Sin Chew Daily

Tomorrow will mark the first anniversary when MCO 1.0 first went into force on March 18 last year.

For the past one year we have been witnessing tons of anti-coronavirus measures introduced by the government, and just as much confusion before the SOPs have been timely and clearly announced to the public.

We can understand that during the initial stage the government might lack the experience to deal with this virus, and we have also learned to tolerate the many U-turns maneuvered by the authorities as we fight our way to bring down the virus.

Malaysians have been willingly abide by all the SOPs and guidelines set by the authorities in hope of putting the virus under effective control. Unfortunately our government officials do not seem to be satisfied with that, and hence a maximum RM10,000 fine for SOP violators with effect from March 11 under the Emergency (Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases) (Amendment) Ordinance 2021.

We fully support "suitably" heavy penalties for recalcitrant offenders, including those who roam about freely while under quarantine order, or gather illegally at night spots, remove their quarantine wristbands as well as repeat offenders.

That said, less serious cases should be dealt with more humanly so as not to badly impact the people's livelihoods while spawning frustration with the government.

As a matter of fact, big shots like defense senior minister Ismail Sabri, health minister Adham Baba and IGP Abdul Hamid have reiterated at separate occasions that the maximum RM10k fine is only for serious and repeat offenders.

Nevertheless, among the 438 people slapped with the RM10k tickets over the past four days, only 260 were considered more serious cases (gathering at night spots or entertainment outlets) while the others such as not putting on face masks, not observing social distancing rules or registering with MySejahtera app, deserve to be treated with more leniency.

Although the RM10k compound can be reduced through appeal, the government has been slow in coming out with the official compound amount standards, while those who have appealed are disappointed that no reduction in compound amount has been offered by health officers, putting more mental stress on the people. They need to take time off their busy work schedule in order to make the appeal. This is what the enforcement personnel and government big guns will never feel.

Public outcry over the RM10k compound could have been avoided. Judging from what senior government officials, the police and health officers have said, we can deduce that there is a serious issue of miscommunication among government agencies, such that a new law is now putting everyone in total confusion.

Can the compound fine be reduced? It seems that different people tell very different stories. The IGP says the police have no right to offer discounts and reductions. The health department says they have not received any formal instructions from high up…

Minister in the PM's department (parliament and law) Takiyuddin Hassan must have seen such confusion as he chaired the emergency management technical committee meeting yesterday morning to discuss the enforcement and compound guidelines for SOP violation. He said minor offenses such as failure to scan the QR code with MySejahtera app and not putting on a face mask are not serious cases that warrant a RM10k fine.

It is imperative for the authorities to come up with the official guidelines on fines for different categories of SOP violation offenses as soon as possible. By right, such guidelines should have been made public well before the RM10k fine goes into effect, not after the law is already enforced.

We hope the hundreds of RM10k compound tickets already issued to the public will be handled appropriately given the wisdom of our ministers, so that the offenders will not have to take the trouble of making appeals or seek legal assistance from political parties, and can settle their fines as per the newly unveiled guidelines.