The Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) has urged the government to strictly regulate how fines for standard operating procedure (SOP) violations can be imposed and reviewed.<\/p>\n
This was to prevent \u201carbitrary\u201d decisions and instances of corruption.<\/p>\n
In a statement today, the NGO expressed concern over the government\u2019s frequent changes with regard to the fines.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are of the opinion that the government is not very serious in handling public health issues. The government\u2019s frequency of making U-turns is causing confusion among the public,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n
District health officers have been tasked with utilising their\u00a0discretion<\/a>\u00a0to make decisions when individuals appeal for a lower fine.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are concerned that the culture of abuse and abuse of power among public officials will become more rampant in the absence of consistent enforcement procedures,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n The KLSCAH thus proposed that Putrajaya utilise an online database to identify first-time SOP violators from repeat offenders to help it impose compounds fairly.<\/p>\n It also suggested an \u201cAppeals Guideline\u201d for both law enforcers and violators.<\/p>\n \u201cThis will help prevent district health officers from imposing arbitrary compounds,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n On March 11, the maximum penalty for Covid-19 SOP violations was raised from RM1,000 to\u00a0RM10,000<\/a>\u00a0for individuals. Companies can now be fined up to RM50,000.<\/p>\n Following backlash over the exorbitant amounts and an admission that the police had\u00a0no choice<\/a>\u00a0but to issue the maximum fine, Putrajaya said individuals could \u201cappeal\u201d to district health officers for a lesser fine.<\/p>\n