MCO violators may face heavier penalty, RM1K fine perhaps 'too low'
CORONAVIRUS | Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has said the government is considering raising the fine and jail sentence imposed on those who breach the movement control order (MCO).
In a broadcasted press conference today, he compared Malaysia's RM1,000 compound on violators to the far higher fines imposed by governments in Singapore, South Korea and Indonesia.
CORONAVIRUS | Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has said the government is considering raising the fine and jail sentence imposed on those who breach the movement control order (MCO).
In a broadcasted press conference today, he compared Malaysia’s RM1,000 compound on violators to the far higher fines imposed by governments in Singapore, South Korea and Indonesia.
"I am not sure about this, but maybe our RM1,000 compound is too low.
“If there is a need, perhaps we can ask the Health Ministry to discuss with the Attorney General (Idrus Harun) to see if we can increase the fine or compound imposed. We could also increase the jail time.
“This is so this can function as a deterrent [...] so that the rakyat will be afraid and not violate the MCO anymore,” he said when asked about the high number of violators.
Ismail earlier shared that compliance to the MCO was at 97 percent as of April 9.
Yesterday, police arrested 666 individuals for violating the MCO of which 392 were fined RM1,000. Police remanded 263 people while 11 have been placed on police bail.
A total of 7,479 people have been arrested for MCO violations since March 19 when the MCO began.
The Prisons Department previously advised the courts against sending MCO violators to overcrowded prisons to prevent causing a Covid-19 outbreak among inmates and prison staff.
In response, Chief Justice Tengku Maiman Tuan Mat urged judges to take the department’s concern into consideration when meting out sentences.
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