THE police will summon Batu Pahat member of parliament Mohd Rashid Hasnon for allegedly flouting the Covid-19 standard operating procedure (SOP).

Batu Pahat police chief Ismail Dollah said in a statement today that an investigation paper has been opened after a picture of Rashid and two other women having a meal at a farm in the district went viral.

“Batu Pahat police have discovered a picture of Batu Pahat MP Mohd Rashid Hasnon having a meal with two women at a farm in the district on July 23.

“Another picture which was also shared showed that Rashid was with a man and two other women accomplices without wearing a face mask and did not observe the social distancing rule.

“The matter is being investigated under Section 17(1) of the Prevention and Control of the Infectious Disease Act 2020. We will call the lawmaker for questioning soon,” he said. 

An aide to the MP, Mohd Zaihan Mohd Zainal, has denied that the Bersatu lawmaker breached any SOP, saying that the photo was taken in the wee hours of the morning while Rashid, his wife Azizah Haron, and their daughter were waiting for the Hari Raya Aidiladha sacrificial rites to begin.

“Knowing the rites were to take place at 3am, Rashid and his family booked overnight accommodation at the homestay, which is close to the centre,” Zaihan said in a Facebook post today.

“The photo was taken in the early morning before the ritual began while he was having supper with his family,” he said.

Earlier this month, Rashid, who is a deputy speaker in the Dewan Rakyat, was also caught violating the Covid-19 SOP for attending a durian party in Batu Pahat.

He has since apologised, but not before claiming that the picture of him eating durian with a group of people was an old picture.

The apology came after he was bombarded with criticism from social media users who claimed he was lying.

The police also recorded the statements of 15 individuals, including Rashid, to aid investigations over the SOP breach. – July 23, 2021.