Withdraw three-day quarantine order on ministers, 34 Opposition MPs urge

KUALA LUMPUR: Thirty-four Opposition members of Parliament (MPs) have urged Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba and the Perikatan Nasional (PN) Cabinet to withdraw the three-day quarantine order for ministers which has been included in the Federal gazette.

According to all the MPs, the PN Cabinet should also hold an immediate and thorough discussion on the quarantine issue that returning Malaysians from abroad must go through and make a fair and equitable decision.

In a media statement distributed on Wednesday, all the MPs also asked the government to make a decision based on due consideration.

"Decisions based on scientific data and not to facilitate the minister's lifestyle. The COVID-19 epidemic is a matter of life or death that needs to be addressed seriously,” said the MPs.

The statement also stressed that Dr Adham should not issue an order giving concessions to Cabinet ministers in the Federal gazette and at will said that the three-day quarantine relaxation was only given to ministers who really followed the "itinerary bubble" but not to another minister.

“This means the existence of a "dual-standard" quarantine among ministers who make official visits abroad.

"After that, he said the three-day quarantine will be opened to the public because the government wants to open the economy.

"There is no consistency in his decision, in fact it causes confusion in the country," said the 34 Opposition MPs.

The call was made after Dr Adham's statement sparked confusion and drew criticism from various quarters including by infectious disease experts such as Professor Datuk Adeeba Kamarulzaman and Master, Academy of Medicine Malaysia, Professor Datuk Dr Rosmawati Mohamed.

After being severely criticised, Dr Adham added to the confusion by stating that the three-day quarantine may be opened to businessmen and the general public soon.

In this regard, all the MPs demanded that the Minister of Health explain the real rationale and criteria for Malaysians, regardless of whether ministers or ordinary people returning from abroad, on the issue of quarantine and control of COVID-19.

The following is a list of 34 Opposition MPs the who called for the government to withdraw the three-day quarantine order for Cabinet ministers:

1. Darell Leiking (Penampang)

2. Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (Muar)

3. Mohd Azis Jamman (Sepanggar)

4. Hannah Yeoh (Segambut)

5. Yeo Bee Yin (Bakri)

6. Baru Bian (Selangau)

7. Datuk Rozman Isli (Labuan)

8. Salahuddin Ayub (Pulai)

9. Amiruddin Hamzah (Kubang Pasu)

10. Teo Nie Ching (Kulai)

11. Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis (Kota Belud)

12. Mahfuz Omar (Pokok Sena)

13. Khalid Samad (Shah Alam)

14. Tengku Zulpuri Shah Raja Puji (Raub)

15. Maria Chin Abdullah (Petaling Jaya)

16. Wong Shu Qi (Kluang)

17. Teresa Kok (Seputeh)

18. Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (Kuala Selangor)

19. Dr Lee Boon Chye (Gopeng)

20. Kasthuriraani Patto (Batu Kawan)

21. P. Prabakaran (Batu)

22. M. Kulasegaran (Ipoh Barat)

23. Chong Chieng Jen (Stampin)

24. Sivarasa Rasiah (Sungai Buloh)

25. Chan Foong Hin (Kota Kinabalu)

26. Steven Choong (Tebrau)

27. Dr Maszlee Malik (Simpang Renggam)

28. Chan Ming Kai (Alor Setar)

29. Dr Azman Ismail (Kuala Kedah)

30. Thomas Su (Kampar)

31. Alice Lau (Lanang)

32. Sim Tze Tzin (Bayan Baru)

33. Datuk Christina Liew (Tawau)

34. Nor Azrina Surip @ Nurin Aina (Merbok)