KUALA LUMPUR, May 20 — Malaysians have launched an online campaign for stricter punishments, including jail time, against celebrity Noor Neelofa Mohd Noor and her husband for allegedly repeatedly violating Covid-19 standard operating procedure (SOP).
The campaign, launched prior to Neelofa and husband Muhammad Hariz Mohd Ismail being charged at the Seremban Court this morning, has so far received nearly 18,000 signatures at the time of writing.
The petition on online platform Change.org was addressed to the police, urging them to impose punishment deemed appropriate for a person who commit repeated offences.
It also called for a stop of double standards with the authorities, urging them to adopt different laws between the public and dignitaries or celebrities.
“Neelofa is a celebrity who has many times violated SOPs and denied the law in the country's efforts to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The offences committed resulted in the existence of a double standard law imposed on her.
"Based on these repeated offenses, we urge the Malaysian government and PDRM to immediately imprison Neelofa without compromise as a clear signal that the government does not apply double standard laws to VVIPs and dignitaries," said the petition.
Today, both Neelofa and her husband pleaded not guilty for SOP breaches on May 2 after photos of them shopping for carpets went viral on social media.
She was pictured heading to the court without a face mask behind her niqab.
On April 27, Neelofa was issued a compound for failing to practise physical distancing during her recent wedding ceremony and for breaching interstate travel regulations by taking part in activities not permitted by police.
The couple and their families were fined a total of RM 60,000 for the offences.
Further controversy erupted when the newlyweds were photographed enjoying watersports activities on the holiday island of Langkawi in Kedah shortly after.
Police had said that the permit for interstate travel to Langkawi issued to Neelofa and three others were only for work purposes and not for a honeymoon, with the police also launching investigations on the couple to determine if they had been honeymooning at Langkawi and therefore in breach of Covid-19 SOPs.
