CRACKS DEEPEN IN MUHYIDDIN’S BACKDOOR COALITION: ‘NO ONE ABOVE THE LAW’ – BUT WILL IGP ARREST ERRANT BERSATU MINISTER FOR OPENLY DEFYING MCO – IN SIGN THE JOSTLING FOR POWER & LARGESSE HAS RESTARTED, UMNO MEN GO ON ATTACK AGAINST UNDERPERFORMING BERSATU LEADERS

Umno vice-president Khaled Nordin has criticised Deputy Health Minister Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali for not setting a good example during the movement control order (MCO) after the latter was panned by netizens for flouting the order by visiting a tahfiz school.

“It is not just any deputy minister but the deputy minister of health who is not showing a good example during the MCO.

“In other countries such as New Zealand, their health minister resigned because he violated their lockdown, and the public in other countries are also expressing their anger towards the UK housing minister and the South African communications minister for the same reason.

“We do not want to have a different set of rules. The leadership must show a good example,” Khaled said in the caption of his Instagram post today, which depicted Noor Azmi having a meal with a group of people at a tahfiz school.

In New Zealand, its Health Minister Dr David Clark had offered to resign after he ignored national lockdown rules twice, after being photographed going for a mountain bike ride 2km away from his home and later for driving his family 20km to a beach on the first weekend of lockdown.

However, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had rejected the resignation. Instead, she stripped him from his associate finance minister portfolio and demoted him to the bottom of the cabinet rankings.

Since yesterday, netizens have been criticising Noor Azmi, Terengganu Menteri Besar (MB) Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar and former Terengganu MB Ahmad Said for breaking the MCO by making social visits or having meals in a gathering.

Noor Azmi, who is Bersatu’s Bagan Serai MP, had posted on his Facebook recently about visiting a tahfiz school to hand out goods and have a meal together.

In the pictures attached, he was shown handing out the goods and then a group of about 20 people were shown having a meal together, including Noor Azmi.

The posting has since been deleted, but screenshots of the posting are making the rounds on social media.

A quick check by Malaysiakini also could not produce any results for the account or page titled ‘YB Dato Dr Haji Noor Azmi’ which had made the posting.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Samsuri posted on his Twitter yesterday that he had visited Ahmad Said’s house to discuss current issues in Terengganu and Malaysia as well as have lunch together, with pictures included.

Netizens have since questioned why PN leaders are publicly flouting the MCO while asking the rakyat to stay home.

They also urged the police to take action against these leaders for breaking the MCO. MKINI

No one is above law – Ismail Sabri on errant VIPs

No one is above the law, said Defence Minister Ismail Sabri today when asked about “high-ranked persons” who appeared to violate the movement control order (MCO).

“No one is above the law, that is fundamental.

“I have been made to understand that police reports have been lodged. Therefore, we will leave it to the police to take action,” he said during a broadcasted press conference.

Images of Perikatan Nasional leaders paying visits and having group meals during the MCO have been shared widely in recent days, leading to much criticism online.

Among the leaders were Deputy Health Minister Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali and Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.

Umno vice-president Khaled Nordin had criticised Noor Azmi for setting a bad example and pointed to how health ministers abroad offered to resign after they violated Covid-19 lockdown rules.

Stay put, Covid-19 not over yet

Meanwhile, Ismail said that the police made 1,565 arrests yesterday, 508 more than the day before.

A total of 13,639 people have been arrested since the MCO began.

As Ramadan draws near, Ismail said that the police would be setting up more roadblocks.

He thus advised the rakyat to continue abiding by MCO rules.

“We have been seeing improvements as a result of the MCO […]

“We should continue limiting our movements to ensure that we will finally have no more new Covid-19 cases and can end the MCO,” he said.

Less than 100 new Covid-19 infections were reported twice this past week, marking a drop after four weeks of daily triple-digit increases.

As of noon April 17, Malaysia has registered 5,251 Covid-19 cases of which 2,198 are in treatment and 2,967 have recovered.

The death toll stands at 86.

MKINI