Ismail Sabri's 'front door' remark set tongues wagging

 

Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob's cryptic remark on social media today has set tongues wagging in political circles.

Ismail posted a picture of himself closing the door to his office at the Defence Ministry with the caption: "I have closed the front door but... 😥️".

The minister is the face of the Perikatan Nasional government's efforts to enforce Covid-19 protocols.

However, its enforcement efforts have proven ineffective despite securing emergency powers in January with 1,289 people having died of Covid-19 in the month of May alone - more than double the number of deaths prior to the emergency.

Numerous netizens have tried to interpret Ismail's remark as a sign of frustration over the fact that many factories are allowed to operate during the two-week "total lockdown" period which began yesterday.

"Datuk, you should talk to the other ministers about what had happened, as long factories are opened, then this 'lockdown' serves no purpose.

"Think about it. Don't let the rakyat blame you for the fault of one person," said one Facebook user.

Another claimed that there are many "backdoors" open to factories while another said that the "sectors minister" was opening the "backdoor".

Currently, there are 17 essential services that are allowed to remain open during the "total lockdown" period.

Factories providing goods critical to the supply chain are allowed to remain open but must do so with a reduced workforce, in some cases down to 10 percent.

However, critics claim that more factories should be barred from operating because government data has shown that the manufacturing sector has contributed the most Covid-19 cases so far. - Mkini