Selangor MB did not break any quarantine rules, says private secretary

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 2 — Private secretary to the Selangor Mentri Besar, Saifudin Shafi Muhammad, has stated that Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari did not violate any form of home quarantine order issued by the Health Ministry (MOH). 

This comes after an investigation paper on the issue was received by the Office of the Selangor Mentri Besar, stating that a probe is currently being done in accordance with Section 15 and 22(b) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342) because Amirudin was said to have violated a quarantine order issued by the MOH. 

In a statement to the press today, he said that although an investigation paper has been opened, it should be emphasised that Amirudin did not violate the Home Surveillance and Observation (HSO) order as alleged. 

“This is in line with the statement by Senior Minister (Defence) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on September 22, 2020 that individuals returning from Sabah do not need to undergo quarantine,” he said in the statement. 

He added that Amirudin returned from Sabah on September 28, where he underwent a Covid-19 screening at KLIA2 and was confirmed negative on September 29. 

“Datuk Seri Amirudin was also given an HSO letter of release following the test results.

“However, on the principle of accountability, he still self-quarantined as a precautionary and responsible measure, exceeding the conditions set by the Ministry of Health Malaysia,” the statement read. 

Saifudin added that the water pollution case detected at the Sungai Semenyih Water Treatment Plant was an issue that had to be addressed as it affected almost 1.3 million users in the Petaling, Hulu Langat, Kuala Langat, and Putrajaya/Sepang districts.

“Therefore, according to the facts, laws and recommendations of the federal government, it should be understood that Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari did not violate any form of HSO Order, as the release letter which was given to him on September 29 after testing negative says otherwise. 

“A total of three RT-PCR swab tests were conducted over 14 days starting September 28, followed by October 4 and lastly on October 9, with all showing negative results.

Saifudin then said that this matter should not be blown up as it will only increase the workload of the police, who already have so much on their plates dealing with Covid-19. 

“As a wise society, we must look at the facts and the law before making any allegations. The Office of the Selangor Mentri Besar assures that Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari will give his full cooperation to the Royal Malaysia Police in ensuring that the rule of law continues to be respected and protected,” he added. 

On October 23, the police said that they would call Amirudin to Bukit Aman to give a statement on the claim that he had breached the self-quarantine order after he apologised on Twitter for making public appearances to address the raw water pollution at the Sungai Semenyih and Bukit Tampoi Water Treatment Plants on October 4.

In the same posting, Amirudin said he had taken the necessary precautions, including wearing a face mask and a face shield, as well as undergoing two screenings for Covid-19, both of which came back negative.