By Mariam Mokhtar

The Movement Control Order (MCO) during the coronavirus pandemic does not mean the rakyat, and especially the press, should stop asking questions in their effort to bring the rich and powerful to account.

If we are to fight injustice successfully, we must continue to ask searching questions of those with powerful political connections, including the "untouchable elites" in society, who openly flout the laws and go unpunished.

We scrutinize not because we want to humiliate or seek attention. We do this so that the ordinary rakyat, especially those without a voice, will stop being abused by the mighty, especially in a society which is oppressive.

On May 5, former deputy prime minister Zahid Hamidi's daughter Nurul Hidayah, and her husband Saiful, were both fined RM800 for flouting the strict MCO rules.

Photos of Nurul and Saiful meeting deputy environment minister Ahmad Masrizal Muhammad and minister in the prime minister's department Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri, were uploaded on her Instagram account on April 20.

Only a proud and arrogant individual would make public the fact that she is able to visit ministers despite the MCO. Perhaps she believes the law does not apply to her. She challenged the public to  lodge a police report if they were displeased with her actions.

As expected, the public reacted with outrage. A few days earlier, they expressed their anger when other Perikatan Nasional (PN) politicians visited areas outside their constituencies in open defiance of the law. They endangered not just their own health but also the health of others whom they mingled with. They made a mockery of the law.

Incredibly, senior minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob denied that deputy health minister Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali and Perak state executive councilor Razman Zakaria had breached the MCO and claimed that they had merely breached the standard operating procedure (SOP) governing movements. Sabri also denied double standards in the government's handling of the case.

Why should we be content with allowing our politicians and their family members to behave in an arrogant manner and permit them to think the law does not apply to them?

Many of us wonder if Nurul and the other politicians who breached the MCO rules would have been investigated if the public had not vented their fury on social media?

Another disturbing fact about Nurul and Saiful's court appearance is that members of the press were barred from the court room, and thus were unable to report on the court proceedings. Why did the magistrate allow this to happen? This is another failure of the judicial system under Muhyiddin.

The politicians and politically well connected people appear to get only a fine and escape a jail sentence, when instead they should be setting an example and therefore should receive the most severe of punishment.

Former Umno-Baru minister Adnan Mansor once said RM2 million was like pocket money to him. Zahid, Nurul's father, is on trial for the misappropriation of RM31 million funds belonging to a charity. It was disclosed that he and his wife paid over RM72,000 for road tax per year for a fleet of luxury cars and superbikes. This is more than a lifetime's earnings  for a simple farmer.  Naturally, people are angry that Nurul received a RM800 fine and was spared a jail sentence.

Last week, a single mother was jailed for one month, but on appeal, her sentence was commuted to an RM1,000 fine. She had already spent eight days in jail and had to borrow money to pay her fine. On top of that, she had to make special arrangements for the care of her 6-year-old son. She had only gone to buy a drink for her son.

A student was fined RM1,000, as was a retiree who went out to buy food. They old man was charged for flouting the MCO, and then had to wait seven and a half hours for his case to be heard. By the time the sentence had been passed, the banks were closed, and he had to spend the night in jail. Where is the court's compassion especially as it delayed the hearing and contributed to the man's inability to post bail?

The hypocrisy of the judicial system does not sit well with the rakyat. They see that the rich and mighty who have no reporters at their trial, are fined a small sum of money and as we have seen in most high-profile trials, are not handcuffed or dressed in the orange prison gear.

Another interesting fact is that a two-tier system of investigation exists. The poor are speedily brought to trial, whereas the well connected are only brought to justice after much public outrage and even then the cases are subject to delay and umpteen excuses, such as falling ill on the day of trial.

The MCO has exposed the skewed system of justice in Malaysia. Not everyone is able to receive fair and equal justice and the law of the jungle prevails in the nation, where only those with strong political ties escape scot-free or receive just a rap on their knuckles.

For a nation to succeed, it needs a strong, independent judiciary, which is not governed by fear or favor.

In his first public address to the nation, Muhyiddin Yassin claimed that he wanted to save Malaysia, but the opposite is true.

It is apparent that Muhyiddin does not care that under his rule, Malaysia will be known for a justice system that practices double standards and is tainted by taunts of hypocrisy.

Source:

1. Free Malaysia Today: Zahid's daughter, son-in-law fined RM800 for breaching MCO

2. MalaysiaKini: Meeting ministers under MCO, Zahid's daughter tells critic to lodge police report

3. Malay Mail: Zahid's daughter summoned to Bukit Aman over alleged MCO breach

4. MalaysiaKini: Motor insurance for Zahid's family costs more than RM70,000 annually – witness

5. YouTube: Single mum gets 30-day sentence for MCO violation commuted to RM1,000 fine

6. New Straits Times: Perak exco apologizes for attending gathering

7. New Straits Times: Deputy Health Minister, Perak exco fined RM1,000 each for violating MCO

8. New Straits Times: Deputy health minister and Perak exco fined for violating SOP, not MCO

9. MalaysiaKini: Journalists have right to attend Zahid's daughter's court case, says group

10. New Straits Times: Ku Nan: RM2 million is just pocket money for me

11. Free Malaysia Today: Pensioner spends night in jail though bailor ready to post bail

(Mariam Mokhtar is a Freelance Writer.)