KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 — Putrajaya has no right to increase the Covid-19 fines to RM10,000 and RM1 million or more when its ministers continue to flaunt the standard operating procedures (SOPs) openly, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said today.
He said the government should own up to its failures in handling the Covid-19 infections instead of blaming the people for the pandemic.
“The corrupt Barisan Nasional/Perikatan Nasional government, according to their own leaders, has no right to impose such an increase when their own ministers serially practice double standards by openly breaching the Covid-19 SOPs that they themselves have introduced.
“We have Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin giving a fist bump, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, incumbent Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad and MIC president Tan Sri S Vigneswaran caught mingling closely with a crowd of politicians without social distancing,” Lim said in a statement.
DAP has opposed the amendments to the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342), as the proposed heavier sanctions are too burdensome on the public.
Lim said imposing such high fines upon the public was unfair and give rise to abuse of power.
He also pointed to an open rock concert held two days ago in Air Itam where videos went viral showing people dancing and being in close proximity to each other.
“The rock music concert is linked to the Communications and Multimedia Ministry and was attended by its Minister (Tan Sri) Annuar Musa,” said Lim.
Currently, Act 342 confers the director-general the power to offer a maximum compound amount of only RM1,000 that Act 342 offenders would have to pay to avoid being charged in court, following the repeal of the Emergency Ordinances (EOs) in Dewan Negara on December 8.
Due to an increase in SOPs being breached, the government proposed to increase the fines to RM10,000 for individuals and up to RM1 million for companies.
The Bill was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat for the first reading on December 14, 2021, and the government had hoped to have it passed the day after, the last parliamentary meeting for the year. However, it was then postponed owing to criticisms and it was expected to be tabled and debated in the current sitting.
Lim said these laws were a smokescreen to shift blame from the government's failures to deter nearly 3.6 million infections and nearly 33,300 deaths.
“The Federal government is devious and cunning in timing the debate and approving the proposed amendments after March 12 when the Johor elections are over.
“Clearly the amendments are intended to be passed after the Johor election, to avoid the controversy and the adverse electoral impact over the issue,” he added.
