Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali should be charged in court for flouting quarantine orders, said Najib Razak.
The former prime minister said Khairuddin should be charged to settle the anger surrounding the PAS leader’s failure to follow quarantine rules after his return from Turkey.
“Prosecute the minister of plantation in court. Not because I want to criticise PAS but because many people are very dissatisfied with this matter.
“Let the court decide if he is not guilty or what the punishment is because I understand that the Health Ministry or Immigration (Department) missed the mandatory quarantine order on him,” Najib said in a post on Facebook today.
He said Khairuddin must face action as it has become fodder for the opposition to attack Putrajaya.
He said DAP’s Lim Kit Siang has picked up on the issue and is harping on it.
“This is to stop (the matter) from becoming Pakatan Harapan propaganda because I am tired of seeing Kit Siang making multiple posts on the same issue.”
The Pekan MP added that conviction would not be the be-all and end-all for Khairuddin.
“If you lose, you can still appeal,” Najib said.
The former prime minister also listed a series of measures to address the surge in the number of Covid-19 cases after six days of triple-digit cases.
He said that the authorities must first ban interstate travel in the peninsula for all non-commercial vehicles for the next two weeks.
“Advise the rakyat not to return to their hometowns for now so as not to infect the elderly,” he said, adding that private companies and the government must also allow their staff to work from home.
“Encourage all private employers to allow staff to work from home. Instruct civil servants and government-linked companies to work from home if they are not required to be in the office,” he said.
Najib also recommended a targeted enhanced movement control order (TEMCO) for the Jalan Meru cluster in Klang, Selangor.
He also called for banks to reinstate the blanket loan moratorium for customers in Sabah because under the enhanced movement control order (EMCO) only essential businesses are allowed to operate.
“So, the moratorium should be reinstated as long as the state remains under the EMCO,” he said.
The list of measures also covered eateries and restaurants, with Najib saying there should be some allowance given to operators to arrange their tables outside their shops without getting fined, as the risk of infection is lower in open-air areas.