A MINISTER goes abroad, returns to the homeland and allegedly pays little regard to the mandatory 14-day home quarantine. He is fined RM1,000.
Does this not sound familiar?
But do not take out the whip just yet. Ministers, presidents and prime ministers the world over bend or break the rules, and make a faux pas or two, just like possibly every other Everyman.
They are neither gods nor superhumans. They may earn respect, but certainly not an ounce of nauseating worship.
They make mistakes. Some are embarrassing. Some potentially fatal, literally and figuratively, for them and others.
Sometimes, it can be put down to an articulation gone awry.
In 2018, the president of France, in expressing gratitude to his Australian host, said: "Thank you and your delicious wife for your warm welcome, the perfect organisation of this trip."
I am sure Macron didn't have in mind what some of you may be thinking.
His mistake is quite harmless in the scheme of things.
A greater 'error', some would even say egregious, concerned the then defence secretary of the United Kingdom.
He had allegedly put his hand on a journalist's knee at a dinner in 2002. A couple of times, actually. Hmmn.
He resigned in 2017 (Wow!) after the story, and other claims, emerged in the public domain. He wrote to the then prime minister saying that he may have "fallen short of the high standards" expected of the military.
Ministership standards are high indeed.
Why, just yesterday, the Irish agriculture minister resigned for attending a dinner with 80 people. The Emerald Isle's Covid-19 regulations state 50 is the limit.
There are countless other accounts that could be told in this space. But you probably know of them. Maybe even more.
I do not judge these erring leaders. In the world of laws, Jane and Joe do not judge anyone. For they do not wield that power. Others do.
But in their minds, they trust. Or they do not. They vote this way. Or that way. Or they do not vote at all. This could amount to a potent force, if not for tribal instinct, prioritising 'value' over values, short memories and the relatively and remarkably long political lives of some.
In simpler terms, leaders of all stripes say one thing and often do another. Just like the every other Everyman.
Sounds familiar?
The writer is NST production editor