Health D-G Says He's Disappointed By Crowd Of Najib Supporters Outside Of KL High Court
Members of the crowd showed up as early as 6.30am and about 20 buses of supporters had made their way to the court from all around Malaysia.
Over 1,000 people gathered outside the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex to show support for Datuk Seri Najib Razak at his hearing yesterday, 28 July
According to New Straits Times, Najib's allies, party comrades, and supporters dressed in red, blue, and black T-shirts huddled outside of the premises at Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim to show support for the former prime minister who has been found guilty of corruption.
Members of the crowd showed up as early as 6.30am and about 20 buses of supporters had made their way to the court from all around Malaysia.
Police officers present had to use megaphones to order Najib supporters to maintain social distance
Harian Metro reported that around 11am, officers made announcements from mobile patrol vehicles (MPVs) and ordered the crowd to adhere to social distancing measures and standard operating procedures (SOPs) in regards with COVID-19 infection prevention.
Sentul district police chief ACP S Shanmugamoorthy said that his team had asked the crowd to keep a distance but they still refused to obey.
Many were also present without wearing face masks and netizens are concerned that a new COVID-19 cluster would emerge from the congregation.
Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said that he was disappointed to witness the situation.
Melissa Goh from CNA shared a video of the crowd along with a caption that read, "67-year-old Najib Razak has arrived as supporters cheered. Many are kept outside of the Duta court complex as only those with valid passes are allowed in. Social distancing is non-existent. Many aren't even wearing masks."
Meanwhile, Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham said, "It is already clear, every day the Ministry of Health reminds Malaysians to abide with SOPs for safe distancing of at least 1m, wear face masks, and to always wash your hands. It's disappointing to see this situation with no sense of self-control."
One netizen wrote, "A true leader would have made it absolutely clear to the people he served that they should stay safe at home. Our D-G and frontliners are working day and night to prevent a second wave, and y'all do this nonsense. There's going to be a Najib cluster."