THE perception that Putrajaya is practising double standards when dealing with violators of the Covid-19 standard operating procedure will remain as long as Minister Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali is not charged with flouting the mandatory quarantine order, said an election reform group and a lawyer.

They said this after yesterday marked the 100th day after Khairuddin, the plantation industries and commodities minister, was caught out for disobeying the quarantine order.

Bersih 2.0 chairman Thomas Fann told The Malaysian Insight the perception will remain as long as the Attorney-General’s Chambers fails to act against Khairuddin.

“The perception of double standards will remain as long as the attorney-general does not charge Khairuddin, especially when so many other ordinary Malaysians were charged, convicted and sentenced to heavy fines and even jailed.

“This just reinforces the view that prosecution is selective and the attorney-general is not independent,” Fann said.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin assured Malaysians last week there will be no double standards between politicians and ordinary Malaysians when it comes to quarantine procedures.

He said everyone, including himself, should adhere to the quarantine procedures set by the Health Ministry, adding that ministers will be reprimanded if they flout quarantine laws and he himself is no exception.

Khairuddin visited Turkey between July 3 and 7 and was back in Parliament on July 13.

In between, he had also attended events and visited other places in the country.

Khairuddin, the Kuala Nerus MP, insisted he did nothing wrong by failing to observe the mandatory 14-day quarantine and described the matter as a procedural error.

Under the National Security Council’s SOP, all returnees are tested on arrival and those with negative results must then serve out their 14-day quarantine while those who test positive are sent to a hospital.

A breach of this order is punishable under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 by up to two years’ jail, a fine, or both.

Following the uproar against his breach, senior minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said Khairuddin was fined RM1,000.

Police, too, began a separate investigation and nothing has come out of it so far.

Fann called for a separate and independent public prosecutor’s office (PPO) that could act impartially, especially when dealing with VIPs.

“Until this reform takes place, a truly independent PPO, the integrity of the AGC and the judiciary will always be undermined,” he said.

Lawyer Haniff Katri Abdulla said while he understood there are many aspects in the case that need to be probed further, the AGC must not delay the process to charge the PAS lawmaker.

“I know the case has been there so, so long, it has caused a bad image to the authorities but I understand why the investigation papers were sent back to the police.

“There are other issues that authorities must look into and other information that the AGC needs from the police.

“Police need very detailed information. However, the investigation can be completed in less than two months.

“If the AGC does not charge Khairuddin soon, this will surely be a slap in the face for the agency,” Haniff said.

Reports on September 30 said the AGC returned the investigation papers back to the police with several recommendations.

Haniff said Muhyiddin should have sacked Khairuddin from the cabinet for failing to follow the SOP.

“It was Muhyiddin’s government that came out with the SOP but the prime minister has failed to do what he was supposed to do. He should just sack him and show a clear example to the people.”

Social-media users have since slammed the government for not taking any action against Khairuddin, accusing Putrajaya of practising double standards.

Independent preacher Wan Ji Wan Hussein said he was not surprised by the government’s failure to act against Khairuddin.

“It is clearly double standards. It did not take the police a week to charge the poor, but we see a different scenario when it comes to someone in position,” said the preacher. – October 15, 2020.