It followed a claim by Dr Ismail Salleh (PH-Pengkalan Kundor) that he was barred from a Covid-19 vaccination centre where he wanted to be a medical volunteer.
Ismail had alleged yesterday that a PAS coordinator stopped him from volunteering at the centre in his Pengkalan Kundor constituency.
Today, exco member Siti Aishah Ghazali (PAS-Merbau Pulas) said Ismail should withdraw his allegation as it had been denied by the coordinator.
Aishah said Ismail was persona non grata there because he was an opposition assemblyman and the “community would be uneasy” to see him there.
She said it was not a decision by the coordinator but by the village security and development committee (JPKKs) of the three kampungs at the place concerned.
Ismail said he had proof that the coordinator had a hand in barring him from volunteering at the centre and asked Aishah if he could read out a text.
However, she refused to yield time to him.
Ismail then asked deputy speaker Ahmad Fadzli Hashim to allow him to read the text to clear himself, as Aishah had accused him of deception and of being a liar.
Fadzli denied Ismail’s request and that of opposition leader Phahrolrazi Nawawi to allow Ismail to defend himself.
Ismail then left the assembly in protest.
Later, at a press conference, he said he had signed up as a volunteer doctor as part of the national vaccination drive after Kedah’s vaccination rate was the second lowest in the country after Sabah.
He said he had helped register Kedahans to get their vaccines since June and volunteered as a consulting doctor at vaccination centres, going on rotation in all districts in the state.
However, when the vaccination drive was held in his constituency in September, he received a WhatsApp message from the coordinator saying he was not welcome to help out since he was an opposition assemblyman.
“I have been a doctor for 31 years and I have helped out in the vaccine drive at 20 different places, but in my own constituency, I was denied entry.
“It is disappointing that I did not get to defend myself (in the assembly),” he said.
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