Confused messages given when ministers break the law

 

The authorities dragged their feet over the investigation of Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Khairuddin Aman Razali, who breached the strict Covid-19 quarantine order when he returned from Turkey last July.

Khairuddin’s case was treated like a football, in which his case papers were passed from one department to another.

For months, the rakyat waited for police and then the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) to take action against Khairuddin. Politicians from both sides were furious when he was allowed to break the law and remain unpunished.

On Wednesday, Bukit Aman CID chief Huzir Mohamed confirmed that the AGC had told him the case was classified as “no further action”. He said the minister had not been issued the form to undergo quarantine, when he returned to Malaysia.

Isn’t this lame excuse pathetic? It will not sit well with the public.

Perhaps the health ministry official who failed to give Khairuddin the home surveillance order, or Form 14b, should be fined and jailed instead.

Huzir also said there was “no strong evidence to take any action or charge the minister under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988”.

The rakyat will wonder why ministers ignore rules set by ministers, and they will be furious that ministers can break the law as they please.

Why did police and AGC take months to come to the conclusion? How many hours were spent on this frivolous and futile exercise? How much of the taxpayer’s money was spent on this long-winded charade?

Has this decision to exonerate Khairuddin anything to do with the decision by Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, president of Umno, to give Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin his full support, and that Umno will back him?

For weeks, Zahid, who was displeased with the lack of Umno’s real power in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition – meaning he was unhappy that few Umno MPs held crucial ministerial posts – said it was possible many of his MPs aligned with opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.

A lot of wheeling and dealing was conducted behind the scenes, but Zahid was said to have gained an advantage and more bargaining power because of the Anwar factor.

Anwar claimed he had the numbers to topple Muhyiddin. Zahid could then play Anwar and Muhyiddin against the other.

Coupled with the Anwar threat, Muhyiddin is aware that if Khairuddin had been charged and taken to court, perhaps given a fine of over RM2,000 and jailed, Khairuddin would have been forced to step down as MP. This would mean that Muhyiddin’s slim majority would be compromised.

All that is water under the bridge and the threat to Khairuddin’s position has ended. Muhyiddin only has to continue to please PAS so that they too will continue to support him.

Perhaps, Muhyiddin and PN are not aware of the rumblings among the rakyat. For years, Malay nationalists and religious extremists claimed they were the protectors of Islam and defenders of the Malays. Khairuddin has proven them wrong.

When Malay ministers are allowed to break the rules, it sets a dangerous precedent. Already, we are aware that many Malay ministers have abused their powers, have stolen from the rakyat and have betrayed the nation.

Malaysians may have forgotten that a few years ago, Khairuddin, in his capacity as the PAS ulama information chief, alleged that the best solution to curbing child statutory rapes was to marry off the children. He also alleged that the government should provide incentives to reduce the burden in these child marriages.

At the time, many members of the public voiced their anger at him and wondered if he had any young children, or was he unaware that he was legalising paedophilia?

From his stance on child marriage we can deduce that Khairuddin does not encourage responsible behaviour, because he thinks that men who commit statutory rape should not be punished, but instead be asked to marry the victim.

Since his return from Turkey, when he breached the quarantine order and protested his innocence, he has not shown what is expected of a minister or an MP. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.