KUCHING, Mar 17: Parti Keadilan Rakyat Sarawak (PKR) Sarawak Wanita opposes the ten-fold increase of penalty to RM 10,000 fine for Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOP) offences and urges the authorities to review and lower the fine to ease the discontent of the public.
Its secretary Cherishe Ng said the failure to contain the pandemic owes largely to a poor anti-pandemic policy of the government which bears the brunt of responsibility, hence punishing the public with an exorbitant fine for breach of SOP is unjustifiable.
Instead of harsh laws and a heavy fine, Ng believes civic education could bring about far better results in the battle against the pandemic.
“In order that the public will adhere to SOP and voluntarily cultivate the habit of mask-wearing, hand-washing and maintain social distancing in their daily routines, the continuous effort in civic education is indispensable,” said Ng in a press statement today.
Stringent laws and high-handedness in law enforcement, to force the public to adhere to SOP will breed discontent and would not yield the required results.
Restraint out of fear is a temporary phenomenon and only instilling civic consciousness among the general public through civic education can long-lasting effects be achieved, said Ng.
To her, a population with high civic consciousness does not require stringent laws to govern. The people will be more than willing to give their fullest cooperation for whatever measures undertaken by the authority.
“RM10,000 maximum fine is by no means a small amount, with the exception of a handful of the rich and powerful, ordinary people could hardly afford it.
“Most people do observe the SOP guidelines and the relatively small fraction of the people who breach the law do so out of negligence. To slap a fine of RM10,000 on unintentional offenders is simply too much,” said Ng.
She is of the opinion that the maximum fine is replaced by a 3-steps penalty, RM1,000 for a first-time offence, then gradually increase to RM5000 and RM10,000 for subsequent offences.
Citing the recent case of a street beggar possibly facing a fine of RM10,000, Ng warned that in the absence of a gradual fine system, abuse of power by law enforcers such as the police could most probably set in.
“The conflicting decisions and approaches taken by the Minister of Defence, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, and by the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador regarding the RM10,000 fine only highlights the inconsistent decisions made by the Federal Government which ultimately burdens the rakyat.”
Ng urged both the Sarawak and federal governments to re-engineer the current anti-pandemic measures and expedite the vaccination programme for the entire nation, not just suggesting that those fined may appeal against the decision made.
“It is hoped that the state government will take a firmer stand on the issue against the federal government in order to avoid burdening the rakyat even further with such exorbitant fines. After all, GPS is the ‘kingmaker’,” said Ng.
In the meantime, the Youth Wing of Keadilan (Angkatan Muda Keadilan) has set up a legal team that will help individuals who have been fined RM10,000 for breach of SOP in Malaysia. -DayakDaily
