Atuk's lawyer asks Muhyiddin to drop PAS Quarantine-Violator minister from cabinet

Malaysiakini:

Haniff Khatri tells PM: Drop Khairuddin immediately to prove integrity

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has been urged to drop PAS minister Khairuddin Aman Razali from the government, to prove that he meant his words when emphasising that his administration is responsible and accountable to the people.

Failing so, lawyer Haniff Khatri Abdulla (above) said, the prime minister, who has declared that "no one is above the law", would send the message to the people that he was merely indulging in empty talk.

"Last night, Muhyiddin, when attending the 'Half-a-Year of the PN Administration' convention, revealed his full knowledge regarding the law that governing the country means responsibility and accountability," Haniff said in a statement today.

Muhyiddin said his administration, despite not having a manifesto, did not mean that it is not accountable to the people. He said he and his cabinet ministers would be responsible to the people.

Haniff said Muhyiddin contradicted his pledge on responsibility and accountability when he still allows the plantation industry and commodities minister to continue to stay in his cabinet.

"A clear evidence that Muhyiddin's acts contradicted his words is that he said 'no one is above the law' last week," he added.

While noting that the executive could not interfere in the investigation of the police, Haniff noted that Muhyiddin has yet to answer the fact that he needed to ensure that all cabinet members adhered to the principle of responsibility and accountability, which is the core pillar of the administration.

"As such, when Khairuddin himself breached the laws and rules created by the federal government, it is compulsory for the prime minister to drop Khairuddin from the cabinet, without any condition and immediately," he said.

"Otherwise, Muhyiddin would send a bad signal to the people that, although he said no one is above the law, it was just empty talk and he does not practice what he preached," he said.

Khairuddin had returned from Turkey country on July 7 and was seen in the Dewan Rakyat just six days later, on July 13.

He was also seen in many other places during the period he was supposed to be under mandatory home quarantine.

He has since been fined RM1,000, and the police have taken his statement, but he has yet to be charged in court.

While he has apologised, Khairuddin has brushed aside resignation calls and maintained he had merely broken standard operating procedures (SOPs) but did not err in his job.

On Aug 31, PAS spiritual leader Hashim Jasin dubbed Khairuddin a "hero" and blamed the scandal of "negligence" on the Health Ministry as well as Wisma Putra.

Yesterday, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang gave his assurance that stern action would be taken against those who committed "moral" transgressions.