Iskandar Puteri MP Lim Kit Siang has urged Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to disclose how many government leaders have been given permission to leave the country during the phases of the movement control order (MCO).
The DAP stalwart also called on Muhyiddin to verify if the Health Ministry had devised a special Covid-19 test to enable these government officials to skip the standard operating procedure (SOP).
This was after Plantation, Industries, and Commodities Minister Khairuddin Aman Razali visited Turkey from July 3 to 7 and subsequently attended Parliament from July 13 onwards.
"We seem to have a new reason for a cabinet minister to not undergo the stipulated 14-day quarantine after returning from a five-day trip to Turkey in early July - the minister had undergone a 'special test' when he returned from the trip and the results were negative.
"What is this special test?" asked Lim in a statement today, saying that it was news to Malaysians.
"The prime minister should disclose whether there is a special test and how many ministers, deputy ministers and top officials have been given permission to leave the country during the MCO from March 18 to May 3, the conditional MCO from May 4 to June 9, and the recovery MCO from June 10 onwards," he added.
The public, he said, should be informed of the duration and reasons for these overseas trips and why these government officials were given permission to go overseas on “personal matters” and then return without having to comply with the SOP.
Earlier, Khairuddin (below) had urged all parties to wait for an official statement to be issued by the Health Ministry over his trip and reaffirmed his desire to abide by the ministry's rules after he was accused of flouting the 14-day quarantine order for overseas returnees.
"Just wait for the statement, including the official results of the Covid-19 test. As a responsible cabinet minister, I will abide by any statement issued by the Health Ministry," he had said.
Lim also questioned the source close to Khairuddin who was quoted as saying that the minister’s trip was approved by the premier and that Turkey was categorised as a "green (zone) country".
"As the prime minister had been specifically named, he should not maintain his silence on the issue but must speak up to clear the air.
"I am also particularly intrigued by the claim that Turkey was categorised as a 'green (zone) country' for Covid-19, as Turkey is now the world’s top 18th country with a cumulative total of 254,520 cases and 6,058 deaths – as compared to China’s cumulative total of 84,895 cases and 4,634 deaths.
"Is the claim that Turkey is a 'green (zone) country' just a fantasy?" he added.
Yesterday, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok claimed that three days after his return from Turkey, Khairuddin had attended at least 12 programmes and meetings, exposing himself to thousands of people.
Seputeh DAP Youth leaders, meanwhile, lodged a police report over the matter. - Mkini
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