KUALA LUMPUR – Opposition chief Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim panned Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s latest announcement on stiffer penalties against those who flout standard operating procedures relating to Covid-19 and the movement control order.
Speaking in a Facebook Live event today, he said the public had become cynical about the double standards practised by Putrajaya’s elites, wherein government leaders allegedly get away scot-free after breaching SOPs.
“He should seek to balance the need to protect national health and the need for the public to survive. Stiffer penalties are not the way. The people have become cynical and suspicious of the government because it implements double standards.
“Political leaders can breach the SOPs as they wish while the public are punished. These people are trying to make a living.
“You are threatening the poor who are trying to put food on their table. This (heavy penalties) will bring a new disaster to the public,” said Anwar.
In his national address today, Muhyiddin outlined six strict guidelines that the government will implement against SOP flouters.
Three of the stiffer penalties involve the private sector – immediate closure of business premises found breaching the MCO; legal action against business owners, franchise holders/operators, and stakeholders in commercial organisations; and legal action on the management chain of foreign workers, including employers, agents, main contractors, sub-contractors and individuals.
Muhyiddin also plans on introducing higher compounds for repeat offenders or those who have been given a warning and to imprison those breaching SOPs.
Civil servants will also see disciplinary action taken against them if they do not adhere to the SOPs. This includes adherence to the work-from-home policy.
However, in his national address, Muhyiddin did not state any stiffer punishments for politicians found violating the MCO SOPs. – The Vibes, February 4, 2021
