IPOH, Oct 5 — The police have opened investigation papers on two banners, blaming ministers and politicians for the sudden spike in Malaysia’s Covid-19 cases, which were hung at the Ipoh Stadium Food Court and a pedestrian bridge in front of Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun (HRPB) here. 

The banner at the stadium read: "Rakyat jaga rakyat, menteri jaga poket (the people care for the people, ministers care for their pockets)” while the banner at the bridge stated: "f@@k politik 317 kes (f@@k politicians 317 cases)”. 

Ipoh district police chief ACP A. Asmadi Abdul said that police personnel were deployed to both locations last night after pictures of the banners were circulated on social media.

"However, when police personnel arrived on the scene, the banners were no longer there. They had already been taken down,” he said in a statement.

Asmadi said that police personnel conducted checks in the immediate vicinity of both locations and only managed to recover one banner near HRPB.

"We conducted checks near the stadium but could not find the banner. However, police personnel found one banner near HRPB inside a dustbin behind the Jalan Raja Ashman Shah bus stop.

"Police personnel have taken the banner to the police station for further investigation,” he said.

Asmadi said that both locations do not have CCTV (closed-circuit television) and witnesses have yet to come forward to assist in the investigation.

On Saturday, Senior Minister (Security) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said that politicians who returned from Sabah after the recently concluded state elections did not trigger the new wave of Covid-19 infections in the peninsula.

He also played down the infection rate of returnees from Sabah, saying only 1 per cent of 13,000 screened had been found positive for the coronavirus.

New Covid-19 cases rose rapidly after the Sabah state election, affecting several states in the peninsula.

As of yesterday, Malaysia recorded a total of 12,381 cases with 137 deaths.