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Coronavirus: Malaysia’s Mahathir says sorry for flouting rules; Japan blames drug approval system for slow vaccine drive
- The 95-year-old former PM of Malaysia apologised after a video showing him entering a mosque without abiding by virus curbs went viral
- Meanwhile, New Zealand’s PM said she was ‘relatively open-minded’ about exploring quarantine-free travel with other places
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Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has issued an apology for flouting Covid-19 rules when he attended an event at his parliamentary constituency in the northern island of Langkawi.
A video of 95-year old Mahathir entering a mosque without getting his temperature checked or registering using a contact-tracing app went viral on Tuesday night.
“This is an offence, something that should not have happened. I apologise for not adhering to the [standard operating procedures]. I will accept whatever action, in accordance with the law,” Mahathir said in a statement.
He explained that he went to Langkawi, a tourist island near the Thai border, on Saturday to attend programmes in conjunction with the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan and Eid festival, including one held at the mosque.
His arch-enemy, former prime minister Najib Razak who blamed Mahathir for his downfall in the 2018 general election, posted a video of Mahathir entering the venue and then asked if his successor would be penalised for the misdemeanour, as he himself was recently.
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