IPOH, Oct 15 — Muar MP Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman has reminded the authorities that 100 days have passed since Datuk Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali defied the mandatory 14-day quarantine after his return from Turkey in July.
Syed Saddiq said that the authorities have yet to take any action against the plantation industries and commodities minister, which he described as “100 days of double standard”.
He pointed out that ordinary citizens would be punished immediately if they breached the standard operating procedures (SOP) under the movement control order (MCO).
“The minister who returned from abroad did not follow the quarantine instructions nor did he wear the pink wristband.
“There has been no fine or imprisonment. He has been free for 100 days and might not receive any punishment at all,” he tweeted.
The pink wristband is worn by persons under surveillance as stipulated by the Home Surveillance Order (HSO), and they are required to strictly abide by the order for the safety of the public.
Syed Saddiq contrasted the minister’s case with an incident where a student was fined RM1,000 immediately for not wearing a face mask properly and another where a 72-year-old woman, dubbed “the pink wristband woman” by social media users, was fined RM8,000 and jailed one day for violating a home quarantine order.
“There are many cases where the public have been punished immediately for not following the SOP set by the Ministry of Health.
“However, for a minister, the authorities can wait 100 days with no action taken against him until today,” he said.
Syed Saddiq also said that he hopes the due process of the law will be accelerated with greater commitment by the authorities.
He said that the Covid-19 pandemic does not differentiate between ministers and the public.
“Clusters can be formed by those who test positive for Covid-19 anywhere.
“An SOP is an SOP. It must be obeyed. However, it has been 100 days since the minister violated the SOP and no action has been taken,” he said.
In August, Khairuddin’s predecessor, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, pointed out that the minister was already back in Parliament on July 13 despite only returning to Malaysia six days prior.
A source close to Khairuddin confirmed the minister’s “semi-official” trip but insisted that he tested negative for Covid-19 upon his return and argued that Turkey was a “green zone” country at the time.
