Sin Chew Daily

Health ministry first deputy minister Noor Azmi Ghazali and Perak exco Razman Zakaria have been charged in a court for a lunch gathering during the MCO. They have been fined RM1,000 each while the other 13 having the lunch with them have all faced their charges and pleaded guilty.

The prosecution of the deputy minster and state exco conveys an important message to all Malaysians that the government is looking at the MCO very seriously and all violators will be punished.

Public gatherings, social and economic activities have all been banned since the MCO went into effect from March 18 in order to effectively check the spread of the coronavirus.

Unfortunately, some Malaysians have ignored the MCO rules and gone out in groups. They have been arrested and charged.

Against such a backdrop, the prosecution of the deputy minister and state exco for lunch gathering has naturally come up prominent. There was public outcry initially when pictures of them having lunch together appeared on the social media, questioning the authorities why these senior government officials had not been punished as if there were two different sets of laws for political leaders and members of the public.

Following the prosecution of these two people, it shows that the government is treating all Malaysians equally and has been firm in its resolution to enforce the MCO, which should be commended.

To the government, it is utterly important to establish a fair and just image and dispel doubts of double standards in law enforcement. Otherwise, it won't be able to convince the public to comply with MCO rules.

However, even as the prosecution has saved the government some face, it still needs to treat all future MCO-related violation cases fairly in order to completely remove public skepticism and issue a very explicit message to Malaysians that the authorities are very serious about law compliance and that no one can have the exemption, not even political leaders on both sides of the divide.

Another thing that draws the public attention from the prosecution of the duo is that they are only find RM1,000 each and have escaped jail sentence. Prior to this, a violator has been sentenced to 30 days in jail for breaking the MCO rules.

According to lawyers, jail sentences are not mandatory. Under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within the Infected Local Areas) Regulations 2020, Noor Azmi and Razman Zakaria could be fined up to RM1,000 or jailed up to six months, or both.

Gerik magistrate Norhidayati Mohammad Nasroh explained that the accused were first-time violators; they had pleaded guilty and cooperated fully with the police. Moreover, the she said the court had taken into consideration the gathering was with a kind motive of helping the local community tackle the coronavirus outbreak.

Nevertheless, due to the vast disparity between RM1,000 fine and 30-day jail sentence, the incident is expected to continue drawing public frustration and controversy. Perhaps more consistent penalties meted out to violators should be more acceptable to the people.

Anyway, the prosecution of the deputy minister and other government officials has delivered a clear message that no one is above the law. Everyone, including senior government official, must abide by the MCO rules.