MINISTER in charge of Islamic affairs Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri must lead by example and he should have not accepted a pop star’s invitation to an event that entailed crossing state lines while interstate travel remained barred, said activists today.

He also should have raised the alarm when he realised, upon arrival at the the tahnik ceremony of Siti Nurhaliza’s new baby, that Covid preventive rules were being ignored, they said.

When questioned about it later, Zulkifli merely said: “I have no comment”.

Suara Rakyat Malaysia executive director Sevan Doraisamy said the minister should have refrained from attending the event to set a good example.

“When he attends events that not are not work or family related, at a time when Covid-19 cases are on the rise, he is not setting a good example,” Doraisamy said.

Doraisamy said Zulkifli’s case was another classic example of “antara dua darjat”, or double standards in the different treatment of people caught violating health and safety rules.

“He should know people are watching with anger at these cases of double standards.”

Petaling Jaya lawmaker Maria Chin Abdullah said Zulkifli should have raised a red flag if the event was not compliant with Covid-19 SOPs.

“If he thinks that there’s no adherence to the SOPs, he should be the first to raise concerns at functions.

“Surely when you enter the house you would know, right?”, she said.

The former Bersih 2.0 chairman added that he should have known better than to attend the event, especially when the people are being punished for violating SOPs.

“Here you are imposing movement control orders (MCO) and you expect the rakyat to follow SOP. Then you fine the rakyat, from RM1,000 to RM50,000.

“He should know better than to attend the event. He should lead by example. There shouldn’t be that kind of double standards,” Chin said.

She added that while Malaysians loved a good gathering, this was not the time for it as the country was facing an epidemic.

Malaysia yesterday reported 3,120 new Covid infections and 23 deaths from the virus, for a caseload of 420,632 and death toll of 1,547.

The escalating numbers have forced Putrajaya to re-introduce an MCO for six districts in Selangor beginning tomorrow until May 17. The districts are Hulu Langat, Petaling, Gombak, Klang, Kuala Langat and Sepang.

Zulkifli caused public consternation when he was reported to have attended a celebration at Siti Nurhaliza’s home in Bukit Antarabangsa, Selangor, on April 26.

The singer has denied that the ceremony breached health SOPs.

In a statement, Siti said the ceremony was “divided into three sessions, with a limited number of guests, close family members at the tahnik ceremony to give name a child on the seventh day after birth based on the practice of Prophet Muhammad”.

She added that Zulkifli had merely “dropped by to complete the recitation of prayers before rushing off to other programmes”.

Siti was previously criticised for allowing a large group of her stepchildren, religious preachers, and photographers to visit her in hospital after she gave birth on April 19.

This is not the first time Zulkifli is caught in a Covid-19 controversy. In October last year, the minister tested positive for the virus upon returning from Sabah where he had campaigned in the state elections.

At the time, he urged those who had attended events where he was present to immediately undergo a screening at the nearest clinic.

Among those who complied was Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who went into quarantine for two weeks.

Zulkifli had attended a meeting with the cabinet at the Prime Minister’s Department. All who were there were subsequently ordered to isolate themselves for 14 days. – May 5, 2021.