In a scathing rebuke, Lim Guan Eng stated that Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob cannot defend lawmakers who turned into lawbreakers.
He said the public is livid with the prime minister's “ridiculous rationale” that Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein need not resign after being fined for violating Covid-19 protocols because it is not a crime.
“Ismail Sabri forgets this is a question of personal responsibility and public accountability for a minister like Hishammuddin, who also chairs the Covid-19 quartet ministers' meeting, entrusted to urge public compliance with managing and announcing Covid SOPs,” Lim (above) pointed out.
On the same note, the DAP secretary-general asked how would Hishammuddin impress upon the public the need to follow the SOPs when he violates the protocols he introduced.
“When a lawmaker turns into a lawbreaker, they would have to resign in any functioning democracy like countless ministers in the West,” he added in a statement this afternoon.
On Sunday, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin ordered that fines be issued to Hishammuddin, incumbent Johor Menteri Besar Hasni Mohammad and MIC president SA Vigneswaran in relation to a gathering at a Johor MIC event.
PM not being serious
Firing another salvo at Ismail Sabri, Lim accused the prime minister of not being serious about battling the latest Covid-19 wave.
He reiterated that the premier, who chairs the bipartisan special committee on the management of the Covid-19 pandemic, has not called for a meeting since Nov 5 last year.
"If the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic is a serious threat, why is there no meeting for the top national committee for the last 100 days?
“Or is the lackadaisical attitude of Ismail Sabri and his ministers due to the Covid-19 pandemic becoming endemic like any common flu?
“This gives rise to suspicions about the real extent of the latest wave of infections and whether it has been politicised by irresponsible quarters to benefit the selfish interests of political parties, especially in the coming Johor state election,” he added.
With no meetings, no personal responsibility by leaders and no public accountability, Lim said the government might as well permit a full reopening of the economy, society and borders subject to normal SOPs for those fully vaccinated.
“If ministers can break such SOPs with only an RM1,000 fine, what is to prevent other event organisers from organising similar events?
“To ensure fairness and a level playing field, such public events and ceramah should be allowed and open to all whether in the political or business arena,” he added.
Last week, Lim took a sarcastic swipe at Ismail Sabri, claiming that the latter was missing and pleaded for help to locate him.
This was after he highlighted that the special committee on Covid-19 had not met for more than three months.
In September last year, Ismail Sabri said the rebranded special committee on pandemic management would also include representatives from opposition parties.
"This approach is part of our collective effort to involve all stakeholders and ensure the nation's recovery will proceed as planned, in line with the Keluarga Malaysia spirit," he added. - Mkini
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