MP SPEAKS | Is Muhyiddin so weak he dares not to act against his minister?

MP SPEAKS | The silence of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has been thunderous over the latest scandal of a cabinet minister purportedly defying Covid-19 standard operating procedure (SOP) by flouting the stipulated 14-day quarantine order upon his return from Turkey in July. 

This raises the question of whether Muhyiddin is such a weak prime minister that he cannot or dares not to impose discipline on his cabinet as his ministers seem to have no qualms in ignoring or defying him. 

Four days have passed since DAP's Seputeh MP Teresa Kok raised the case in Parliament, and in that time there has been no denial from the minister accused of breaching the SOP.

The attitude of the defaulting minister is akin to the posture struck by a former prime minister – “Malu apa, Bossku?” (What is there to be ashamed of, Bossku?). 

He does not seem to care that he is damaging the efforts taken against Covid-19 and the frontliners' campaign led by Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah - for which Noor Hisham has rightly been conferred the Tan Sri title over his work. 

Neither does the minister seem to care that he is setting a bad example to the young generation with his alleged indifference to what is morally right or wrong, and seemingly abusing his position to get away with it. 

He also makes a mockery of the daily press conference by Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Ismail Sabri Yaakob on the number of individuals detained and penalised for violating the Covid-19 SOP, for it has now become a constant reminder of the possible injustices under the present government where ordinary Malaysians must obey the law, but it apparently may not apply to ministers and VIPs.

On Thursday, the defaulting minister said: "Wait for the Health Ministry statement."

Although the deputy health minister said yesterday that there will be no double standard when it comes to punishing those who flout the SOP, including top government officials, there was only silence from the “air suam” minister.

It is not surprising that the health minister has decided not to drink the poisoned chalice and to pass the buck to the prime minister. But will the prime minister discipline his own ministers? This is the test to see whether Malaysia has the weakest prime minister in history.

Now the defaulting minister is exculpating himself, not realising that he is barking up the wrong tree.

He claimed that the fact he was allowed entry into the Palace on Aug 17 proved that he tested negative for Covid 19, demonstrating his ignorance or incomprehension over the crux of the scandal – that on his return from Turkey on July 7, he and members of his family did not undergo the 14-day quarantine from July 7 to 21 as required by the SOP.

This episode also raises questions about his ability to distinguish what is morally right from wrong and his fitness to be a minister.

Clearly, the defaulting minister would not have appreciated the following events:

1. The resignation yesterday of the Irish Agriculture Minister Dara Calleary over his breach of Covid-19 regulations. Calleary was among more than 80 guests at a hotel dinner hosted by the Irish Parliament’s golf society, the night after he and his cabinet colleagues significantly tightened nationwide restrictions to try to curb a spike in infections.
2. On July 3, New Zealand Health Minister David Clarke resigned for breaching his own Covid-19 lockdown rules.
3. In early July, Ghana Deputy Trade Minister Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah resigned following his visit to the electoral registration office without completing his self-quarantine period.
4. In June, Chilean Health Minister Jaime Manalich resigned amid criticism from civil organisations and opposition figures for his management of the novel coronavirus pandemic in the country.
5. In May, UK's Scotland Office Minister Douglas Ross resigned in protest of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's refusal to remove his chief advisor Dominic Cummings on a charge of breaching lockdown rules.
6. On May 4, Bahamas Health Minister Dr Duane Sands resigned after breaching Covid-19 protocols.

Was the defaulting minister telling the truth when he claimed to have Muhyiddin’s approval for the trip to Turkey, that he had undergone a “special test” upon his return which was specially designed for ministers, deputy ministers and top officials, and that Turkey was a Covid-19 “green (zone) country” during the five days he was there?

At the time, it was reported that there were more than 5,500 people in the ICU wards in Turkey and some 2,000 people intubated while the daily Covid-19 infections exceeded four figures.

The defaulting minister must be reminded that Malaysia is on the eve of triple national celebrations – the National Day, Malaysia Day and 50th anniversary of Rukun Negara – and his continued presence in the cabinet would mar the celebrations because if the allegations against him are true, he does not support and has infringed the fifth Rukun Negara principle on “courtesy and morality”.

Malaysia currently has a cumulative total of 9,249 Covid-19 cases – ranking it as number 89 of over 200 countries. Does the defaulting minister support the goal to ensure that Malaysia’s cumulative total is less than 10,000 cases during its triple celebrations until Malaysia Day on Sept 16?

LIM KIT SIANG is DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.

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