Malaysia’s foreign minister will receive a fine for smoking in a non-smoking area, according to the country’s health minister, Dzulkefly Ahmad, who made the announcement on Wednesday. Earlier this week, Dzulkefly shared a photo on social media showing Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan smoking at a street-side eatery in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.
Smoking in all eateries and restaurants became illegal in Malaysia in 2019, with even stricter regulations introduced in October this year.
“The Foreign Minister’s office has been informed of this matter,” Dzulkefly wrote on social media platform X on Wednesday, adding that the foreign minister himself had expressed a willingness to pay the fine for the violation.
Under Malaysian law, individuals caught smoking in prohibited areas can be fined up to 5,000 ringgit ($1,120).
Mohamad apologised on Wednesday and confirmed he had received a violation notice from health authorities, though the amount of the fine has not yet been determined.
“If it has become a concern and an issue among the public, I would like to sincerely tender my apology,” he said, as reported by The Star newspaper. “I will pay the fine, and I hope it will not be too high.”
The photo of Mohamad smoking at the eatery caused a stir online this week, with many expressing their outrage.
“Whether you’re a minister… or a VVIP, wrong is still wrong. No one is above the law,” one user wrote on X.
Another commented, “Lawmakers and (law) enforcement authorities who break laws should be punished more severely than the public.”
