Teresa Kok decries conflicting statement between ministers on public parks

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 15 — Seputeh MP Teresa Kok today highlighted the discrepancy in the announcements of two federal ministers regarding public parks during what is supposed to be restricted movement until January 26.

She noted that Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who is in charge of Covid-19 security issues, had said all public parks will remain closed and activities such as jogging and cycling are limited to one’s neighbourhood in states placed under the movement control order (MCO).

However, she also noted Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa’s announcement earlier today that public parks will be open, albeit with strict SOPs for activities such as jogging.

“Haha! What is this? Ministers in the Cabinet do not seem to be talking to each other and making conflicting announcements now.

“DBKL and the residents in KL now want to follow whose instructions? Ismail Sabri or Annuar Musa?

“Will Annuar Musa's instructions be U-turn again or ‘vetoed’ by Ismail Sabri later?” she wrote on her Facebook page

Annuar took to Facebook today to announce that public parks managed by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) will be allowed to open, just two days after they were ordered closed.

Annuar in his Facebook post said there would be strict supervision at the parks throughout the MCO.

He said the directive follows feedback from the public who said the closure of DBKL-run parks was not in line with guidelines issued by the National Security Council (NSC).

“Jogging and cycling individually is allowed. But where will they go if these parks are closed?

“So, we have agreed to keep these parks open as long as it does not breach any rules, and this includes group activities,” he wrote.

Annuar also announced that optometry services and optical shops have been given permission to operate in MCO areas in Malaysia from 6am to 8pm, saying an NSC meeting has agreed to deem them essential service.

Last Monday, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced the return of MCO in the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan as well as Selangor, Johor, Penang, Sabah and Melaka after Covid-19 cases soared to more than four digits in December and January.

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