Kepong MP: Let court decide on minister's 'coincidental SOP breach'

 

A court should be the one to decide whether Annuar Musa violated the standard operating procedures (SOP) against Covid-19, according to Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng.

This is after the federal territories minister defended a photograph showing him exercising outdoors with two other men while the country is under the second movement control order (MCO 2.0).

According to the National Security Council's SOP, only a maximum of two persons can jog together.

After being called out for alleged SOP violation, Annuar said a photograph of him with former Kuala Lumpur City mayor Nordin Razak and former Kelantan Football Association (Kafa) treasurer Nik Aminaldin Nik Jaafar was "coincidental".

He claimed the trio had gone for brisk walking on different routes but bumped into each other.

"If that is the explanation, then explain it to a magistrate. Charge him (Annuar) in court and let him explain (in court)," he said.

Lim said many ordinary folks are slapped with fines or other actions and do not even have an opportunity to explain themselves.

Violation of MCO rules comes with a compound of RM1,000. If brought to court, an offender can also be jailed up to six months.

Lim said there cannot be double standards between ministers and ordinary folks.

He also urged police not to turn a blind eye on Annuar's case.

"The people deserve an explanation from the police on whether Annuar violated the SOP," he said.

Lim claimed that the authorities often had excuses when SOP violations involved VIPs.

He contrasted his with a woman who was fined RM1,000 for not wearing a mask in front of her cafe at Segamat, Johor on Jan 20.

Last August, Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Khairuddin Aman Razali was fined RM1,000 for failing to quarantine after returning from overseas.

However, a police investigation on the matter was marked "no further action".

In April last year, Deputy Health Minister Noor Azmi Ghazali was charged in court and fined RM1,000 for violating the first MCO. - Mkini