KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 14 — A non-governmental organisation has apologised to Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa over an event in which he dined at a table with six others in breach of the movement control order’s (MCO) regulations.

According to the Malaysiakini news portal, the Kelab Pencinta Alam Kolam Takungan Banjir Sungai Midah accepted blame for the incident during Annuar’s visit to a community centre project in the Cheras township.

"I, on behalf of the community here, apologise to Tan Sri (Annuar) and all Malaysians. We admit this was our shortcoming.

"When Tan Sri came, we invited him to drink at a hut in our communal farm, but that was only for a brief moment.

"Tan Sri already felt (the photograph) would be shared widely; that was why he moved on quickly,” the group’s chairman, Zainuddin Amran, was quoted as saying.

Under the current standard operating procedures for the MCO, only two people are allowed to share a table for meals.

Yesterday, Annuar was accused of again violating the SOPs after the photograph of him dining at a table with six others was posted online.

At the time, the minister asserted that he did not stay at the table as he was aware the arrangement violated the SOPs.

This morning, Umno leader Datuk Puad Zarkashi dismissed Annuar’s explanation as another excuse similar to when the latter was photographed exercising outdoors with two acquaintances, again in apparent violation of the SOPs.

When the exercise photograph was taken, the SOPs only allowed outdoor exercise among members of the same household.

The incidents coincide with growing discontentment among Malaysians over the apparent bias in the enforcement of the rules governing the MCO.

Such views have forced government leaders including Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to repeatedly pledge that there would be no double standard in the enforcement of the rules to curb the spread of Covid-19.