KUALA LUMPUR: No one is above the law in the case of Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, who will be issued a compound for smoking in a no-smoking zone at a restaurant in his hometown recently.
A photograph of him holding a cigarette while seated with a group of people at an eatery has gone viral, with many calling on authorities to act on his wrongdoing.
Today, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, in a post on his social media handle, said an officer from the Seremban district health office would pay Mohamad a 'visit' to issue him with a compound for smoking in a no-smoking zone.
In the post on his X, Dr Dzulkefly said a compound will be issued for smoking in an undesignated place and the matter has been related to Mohamad.
"His office has been informed about the visit. To be honest, he himself had asked MOH to issue him the compound for his offence. He also assured me that the compound will be paid accordingly," he wrote in a tweet this morning.
In a separate post earlier, Dr Dzulkefly said under Act 852 (Control of Smoking Products for the Health of the People Act, 2024), which came into effect on Oct 1, he believes that no one is above the law.
The Health Ministry, much earlier on Jan 1, 2019, had already announced a ban on smoking at all restaurants and other eateries, including open-air hawker stalls.
Thus, as a minister, Mohamad should have known not to smoke in a public place.
MsianInciter shared two photos of Mohamad smoking at a restaurant in Pekan Rantau on Dec 15, which drew flak from the public.
Many netizens also made fun of and criticised Mohamad for his failure to observe the Health Ministry rules in the comment section.