KUALA LUMPUR – Hulu Langat MP Datuk Hasanuddin Mohd Yunus claims he was given clearance by health officials at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to not undergo home quarantine following his return from his overseas trip.
The Amanah lawmaker, who has come under heavy criticism over his travels during one of the country’s worst floods in recent history, said he had also observed all standard operating procedures (SOPs) before and after entering the country.
He was also criticised earlier for being out in public in flood-hit areas just mere days after his return.
Free Malaysia Today reported him as saying on his arrival at the KLIA on December 21 that he had filled in a detailed account of his journey on MySejahtera, and provided a letter he had obtained earlier for quarantine exemption to the Health Ministry counter there.
“Although the letter seemed to have expired, as it was meant for arrival on December 11, the ministry staff told me the letter was still valid for up to a month (from December 11).
“There are many SOPs at KLIA, and I was told to undergo the test for Covid-19. That means, if my RT-PCR test came back negative, I would be exempted from quarantine,” he was quoted as saying.
According to Hasanuddin, he had taken six Covid-19 tests prior to his return, and another at KLIA – all of which came back negative.
He said he was subsequently allowed to leave the airport without the need to undergo quarantine, and was given assurance on his status after he pressed for clarification.
Hasanuddin added that he was also not required to put on the quarantine bracelet.
“They (health officers) ushered me to the immigration counter for me to exit the airport, without any instructions to undergo home quarantine.”
Earlier today, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said Hasanuddin had ignored his home surveillance order, which was supposedly issued on December 20.
According to Khairy, Hasanuddin was originally only given a quarantine exemption for his trip to Istanbul, Turkey to attend an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) conference from December 8 to 12. The latter has since clarified that the event took place from December 7 to 11.
Hasanuddin’s subsequent travels to Pakistan and Iran, however, were not approved for exemption, Khairy said.
The Amanah vice-president only returned to Malaysia on December 21, before he took part in relief efforts in his constituency just the following day – which meant that the quarantine exemption had been overridden.
Khairy said the ministry is currently investigating if Hasanuddin had indeed broken his quarantine order, with the latter saying he is ready to cooperate in the matter.
“I don’t want to blame anyone. If there is an investigation, then fine. I have all the necessary documents. I will comply completely. There’s no problem because I am among those who hold strongly to these SOPs.”
Hasanuddin had originally travelled to the OIC event in Istanbul with fellow MPs Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh (Besut) and Ahmad Fadhli Saari (Pasir Mas) under their capacity as members of the Parliamentary Friendship Group.
He said he was later invited to Pakistan and Iran, as he is active in international humanitarian and welfare missions.
Hasanuddin gained flak after he uploaded travel photos, including ones of him on Mount Tochal in Iran, with netizens condemning the lawmaker’s apparent disregard of the flood situation in Malaysia. – The Vibes, December 25, 2021
