An officer from the Ministry of Health (MOH) were caught breaking the law they were tasked with enforcing recently.
Their misdeed was recently brought to light in a now-viral X post, where it garnered 5,000 likes at the time of writing.
Seen smoking at no-smoking premise
In the post, the OP posted several photos of the officer having a short smoke break at a mamak in Rawang yesterday (Mar 23) while still donned in his MOH uniform.
This was despite a huge ‘No Smoking’ sign being put on display behind him, which states it’s an offence to smoke at public places.
This inevitably led to a torrent of criticism from netizens, who slammed the officer for breaking the law and Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad for failing to rein in errant personnel.
‘@DrDzul wow, we should lead by example…like this?’
‘No smoking at restaurants is the most useless law in Malaysia.’
Another sarcastically pledged to donate RM50 to the mosque near his house if Dr. Dzulkefly takes actions against the officers.
MOH: Fine issued to officer
It didn’t take long for the matter to catch MOH’s attention, who later issued an official statement on its Facebook page.
In the statement, MOH confirmed that the officer works at the Gombak District Health Office and was fined for violating Section 16(2) of the Public Health Act 2024 [Act 852].
Internal disciplinary action is also expected to be carried out against the officer to ensure that the integrity of the public service is always upheld.
“MOH views this matter seriously as food premises are one of the 28 designated no-smoking areas that have been gazetted to safeguard public well-being.
“MOH will not compromise with any staff who fail to comply with established laws and is committed to carrying out enforcement activities firmly, fairly, and consistently to protect public health from exposure to cigarette smoke.”
It also encouraged the public to file complaints via official channels so that enforcement can be strenghtened in order to protect public health.
Guess who’ll be donating RM50 to the mosque soon?
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