THERE is no one above the law, said Deputy Health Minister Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali on the quarantine violation by Plantation, Industries, and Commodities Minister Khairuddin Aman Razali.

“The law is not made to torture anyone but to save people’s lives. Even His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the prime minister had undergone quarantine at home or home surveillance order,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.

Noor Azmi, who is also Bagan Serai MP, said based on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342), the maximum compound rate is RM1,000.

However, he said for more serious cases that were investigated by police or brought to court, the penalties were determined by the relevant agencies.

He was responding to a supplementary question by Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (Setiawangsa-Pakatan Harapan) on whether heavier penalties should be imposed on VIPs such as ministers who were supposed to lead by example.

Opposition lawmakers pressed on with their questions on the double standards in the penalties imposed to the public and the minister.

Shamsul Iskandar (Hang Tuah Jaya-PH) said: “Civilians are imprisoned, but the minister was not.”

Meanwhile, Mahfuz Omar (Pokok Sena-PH) said SOP violators were brought to court since April but the same was not done in Khairuddin’s case.

However, his microphone was then turned off with Deputy Speaker Mohd Rashid Hasnon saying that this was a question time and not a debate session, before proceeding to the next question.

Khairuddin was fined RM1,000 on August 7, for violating quarantine rules after returning from Turkey.

Critics have slammed him and the Perikatan Nasional government for his breach of the SOP. – August 24, 2020.