Mixed reactions from Sabah leaders over 3-day Covid-19 rule for ministers

 

Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin says ministers travelling overseas take great care in looking after their health and safety.

KOTA KINABALU: The decision by Putrajaya to allow Cabinet members returning from official business to only undergo three days of observation, instead of a 10-day quarantine, has received mixed reaction from government leaders in Sabah.

Sabah Umno chief and deputy chief minister Bung Moktar Radin and his party colleague, state community development and people’s well-being minister Shahelmey Yahya, both support the government order signed by health minister Dr Adham Baba.

However, another senior member of the state government, rural development minister Jahid Jahim from PBS, disagreed saying that the move opens the government to greater public criticism over its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bung argued that all government officials going on overseas trips will take great care in looking after their health and safety while Shahelmey said ministers who go for these trips will undergo strict procedures that should minimise the risk of infections.

“They will not want to expose themselves to any disease. And these visits by ministers are usually with other ministers (in the respective countries) and does not last a long time,” Bung told FMT.

“We in Malaysia have to look at developments outside the country, with other countries also imposing quarantine orders but not up to 10 or 14 days.

“These government officials are doing work for the country and we should not be too rigid and question whether this is fair or not,” he added.

However, Jahid said it was important to let the people see that everyone is treated equally.

“In the first place, all must be treated equally when it comes to safety and compliance with the SOPs pertaining to the Covid-19 pandemic, without any exemptions.

“Unless there are proper and convincing reasons or explanations, then such individuals can be exempted. Otherwise, there will be a lot of questions raised by the people,” he told FMT.

The leaders were responding to the order that says ministers who return from any official visit abroad are now required to undergo observation for only three days or undergo surveillance until they can be discharged without danger to the public.

The new rule is contained in a ministerial order which will be in force from today until Aug 1. It was published in the government gazette yesterday under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act.

The order exempts ministers returning from abroad from being subject to surveillance or observation orders issued by health officials under Section 15 of the Act, and instead imposes the three-day observation rule.

This has drawn criticism from the public as ordinary Malaysians presently have to undergo a compulsory 10-day quarantine.

Meanwhile, Sabah MCA Wanita chief Pamela Yong also criticised the new ruling, saying Adham should just rescind the gazette and revert to the 10-day quarantine.

“As legislators, the public expect elected representatives to obey the law and not draft new rules to place themselves above the law,” she said in a statement today.

She pointed out that Covid-19 was not an intelligent virus that had the ability to differentiate between the people and ministers.

“The average incubation duration for this coronavirus is from five to six days. Although the first test may show negative, there are many instances of the second test confirming being  positive.

“The health minister can restore some confidence by withdrawing the gazette, thereby indicating the ministry’s serious stand against what appears to be double standards in curtailing the spread of Covid-19.

“The last thing we need is a ‘Kluster Menteri’ (ministers’ cluster),” Yong said. - FMT