Coronavirus Malaysia: more heat on Muhyiddin after minister escapes punishment for breaking quarantine rules

Decision by attorney general’s office to drop investigation into commodities minister met with fierce criticism

The case is seen as representing a double standard for how virus-control measures have been applied by the government

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Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has come under fire for the double standard his government applies for coronavirus quarantine restrictions. Photo: Reuters

Published: 7:51pm, 21 Oct 2020Updated: 1:00am, 18 Dec 2020

The decision by Malaysian prosecutors on Wednesday to drop an investigation into a minister who broke Covid-19 quarantine rules has been met with befuddlement, with a legal analyst saying the move could worsen fast-eroding public trust in the government’s handling of the health crisis.

The announcement by the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) was the latest turn in the months-long saga involving Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Khairuddin Aman Razali.

The 46-year-old politician has become a lightning rod for criticism over the purported double standards in the way virus-control measures have been applied by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s administration.

The ruling coalition, currently battling a messy internal power struggle, is also under fire for haphazardly announcing new rules as Covid-19 cases surge in a third wave of infections.

Khairuddin Aman Razali attended parliament just five days after returning from an overseas trip, breaking Covid-19 restrictions. Photo: Twitter

The minister first sparked controversy after he turned up in parliament on July 12 despite returning from an overseas trip to Turkey five days earlier. With rules already in place at the time mandating all incoming travellers to self-isolate for 14 days, the episode triggered a public uproar, which the politician compounded by demurring in comments to the media when asked whether he broke the law.

The Health Ministry later fined him 1,000 ringgit (US$240) – far less than the penalties imposed on other citizens who committed similar offences – and Khairuddin offered to donate four months’ salary to the country’s Covid-19 relief fund.