APRIL 2 — The Society for the Promotion of Human Rights (Proham) praises the Police Diraja Malaysia and the Royal Malaysian Armed Forces for their work and assistance in the current pandemic to ensure the people comply with the movement control order (MCO).
Proham also notes that the police are currently charging those violating the MCO in Court under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Regulation 2020 and the Penal Code.
Among the objectives of the MCO are to ensure the people stay at home, exercise social distancing in public areas and avoid large crowds. However, the arresting, detaining in police lockups and charging of these violators in court goes against the very objectives of the MCO.
Currently, the police remand lockups are already overcrowded. They are then brought to courts, handcuffed together and subsequent to them being charged in court, they are either released on bail or upon pleading guilty, sentenced to a fine or imprisonment. All these actions do not assist in trying to break the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
At a time when our doctors, nurses and hospital resources are already put to the test, the actions and the procedures of the police are counter-productive to the very aim which they intend to achieve.
Hence, Proham urges the police to exercise restraint. Those violating the MCO should not be treated as criminals. They are merely defaulters.
Therefore, in trying to achieve the objectives of MCO, Proham urges that the police should just issue compound notices and the defaulters be released immediately pending payment, those that fail to pay the compound can be summoned to court once the MCO is removed.
In this way, the police will be assisting to ensure that the Covid-19 viral chain be broken and not to perpetuate the spread.
In the meantime, Proham urges all Malaysians to abide by the MCO and stay safe at home.
