[ad_1]
PETALING JAYA: Former Prime Minister Najib Razak has come out in defense of the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri, who tested positive for Covid-19.
Zulkifli has come under fire after reports emerged that he attended a number of functions after his return from Sabah, which has seen an increase in infections.
But Najib said that Zulkifli, who had criticized him in the past, returned from Sabah on September 24, before the government made it mandatory for returnees to be tested for Covid-19 and quarantined.
He said that during the campaign for the Sabah elections, the leaders of Pakatan Harapan (PH) and NGOs such as Aliran and Bersih 2.0 opposed the Health Ministry’s proposal for a mandatory quarantine, claiming that it would prevent voters residing outside state to vote again.
“I think the government of Perikatan Nasional (PN) gave in to this demand because they did not want PH to turn this into an electoral issue,” he said.
Had the government implemented mandatory quarantine earlier, Najib said, more Covid-19 cases could have been prevented in Peninsular Malaysia originating from Sabah.
He said the PN government should have allowed the Sabahans to cast ballots by mail, just as the Barisan Nasional administration did with Malaysians abroad in the 14th general election.
“If we can do it for foreign voters, why can’t we do it for voters outside of their states?” I ask.
Najib also said that the government should have ordered a mandatory 14-day quarantine instead of three days, as the incubation for Covid-19 is two weeks.
Now, he said, it was too late, but both PH and PN should avoid repeating past mistakes.
“And I pray that our minister of religious affairs makes a full recovery as soon as possible,” he added.
CLICK HERE TO OBTAIN THE LATEST DATA ON THE SITUATION OF COVID-19 IN MALAYSIA
