MALAYSIANS on social media have expressed anger and disgust at the police for penalising a Kota Baru burger seller with a RM50,000 fine for not obeying health and safety rules to prevent Covid-19.
 
They said Wan Mohd Faisal Wan Kadir, 38, who was caught selling burgers after 10pm, was victimised by the authorities.

They said the authorities were practising double standards by inflicting such a heavy punishment on a burger seller while letting others who had broken the law get off lightly if not scot-free.

The cops had visited Faisal’s stall on Sunday to hand him the hefty compound. 

Kelantan police said Faisal was not a first-time offender and that he had been fined before for committing a similar offence.

@Tarantulas99 on Twitter was not buying the excuse.

“Looks like this was done just to cause hurt for the people, with such a high compound. For a burger seller, and most of the people, a compound of RM50,000 can mean the end of life. Stop it!,” he said.

@OrenjiOren pointed out that the authorities had recently fined an entertainment centre in Bandar Sunway only RM5,000 for operating without a licence.

“Selling burgers in front of the house can get a RM50,000 fine. Opening an entertainment centre without licence, only RM5,000. Only in Malaysia.”

Lawyer Zulhazmi Shariff offered to defend Faisal for free and urged the trader not to pay the compound.

“If I am in Kota Baru, I will offer my services for free to the trader. Don’t pay, we will fight,” he wrote on Facebook.

Zulhazmi said the RM50,000 compound was illegal as the most a person could be fined for the offence was RM10,000.

Tanjong Malim MP Chang Lih Kang slammed the government for its double standards.

“The government is not only not helping small traders like him but is actually adding burden on them.

“How many burgers does Mohd Faisal need to sell to pay off this compound?”

He said there were many ministers and other personalities who had not been punished for flouting the rules of the movement control order.

“The people are angry over these double standards,” he said.

He said one such example was Neelofa’s wedding celebrations last month, which were a clear breach of the rules.

Chang said police had yet to say whether they would take any action against the celebrity.

The police announced today that Neelofa, her husband PU Riz and 20 other family members had been issued compounds amounting to RM60,000 for attending e wedding ceremony and for crossing state borders.

Meanwhile. Kelantan police chief Shafien Mamat said Faisal was guilty of setting up tables for his customers to eat on and failing to possess a body temperature scanner.

He said the burger seller could appeal to the Health Ministry for a reduction of the fine

It is learnt that police had raided the stall after receiving a tip-off that Faisal was operating past the hours permitted by the MCO.

The man had posted on social media about his being slapped with a RM50,000 compound, which post had gone viral.

Faisal told Bernama there were no customers at the stall when the police arrived at 11.10pm.

“I had folded up the tables but hadn’t closed the stall as I was preparing orders from factory workers,” he said, adding he had received a RM1,000 compound previously for the same offence.

“I hope the authorities can reduce the amount because I cannot afford to pay as I only sell burgers.” – April 27, 2021.