible, the functioning of path lab as well doubts cast on deaths attributed to COVID-19.
