PETALING JAYA: The charge that Firdaus Tajuddin and seven others are facing for allegedly mobbing Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad last year is too light and undermines the sanctity of restricted areas like the Parliament, says Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed.
“If it was up to me, the punishment would be much heavier. But it is up to the police and the justice system,” he was quoted as saying by The Star.
On Nov 24 last year, Firdaus, the son of Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Tajuddin Abdul Rahman, along with a group of supporters from the Pasir Salak Umno Youth division, had mobbed Khalid as soon as the MP got out of his car at the entrance of the Dewan Rakyat.
The incident was believed to be over Khalid calling Tajuddin “mentri sial (damn minister)” in the Dewan Rakyat.
On Monday, Firdaus and seven others were charged under Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955, which carries a maximum fine of RM100. They pleaded not guilty to the offence.
The deputy home minister said the charge, which carries only a maximum fine of RM100 upon conviction, could send a wrong message that the Parliament was “not very important”, reported The Star.
On Tuesday, Khalid, in an official letter to Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia, hoped that the latter would press the Attorney-General’s Chambers for a more severe punishment under Section 124 of the Penal Code, which states that anyone who assaults an MP can be punished by up to seven years’ jail and a fine.