BE considerate when fining movement-control order (MCO) flouters because not all offences merit the same punishment, said Najib Razak.  

In a Facebook post today, the former prime minister urged Putrajaya to review the RM10,000 fines for individuals breaching the standard operating procedure (SOP) under the emergency ordinance. 

Although he supported the idea of a stiffer punishment and fines, Najib said the punishments should serve as a lesson, and not to make them bankrupt.  

“For example, not wearing mask or wrongly wearing mask, forgetting to scan MySejahtera, failure to adhere to physical distancing or leaving the house without a valid reason are different from those who disobey compulsory quarantine, removing the quarantine wristband, travelling interstate without permission, failing to report as a close contact to a positive person or having some ketum-fuelled party in a hotel or rented house.

“For less serious offences involving large numbers of people, the mistakes may be accidental and the punishment has to teach them a lesson rather than making them bankrupt,” he said in the post. 

The Pekan MP instead suggested that for less serious offences committed by the public, they should be given fines that are raised progressively, starting with RM1,000 and raising to maximum of RM10,000 for the fourth and following offences.  

“This method of progressive punishments is adopted by several other countries and accepted by the people because no one will sympathise with stubborn offenders who repeatedly violate the SOP.

“But if they are fined RM10,000 for the first offence, many would not be satisfied,” he said, adding that the new fine amount in the country is one of the highest in the world.  

Yesterday, it was announced that a fine of up to RM10,000 for individuals and RM50,000 for companies will be imposed for those for breaching MCO regulations under the emergency ordinance.

The Emergency (Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases) (Amendment) Ordinance 2021, which was published in the Federal Gazette website today, comes into effect on March 11.

The current compound amount for anyone breaching the MCO is RM1,000.

Najib said the SOP should be consistent and should not often flip-flop, causing confusion among enforcement officers and citizens. 

He said the public would be even more outraged if there were double standards.  

“After the fines were raised, the anger of people would also increase if there were double standards in punishment between ordinary public and politicians,” he said. – February 26, 2021.