PLANTATION Industries and Commodities Minister Khairuddin Aman Razali was not sincere in his apology for breaking quarantine, DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang said today.

Any contrition the PAS minister might have shown was negated by his statement that the breach was not related to his job, Lim added.

“(He) is totally insincere and opportunistic as he now claims he had done nothing wrong in violating the Covid-19 quarantine SOPs (standard operating procedures) when he returned from Turkey.

“The way Khairuddin  strutted about in the Slim by-election (campaign) yesterday shows his new awareness of his untouchability as a minister… for the simple reason that the government of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is so fragile that it would collapse if the prime minister enforces the principle of no one is above the law,” the Iskandar Puteri MP said in a statement today.

He said Khairuddin’s behaviour had forced Muhyiddin into paying “lip-service” to a no double-standards policy. 

Muhyiddin said recently that the authorities should investigate Khairuddin for flouting the quarantine rule.

Khairuddin has attempted to redeem himself in the public eye by donating four months of his minister’s salary to the government’s virus fund. He also states that he has paid the price of the breach when he was fined RM1,000.

Khairuddin returned from Turkey on July 7. At the time, the country had a reported coronavirus caseload of 260,000. 

Upon arrival, Khairuddin had proceeded to attend several events in his constituency of Kuala Nerus. He was also in Parliament for sittings.

In response to angry calls for his resignation, Khairuddin said yesterday there was no need for him to quit as he had merely erred in disobeying the SOPs for health and safety and had not failed in his duties as a minister.

Lim said “the whole story” was still unclear. He asked Khairuddin to explain why he had handed over four months of his pay to the government if he did not think he was at fault.

The DAP veteran pointed out that Khairuddin’s violation only came to light after it was exposed by Seputeh MP Teresa Kok.

Lim asked if Khairuddin’s visit to Turkey was authorised by the prime minister, and why the minister and his delegation were not made to wear the pink wristband that was mandatory for quarantine subjects and isolated for 14 days in accordance with procedure.

Lim also asked for more details about the supposed “special test” for the virus for ministers at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Police last night questioned Khairuddin for three hours over the violation of the law. – August 29, 2020.