Kit Siang cries foul over Covid-19 meet sans Harapan state leaders

 

Lim Kit Siang has cried foul over the absence of Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari, Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Aminuddin Harun and Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow from the National Security Concil (NSC) meeting on Covid-19.

The meeting on Saturday was chaired by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to discuss the latest surge of positive cases in Malaysia, which came in the wake of last month's Sabah state election.

“I asked Chow why he did not attend, and he said he was not invited,” revealed Lim in a statement this afternoon.

“I can still remember the furore and the chief secretary to the government Zuki Ali apologising for the exclusion of Pakatan Harapan state leaders from the first special meeting chaired by Muhyiddin after he became the prime minister.

“Why has the Perikatan Nasional government decided to play politics again instead of showing an example of uniting all Malaysians regardless of party politics in the face of a new wave of the pandemic?” asked the veteran DAP leader.

Lim urged Malaysians to question the government on its reasons for continuing to undermine public confidence and trust which detract from efforts to unite all Malaysians in the war against Covid-19.

The Iskandar Puteri MP then turned the spotlight on the case involving Plantations and Commodities Minister Khairuddin Aman Razali, who was investigated for not following the SOP following his return from a foreign trip.

“The outstanding issue for Malaysians remains the mystery as to why a straightforward case like the non-compliance with the Covid-19 quarantine SOP by the minister should take such an unbelievable length of time, made worse by the police seemingly playing the same record over and over again that the case is undergoing thorough investigation,” he said.

Khairuddin, who was slapped with a RM1,000 fine, had apologised for not adhering to the compulsory 14-day quarantine period and vowed to donate his minister's salary from March to August to the country's Covid-19 fund.

However, the PAS leader dismissed calls for his resignation, arguing that he had not erred in his duties as a minister.

"I did not do anything wrong concerning my job, it only involved an error over the issue of the SOP.

"I have my own view, but I leave it to the police (to investigate). The Health Ministry had also issued a statement. For me, it (the issue) is solved, although I have my own view," he said.

Meanwhile, Lim urged Muhyiddin to impress on the cabinet on Wednesday the importance of restoring public trust and confidence in the war against Covid-19 in Malaysia.

“Will he and can he do so?” he queried. - Mkini