The ruling parties contesting in the Johor state election talks about political stability but yet openly attack each other as corrupt and unfit to govern. Meanwhile the people’s problems are forgotten and instead being conveniently blamed for the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the real rationale for the government’s proposed amendments to the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988, increasing compound fines for companies to RM1 million and RM10,000 for individuals that fail to comply with COVID-19 SOPs.
The corrupt BN/PN government, according to their own leaders, have 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 Ismail Sabri, Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, incumbent Johor Menteri Besar Hasni Mohammad and MIC president S Vigneswaran caught mingling closely with a crowd of politicians without social distancing.
The latest incident two days ago involved a large crowd dancing in a violent manner involving jumping up and down and deliberately colliding with other dancers without social distancing at a rock music concert in Air Hitam, Johor. The rock music concert is linked to the Communications and Multimedia Ministry and was attended by its Minister Annuar Musa.
Not every ordinary Malaysian is wealthy like Ministers who can afford the increased RM10,000 fines nor every company can survive like Ministries when slapped with a RM1 million compound fine. The government should own up to their COVID-19 failures and bear full responsibility for their incompetence, be compassionate to the victims of COVID-19 and to effectively manage the transition of the pandemic becoming endemic to accept the reality that society has to live with COVID-19.
Such harsh penalties and compound fines can be enforced at will with the proposed granting of unfettered and unlimited powers granted to the Director-General of Health, that can not be questioned or challenged under the same proposed amendments. PH and DAP have adopted a firm position of opposing and voting against such proposed amendments in Parliament due to the draconian powers granted to the enforcement and harsh penalties and compound fines imposed.
There are two fundamental reasons why these amendments should not be approved. First, this is a dishonest attempt by the government to pin the blame on the rakyat to avoid responsibility for their failure to manage the COVID-19 pandemic that has caused more than 3.6 million infections and nearly 33,300 deaths. Second, the harsh penalties can have a devastating effect on the livelihood of ordinary people and survival of small businesses who are unable to afford such heavy and burdensome penalties and compound fines.
Such harsh penalties and draconian powers arming enforcement officers can also be subject to abuse and corrupt practices that will impose an additional obstacle to the full recovery of the economy. To save lives and livelihood, there must be a whole-of-government approach instead of blaming or making the people the culprit for the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Federal government is devious and cunning in timing the debate and approving the proposed amendments after 12 March when the Johor elections are over. Clearly the amendments are intended to be passed after the Johor elections, to avoid the controversy and the adverse electoral impact over the issue. BN including both UMNO, MCA and MIC must come clean on their support for these proposed amendments that are inimical to the interests of the people.