Are Malaysian celebrities and public figures playing by a different set of Covid-19 rules?

As the country enters a new lockdown, former minister Syed Saddiq is among many questioning whether there are ‘double standards’ in enforcement of the regulations

TV host Neelofa, her husband celebrity preacher PU Riz, and the (now ex) chairman of Prasarana Malaysia are among the influential people under fire from the public

4-MIN READ4-MIN

Malaysian actress and entrepreneur Neelofa has come under fire from critics who accuse her of flouting Covid-19 regulations. File phoot

Published: 10:30am, 2 Jun 2021Updated: 1:09pm, 2 Jun 2021

Last week, Member of Parliament Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman was summoned by Malaysian police over a tweet in which he questioned why an official was wearing a face shield without a face mask.

Syed Saddiq, 28, had pointed out that doing so was a violation of Covid-19 protocols under last week’s movement control order.

The official in question was Tajuddin Abdul Rahman, who was appearing as the chairman of Prasarana Malaysia Berhad, the state-owned rail operator, at a press conference on May 25 to discuss a rail accident that injured 200 people.

Malaysian politician Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman. Photo: Reuters

Tajuddin was dismissed the day after the press conference. The day after Tajuddin’s dismissal, the police summoned Syed Saddiq.

“The police officers were kind and accommodating during the session. However, it still makes me wonder what was my role actually in helping the investigation as it is clear as the sun that Tajuddin Rahman was not in compliance with the Covid-19 SOP [standard operating procedure],” Syed Saddiq told This Week In Asia.