LETTER | Khairuddin should resign on matter of principle

LETTER | The Association for Community and Dialogue (ACID) urges the Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali, who has violated the 14-day mandatory quarantine order after returning from abroad to take responsibility for his action and resign from his ministerial position as a matter of principle. 

This is what leaders of other countries do to ensure that the integrity of the government of the day is not compromised.

It was reported that police have launched an investigation under Section 22 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act (Act 342) over claims that Khairuddin had flouted his mandatory quarantine after returning from his trip abroad.

So far, Khairuddin has been slapped with a RM1,000 compound by the Health Ministry for the offence. He has issued an apology to Malaysians for his actions and said he will contribute four months' salary to the National Disaster Relief Fund (Covid-19 Fund).

The fundamental issue here is not about his mitigation efforts to allay public outcry. It involves the integrity of the minister himself on his action and his sense of understanding of what it means to be equal before the law. It is stated in Article 8(1) of the Federal Constitution of Malaysia that every person shall be equal before the law and have equal protection of the law.

It is puzzling that Khairuddin comes from a party than tends to take the high moral ground though, in fact, it is nothing more than a party that uses religion for its political ends when it fails miserably to address this issue with integrity with a sense of equality and Justice. 

For example, the PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man was quoted as saying that Khairuddin did not create any Covid-19 cluster so one should not magnify the issue. This does not address the fundamental issue of integrity.

Malaysia today is in a situation whereby the political elite seem to enjoy privileges in comparison to average Malaysians even though they have been convicted of corruption or been charged in the courts. We have a former prime minister who has been actively campaigning for the Slim River by-election even though he has been convicted of corruption for the misuse of an enormous amount of public funds.

One wonders what would have been been the fate of the average Malaysian if he was convicted of corruption. Would he be free to move around? We frequently hear news from a senior minister of the number of people caught violating the movement control order. Are the elite on the list?

It is time to bring some sense of integrity, equality and justice to our public domain. The resignation of Khairuddin would at least be a beginning to meet such ends.

The writer is secretary, Association for Community and Dialogue.

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