PM on minister’s quarantine breach: No one is exempt

PETALING JAYA: The Prime Minister has asked for a comprehensive investigation into the case of a minister breaching a mandatory 14-day quarantine, saying no one is above the law.

The government views seriously the alleged breach of quarantine rules by a Minister, said Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (pic) .

“The government has taken note of, and views seriously, the allegations of a violation of quarantine rules by Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Dr Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali after returning from Turkey on July 7.

“The Perikatan Nasional government is of the stance that every Malaysian is subject to the laws of the country, and no one is exempt.

“As such, I leave it to the relevant authorities to conduct a comprehensive investigation, and to take suitable action according to the legal process,” he said in a statement Monday (Aug 24).

Khairuddin recently came under fire for flouting the 14-day mandatory home quarantine rule, and had allegedly attended Parliament only a week after his return.

He was slapped with a RM1,000 fine, has apologised to Malaysians and offered to donate four months’ worth of his ministerial salary to a Covid-19 fund.

However, Malaysians have compared his punishment with a case involving a senior citizen who was sentenced to a day's jail and fined RM8,000, in default of six months' jail, by the Magistrate's Court in Ipoh on Aug 4 for a similar offence.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador confirmed that an investigation paper on the matter had been opened.