Compound against Khairuddin gives message of the presence of two 'castes' - Syed Saddiq

Muar Member of Parliament Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has questioned the RM1,000 compound imposed on the Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, Datuk Dr Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali for failing to comply with the mandatory quarantine Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).

He said the compound seems to give the message that there are 'two different degrees' of legal action between the people and the minister.

According to him, Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had before this stated that there would be no more compound action against anyone who violates the SOP, instead the offender will straight away be prosecuted in court.

However, he said, when it involved the minister, there was no prosecution while a woman of around 70 years of age was brought to court for the same offence.

"Other individuals have been jailed besides being issued a summons. Now when the offence involves a minister, it seems that there is a ‘special slot and route’ compound for the minister. It does not make sense,” he said when met at the flagging off of the Youth Convoy Release Program outside the operations room of the Slim by-election Independent candidate, Amir Khusyairi Mohamad Tanusi, here, today.

Yesterday, the Ministry of Health (MOH) in a statement informed that Mohd Khairuddin had been compounded RM1,000 on August 7 for failing to comply with the mandatory quarantine SOP for 14 days after returning from Turkey on July 7.

The compound was imposed because Mohd Khairuddin was found to have committed an offence under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342), and he has also paid the compound.

Syed Saddiq said the action would also give a negative message to individuals who have just returned from abroad after this to disobey a 14-day quarantine order.

"He will say, instead of having to pay the minimum cost of a quarantine centre or hotel of RM2,100, it is better that he only pays a summons of RM1,000 as imposed on the minister," he said.