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Defense Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob stressed today that there was no double standard in the sentence of the Deputy Minister of Health, Noor Azmi Ghazali, and the former member of Perak Razman Zakaria, who were fined RM1,000 for violating Prevention and Control. of Infectious Diseases (Measures within local infected areas). ) Regulation 2020.
Ismail, who is also the chief minister in charge of overseeing the movement control order (MCO), explained that the duo did not violate the MCO but instead failed to comply with the standard operating procedure (SOP) governing movements during the MCO, such as the social practice distancing
He said this is because the government has already announced that elected representatives can move to help people during the MCO, subject to rules and regulations.
For example, the two VVIPs, the former Perak and the deputy minister of health, their crime was only in terms of SOP, not a violation of the MCO.
“I mentioned that elected representatives are allowed to be on duty during the MCO to care for the well-being of people and therefore can move.
“But the crime is perhaps in terms of social distancing, in terms of SOP,” he said at a press conference in Putrajaya.
He added that the court could have granted a lower fine of RM100 or RM200, but decided to impose the maximum fine of RM1,000.
The regulation also provided up to six months in prison, but the court did not jail the duo.
Ismail explained that many of the most serious penalties against MCO criminals were not for violating the MCO alone.
“I have said before that many of those incarcerated were not only due to crimes under the MCO but also under the Penal Code, such as obstructing a public servant.
“There were those who made racist remarks or quarreled with the police when they were arrested or those who attempted to ram barricades, with an incident that recently caused a police officer to suffer a broken leg.”
“So it was not only for violating the MCO but also for crimes under the Penal Code, that is why the punishments are different.
“It is not due to the double standards that many would like to imagine,” he said.
Yesterday, both Noor Azmi and Razman pleaded guilty before Gerik’s Magistrates Court and were fined a RM1,000 fine.
The deputy health minister had posted a series of photos on Facebook of him and his entourage visiting a religious school in Lenggong, Perak, on April 17.
In the images, he is represented delivering goods to several people. Some 20 people were also shown eating together without social distancing measures, including the deputy minister and ex-Perak.
Since then, posts have been removed on Facebook, but screenshots of the post continue to roam elsewhere.
Both Noor Azmi and Razman have since apologized for violating the MCO.
Malaysia has been under partial blockade since March 18.
According to the MCO, all non-essential businesses and services were ordered closed, and people cannot leave their homes except for approved reasons, such as buying food within a 10 km radius.
The move, aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19, has paralyzed much of the country’s economy.
The MCO is expected to end on May 12 if there is no fourth extension.
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