No reports lodged against deputy minister over alleged birthday do during MCO

Alfian Z.M. Tahir Alfian Z.M. Tahir Updated 6 years ago · Published on 20 Apr 2020 3:34PM · 3 Comments

Deputy Rural Development Minister Abdul Rahman Mohamad denies the gathering was a birthday celebration, but that the cake was brought to his house by volunteers who had been helping him distribute aid to constituents affected by the Covid-19 outbreak. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, April 20, 2020.

NO police report has been made against Deputy Rural Development Minister Abdul Rahman Mohamad for allegedly violating the movement-control order by celebrating his birthday with other people, Pahang police said.

State police chief Abd Jalil Hassan and Lipis district police chief Azli Mohd Noor both told The Malaysian Insight no report has been lodged against the Lipis MP.

Rahman was criticised on social media over pictures posted on Facebook, which showed him cutting a cake, surrounded by a group of people without any social distancing being observed.

He subsequently denied it was a birthday celebration and that the cake was brought to his house by volunteers who had been helping him distribute aid to constituents affected by the Covid-19 outbreak.

Pictures of other government politicians seemingly in violation of the MCO have angered people and stirred debate online about alleged double standards.

Many are especially finding this hard to stomach after news of police hauling up ordinary Malaysians and punishing them immediately with compounds. 

A news report of two men jailed after going out fishing to feed their families and to save money has been cited by many social media users to highlight the unfairness.

Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador, meanwhile told Bernama that the investigation paper on Deputy Health Minister Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali, who allegedly violated the MCO by visiting a religious school in Perak and having a meal there last week is to be completed today.

“Investigations are still being conducted and (the paper) is expected to be ready today. All the cases, which went viral, will definitely be investigated and action taken,” he told Bernama today.

Noor Azmi recently uploaded photos of him tucking into a meal with more than a dozen people at a Perak tahfiz school, in breach of the restriction order rules barring public gatherings.

The photos were shared on his Facebook page before they were taken down. The account, too, appears to have been deleted.

However, screenshots of the pictures have been posted by social media users.

Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has said that nobody, including those in government, was above the law, and would leave it to the police to investigate Perikatan Nasional leaders who allegedly breached MCO rules. – April 20, 2020.

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Comments

  • The government must show it is committed to win the battle against Covid-19. No police report lodged doesn't mean the deputy Minister has not breached the MCO regulations. All the photos and video recordings can easily prove he has flouted the social distancing rules. In fact he has admitted that he has met the group of well wishers. What the people in the street cannot understand is why he has been accorded the kid gloves treatment by the PDRM. In a matter of a palpable threat to public health, does the government condone double standards in not charging him immediately?

    Posted 6 years ago by Panchen Low · Reply

  • No police reports are required in this case as the evidence is all over the place in the form of photographs of the incident. The police must not make "no police report" an excuse not to investigate / take action. All the news reports about the incident are FIR (First Information Report). All that is needed is for the police to compile the news reports and photographs and open a file with a "report" by anyone in the police assigned to take action in the matter. The police should not mislead the public that they cannot act without a police report by a member of the public. Saying so is just dereliction of duty. The IGP should remind police officers of the fact that news of any possible wrongdoing / breach of laws that comes to the knowledge of the police, no matter in what manner, is valid FIR and action should be taken without saying that "no police report has been received". The police is not supposed to work only on the "management by complaints" system where someone makes a report, but also act on its own when it gets any FIR through any channels of communication. So there is no excuse for the police not to act in this case.

    Posted 6 years ago by Ravinder Singh · Reply

  • There were no police report too for the doctor case in Penang and some other cases!

    Stop this stupid excuse.

    Posted 6 years ago by CS Lee · Reply