PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob clocked in for his first day at work in the top post yesterday, which was nothing less than busy for the former deputy prime minister.
After clocking in at around 8.30am at Perdana Putra, the Bera MP soon left for his first official working visit to the Kuala Muda and Yan districts in Kedah to check on areas that were hit by the recent floods.
In his first public act as prime minister, he announced that Putrajaya will allocate RM78 million to help those affected by the floods, with priority to infrastructure repair and immediate cash assistance to those whose homes were damaged.
He said RM500 will be given to each affected family and RM5,000 to those who have lost loved ones in the floods, while RM3 million would be set aside to repair homes and roads.
But the trip in itself has drawn much scrutiny online, with netizens first picking a bone with how a signboard had been quickly erected by the Kuala Muda district office to welcome the prime minister’s arrival.
Netizens decried the district office’s misplaced priorities, with the newly constructed signboard standing out amid a backdrop of muddy disaster caused by the floods.
“Imagine going to a disaster-hit area and the first thing that comes to their mind is to erect a billboard just to greet and congratulate the prime minister,” said @zahdIDGAF2 on Twitter.
This was quickly followed by chatter over the size of the prime minister’s entourage during his visit, with Wanita Umno chief Noraini Ahmad, party vice-president Mahdzir Khalid, Pasir Salak MP Tajuddin Abdul Rahman and Arau MP Shahidan Kassim among those spotted with Ismail.
A video posted by Berita Harian showed little physical distancing among Ismail’s entourage as he checked on a bridge that had been battered by the floodwaters.
Commenting on this, Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh told police “not to forget” this video while it continued probing the case of opposition MPs gathering at Dataran Merdeka earlier this month.
Later in the day, pictures surfaced of Ismail’s flight aboard the Perdana 1, the prime minister’s official aircraft.
One picture showed Ismail joined by Tajuddin, Mahdzir and Kuala Krau MP Ismail Mohamed Said, offering a rare glimpse into the interior of the prime minister’s official aircraft.
Another image showed food being served to the four Umno men, leading PKR Youth chief Akmal Nasir to quip: “When dine-ins are now allowed.”
The latest picture to have gone viral was that of Ismail chairing a meeting with Umno leaders, believed to be taken in Kedah during his trip.
With little physical distancing among those seated at the table, Tajuddin and Mahdzir were particularly not wearing their masks as Ismail spoke.
Netizens were quick to slam the lack of SOP compliance, including Ipoh Barat MP M Kula Segaran, who said: “New government? Same blatant disregard for SOPs.” - FMT
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