New govt, same disregard for SOPs, claims Kula

 

The photo reproduced by M Kula Segaran showing Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob at the meeting with Umno leaders, said to have taken place in Yan, Kedah, yesterday. (@La_FarEast Twitter pic)

PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has come under fire barely a few days in the hot seat after a picture surfaced online of him allegedly flouting SOPs in a meeting with Umno leaders.

The picture, which is speculated to have been taken in Kedah during his trip yesterday, showed Ismail chairing a meeting with Umno leaders, with little physical distancing among those seated at the table.

Among those present were Umno vice-president Mahdzir Khalid and Pasir Salak MP Tajuddin Abdul Rahman, both pictured not wearing masks.

Posting the photo on Twitter, user @La_FarEast asked if it was now allowed to hold meetings like this, tagging the health ministry in his post.

Ipoh Barat MP M Kula Segaran then hit out at the prime minister in response to the picture, saying: “New government? Same blatant disregard for SOPs.”

Another netizen, @benfirmino1, said it was no wonder the public were flouting SOPs daily, “when national leaders are setting examples like this for others”.

“This government that’s leading the nation is not building confidence. In fact, it is even more damning,” he posted on Twitter.

Meanwhile, @mafhm1y quipped that the meeting might have been held “virtually” using the latest technology in the market.

“This might have been a virtual meeting using the latest technology which makes it look as though they’re seated at the same table,” he said in a cynical Twitter post.

FMT has reached out to Ismail’s aide and Kedah police for comments.

Ismail was on a work trip yesterday to Yan, Kedah, to visit flood-hit areas, where he announced an allocation of RM78 million to help those affected by the tragedy.

But his trip has come under scrutiny due to the size of his entourage and the lack of SOP compliance when he visited the areas. - FMT