YOURSAY | ‘Shouldn't there be heavier fine when political leaders break the law?’

Health Ministry to fine Mat Hasan for smoking at eatery

Coward: Honestly, of all people, Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan should not have been smoking at an eatery. Period.

Even if it is his first time, nobody, myself included, is going to believe it if he says it.

We are more inclined to say that he flaunts the law with impunity, but this time he got unlucky and we have irrefutable evidence that he cannot escape from.

He is paying the fine as part of damage control and is unrepentant.

A very big thank you to the person who exposed it. You are doing a public service with this video clip that shows the blatant abuse of position.

Drngsc: You are setting a bad example, Mohamad. You should know better. The young ones are watching.

Shouldn't there be a heavier fine when political leaders knowingly break the law?

Fair minded Senior Citizen: Paying a fine is one thing, but breaking regulations is another.

Now you know why our country lacks discipline if people like you set bad examples.

Cogito Ergo Sum: As a foreign minister, our neighbours are watching you. If you can flout the laws of your own country, can you be believed when negotiating deals and treaties on behalf of the nation?

Your response is very dumb. This is not an issue for the public to be concerned about. It is an issue of complying with the law.

If a cabinet member can flout the law, why can’t the public?

Cynic: So Mohamad is apologising only because it has become a concern and issue with the public and not because it's the wrong thing to do. What sort of leader would issue such a statement?

Pimpinan melalui teladan (lead by example) has become a farce here. For your information YB, the amount of the fine is not the issue here; your character is.

Knucklehead: Too many uniformed personnel are still smoking openly at restaurants, flouting the very laws they should uphold.

This sets a poor example and undermines public confidence in enforcement.

The Health Ministry should establish a dedicated WhatsApp hotline for the public to report such violations.

Citizens could submit photos and the location, enabling swift action against offenders and eateries.

This would ensure accountability, improve compliance, and strengthen enforcement without relying solely on personnel.

The same approach should be applied to traffic offenders, especially repeat violators. The Road Transport Department could introduce a public reporting system, with incentives or small rewards for those who submit clear evidence, such as photos or videos of violations.

This would not only encourage greater public participation in upholding road safety but also deter reckless behaviour. Knowing they could be reported and penalised, offenders would think twice before flouting traffic laws in the future.

Apanama is back: I agree smoking at an eatery is more serious than corruption.

While for selective corruption cases in billions, there are discharges not amounting to acquittals (DNAAs) and discounted pardons, smoking should not be pardoned at all.

For smoking, the law is the law, but for corruption, the selection of law is acceptable.

Again, smoking at an eatery is a very serious offence. Nothing is more serious than this.

A job well done by the government for taking care of public health. By the way, how much is the fine?

RM1, RM100 or RM1,000? Make sure no discounts are given in this case.

PowerRanger: It's not the compound or how much the fine amount, but rather the conduct, the behaviour and the example, one must portray as a leader.

Smoking in restricted areas means this person has no respect for the law and the people around him.

This person is unsuitable to lead because he has no integrity, no self-respect, arrogance and selfishness.

Jasmine: Yes, just a compound and the fine doesn’t have any real punishment value in the eyes of ordinary people.

Given his position in the government and status in society, this minister must offer a public apology for setting such a bad example.

OrangePanther1466: Agreed. The law is the law. No exceptions. At the risk of sounding like an apologist for Mat Hassan, maybe he thought since he was sitting in the open-air section of the restaurant, it was okay to smoke.

Some restaurants use these areas as a smoking zone.

However, if this particular restaurant does not accommodate smokers, then he is at fault.

Cyclonus: I see people smoking almost every month at these mamak shops.

They come in chauffeur-driven expensive cars and nonchalantly light up while discussing multi-million dollar deals.

Anyway, the fine is not punitive enough for these people.

They do as they like, whenever they like. And when they get caught, they just apologise in afterthought.

MyMY: These days it’s not uncommon to see people smoking at the tables outside mamak restaurants.

Some will even smoke right under the no-smoking sign. We need to remind them continuously that the anti-smoking law is still in place.

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