The Khairuddin quarantine charade – Just tell the truth, no cover-ups, no make-ups and any other cock-and-bull stories

The time has come for the Perikatan Nasional government to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about the Khairuddin quarantine charade - no cover-ups, no make-ups or any other cock-and-bull stories.

Start with:

• the names of those in the Khairuddin tour who visited Turkey from July 3 -7, whether in their official or private capacity;
• whether authorisation by the Prime Minister was given for the Turkish trip, why and the the nature of the authorisation;
• the full programme – both official and private – of the group in Turkey from July 3 – 7;
• whether all members were given a Covid-19 special test on their return at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and the outcome;
• who refused to undergo a 14-day quarantine and to wear the pink wristband for the period;
• whether this was the result of the defiance and recalcitrance of Khairuddin or the negligence of Ministry of Health officers;
• the action taken whether for Khairuddin’s defiance or the negligence of the MOH officers for the breach of the quarantine SOP by Khairuddin and group from July 7 to July 21;
• the programme of activities of Khairuddin and every member of the group from July 3 – July 21 and from July 21 to August 18 (when the matter was brought up in Parliament by MP for Teresa Kok);
• when was the decision taken by the Ministry of Health to issue the RM1,000 compound fine dated August 7;
• the date Khairuddin paid the RM1,000 compound fine;
• why Khairuddin and the members of his group who breached the quarantine SOP were not charged in court for their breaches;
• why the Ministry of Health had pretended until yesterday that they were investigating the case when the Ministry now claims that it had been resolved;
• why Khairuddin had not admitted to the quarantine breach when the matter was first brought up in Parliament on August 18 instead of implying that he had the approval of the Prime Minister for his breaching of the Covid-19 SOP;
• what action had been taken by Ministry of Health against each one of the other members of the Khairuddin troupe for breaching the 14-day quarantine SOP; and
• who marred Malaysia’s international image and reputation by falsely claiming that Turkey as a “green country (zone)” for the Covid-19 pandemic when it was one of the epicentres of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Malaysians have the right to demand the truth from the government.

It is shocking that after the formation of the “backdoor” government following the Sheraton Move in February 2020 which stole the people’s mandate in the 14th General Election on May 9, 2018 for change and reform for Malaysia to live up to its potential as a multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-cultural and multi-civilisational country and to be a world-class nation of excellence and achievement in various fields of human endeavour, dishonesty, abuse of power, lies and deceit have become the second nature of the government of the day.

The Khairuddin quarantine charade may be a comedy of errors for the “backdoor” government, but it is a national tragedy especially on the eve of the Golden Jubilee celebrations for Rukunegara when Cabinet Minister should be exemplars of Rukunegara instead of being the very opposite.

Malaysians are greatly disappointed by the moral fibre of the political leaders in government but let these politicians in government not drag and destroy the professional excellence of the public service particularly in the case of the new Malaysian hero, the Director-General of Health, Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah – who has rightly been honoured by being conferred a Tan Sri for his outstanding leadership in the fight against the Covid-19.

Let us not destroy a Noor Hisham to save a “air suam” Minister or a Covid-19 SOP violator.

Khairuddin yesterday apologised to all Malaysians for violating the quarantine SOP.

Questions have been raised as to how genuine is Khairuddin’s apology, as he should have tendered his apology when Teresa Kok raised the issue in Parliament last Tuesday if he was genuinely sorry about his quarantine charade - instead of trying to bluff his way out of the situation and got caught red-handed five days later.