Dr Noor Hisham: Allowing quarantined MPs to vote for Budget 2021 not new practice, similar to Sabah poll

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 16 — Allowing Covid-19 patients-under-surveillance (PUS) to take time off from their home surveillance orders, as what three politicians did during the recent Budget 2021 votes, is not a new leeway and has been practiced before, said Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

When asked to comment on the three MPs who were allowed to enter Parliament donning personal protective equipment (PPE) on Monday and Tuesday, the Health Ministry’s director-general said such exceptions are allowed for under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988, or Act 342.

“In Section 15(1) of Act 342, power is given to the director-general (D-G) of the Ministry of Health to evaluate when there are applications for specific cases, like a death of a family member, to visit a sick relative in hospital.

“So they can apply to the D-G and the D-G will conduct a risk assessment test on each case and then impose specific conditions and the appropriate action that should be taken.

“If we allow it, there will be specific conditions, such as being followed by health officials during a visit or when carrying out their duties,” he said referring to the lawmakers.

This after three lawmakers, namely Health Minister Tenggara MP Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba, Tapah MP Datuk Seri M. Saravanan, who is also human resources minister, and Batu MP P. Prabakaran were allowed to take part in bloc voting for the Budget 2021 at the committee stage on Monday and Tuesday.

This was allowed despite the trio currently serving their 14-day HSO.

Dr Noor Hisham said such provisions were also used during the recent Sabah state-wide elections, where PUS were allowed to visit polling centres to cast their votes, also while donning a full PPE suit.

“So this is not a new issue and we have implemented it since day one, where we have allowed PUS to ask for time off to visit family or carry out their duties,” he added.

On Monday, Opposition MPs staged a walkout from the Dewan Rakyat to protest Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan @ Harun’s decision to let three lawmakers under home quarantine into Parliament for a vote.

Azhar then said the MPs, who were present in the Dewan Rakyat during the bloc vote despite officially being placed under a home surveillance order (HSO), received prior clearance from the Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham.