Opinion Research Centre
THE Association for Community and Dialogue is concerned about a local research hub’s observation that xenophobia and racism are prevalent among social media users both in Malaysia and abroad, with the number of racially charged comments spiking as more people are confined indoors in compliance with orders by governments to stem the spread of Covid-19.
GEORGE TOWN, April 6 — Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has appealed to the Home Ministry to control the borders of entry into Penang so that the state could effectively contain the spread of Covid-19.
The Penang lawmaker said Sarawak and Sabah have already implemented this move.
“I hope the Home Ministry will implement this control at all borders for Penang too,” he said during his daily message on Facebook live.
He also hoped the health minister will increase the number of Covid-19 tests and ease the procedures for patients to get tested.
“If the need arises, Penang is ready to assist the Health Ministry in this initiative,” he said.
“We want to see all Covid-19 positive cases to emerge during this period.”
He also called on the International Trade and Industry Ministry and Human Resources Ministry to enforce an Environment, Health and Safety protocol for all industries so that those allowed to operate will adhere by these safety and health guidelines without exemption.
“There must be a clear guideline for all essential industries and its supporting industries and this must be made public,” he said.
Chow said he will forward these proposals during the upcoming National Security Council’s meeting on Covid-19.
In the past 20 days, Chow said Penang has taken steps based on three main strategies to prevent the spread of the virus in the state.
“First, we strictly enforce the MCO and conducted disinfection works,” he said.
Secondly, he said the public is kept informed through various channels and finally, the state introduced the Penang Aid Package to mitigate the impact of the MCO and pandemic.
He said the situation in Penang is still under control and that the state is ready to rebuild the state’s economy post-MCO.
He gave the reassurance that the state will always look after the safety, welfare and harmony of its people.
I refer to your article that community service may not be an appropriate sentence.
Pursuant to the Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan 2020 (movement control order), regulation 11(1) states that the penalty is a fine not exceeding RM1,000 or imprisonment of not more than six months, or both.
However, the presiding judge or magistrate, on a plea of guilt, can order a person to be bound over, pursuant to Section 294 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) for first-time offenders.
The judge or magistrate will take into consideration the age, health, mental condition, trivial nature of offence and extenuating circumstances during which the offence was committed, subject to a bond, with or without sureties.
Further, Section 294 A (c) of the CPC states that the magistrate can impose conditions to a bond of good behaviour, such as the person’s employment, residence, alienation and any other conditions that the court may think it is desirable to impose.
It can be argued such conditions in Section 294 a(c) of the CPC can include a condition on community service, rather than a custodial sentence, which will only result in overcrowding of prisons and lock-ups.
R Thayakugan is an FMT reader.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
PETALING JAYA: Ketua Hakim Negara Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat menyeru hakim mahkamah menggunakan budi bicara dalam mengenakan hukuman terhadap pesalah yang melanggar Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan (PKP) dengan mengambil kira risiko penularan Covid-19 di penjara.
Pejabat Ketua Pendaftar Mahkamah Persekutuan memaklumkan semua majistret dan hakim Mahkamah Sesyen perlu mempertimbangkan masalah kesesakan di dalam penjara.
“Di samping mengambil kira peruntukan hukuman berdasarkan undang-undang yang sedia ada, masalah berkenaan risiko penularan wabak covid-19 yang bakal dihadapi oleh penjara-penjara di Malaysia boleh juga diambil pertimbangan,” kata pejabat itu dalam satu kenyataan.
Kenyataan itu juga mengesahkan badan kehakiman menerima surat daripada Ketua Pengarah Penjara Zulkifli Omar, yang mencadangkan supaya hakim menggunakan Akta Perintah Kehadiran Wajib Pesalah-Pesalah 1954 untuk memerintahkan pesalah MCO melakukan khidmat masyarakat wajib, bukannya menghantar mereka ke penjara.
Zulkifli, dalam satu surat kepada Ketua Pendaftar Mahkamah Persekutuan, Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh, berkata langkah itu bagi mengelakkan sebarang kemungkinan virus itu tersebar dalam kalangan penghuni dan kakitangan penjara.
Beliau berkata tahanan baru akan menambahkan lagi kesesakan dalam penjara dan jabatan itu juga bimbang virus itu merebak kerana status kesihatan pendatang baru tidak diketahui.
Beliau berkata penjarakkan sosial tidak dapat dikuat kuasakan dan ini memberi ancaman kepada penghuni dan kakitangan penjara sedia ada.
Melanggar PKP boleh dihukum sehingga 6 bulan penjara, atau denda sehingga RM1,000, atau kedua-duanya.
Sementara itu, Presiden Majlis Peguam Salim Bashir berkata peringatan Tengku Maimun kepada kakitangan bawahannya tepat pada masanya kerana hakim perbicaraan mempunyai budi bicara untuk menjalankan hukuman, berdasarkan undang-undang yang ada.
Salim berkata mahkamah boleh mengenakan denda minimum, penjara sehari atau mengikat mereka untuk menunjukkan tingkah laku yang baik.
Sebagai alternatif, beliau berkata hakim boleh memerintahkan pesalah melakukan khidmat masyarakat di bawah undang-undang, seperti yang dicadangkan Zulkifli, selepas PKP ditarik balik dan selamat untuk mereka melaksanakannya.
MIRI, April 5 — The state government has decided not to allow Ramadan and Gawai Dayak bazaars to be held this year so to cut off the transmission of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) infections, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Openg announced here today.
He said Hari Raya and Gawai Dayak celebrations are close to each other.
“We don’t want Covid-19 to affect us anymore. It can spread from one person to another in crowded areas,” he told reporters after witnessing the airlifting of food packets to Bario by military helicopters.
However, he said the state government will allow online sales of food items for the breaking of fast.
Asked on how the state government is run since some of the state Cabinet ministers are now in self-quarantine, the chief minister said this is not a problem because they still communicate with each other through video conferencing and smart handphones.
“The self-quarantine is just a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) because one of them who attended a meeting was later tested positive for Covid-19.
“According to the regulations under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Sct 1988, all those who attended the meeting must undergo self-quarantine,” he said.
The chief minister said he has communicated with Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah through smart handphone and video conferencing.
“If this thing happened before, then we would have problems, but not now,” he said.
Apart from Uggah, another Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian, Utilities Minister Datuk Sri Stephen Rundie, Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Early Childhood Development Minister Datuk Fatimah Abdullah are also undergoing self-quarantine.
They attended a meeting on March 27 which was also attended by Assistant Transport Minister Datuk Dr Jerip Susil who was later tested positive for Covid-19.
The chief minister also said the road from Brunei to Miri has now been blocked to curb travel from the sultanate.
“Only those who arrive from Kuala Lumpur to Miri are allowed, but they will have to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival,” he said.
On the airlifting of food packets, he said, apart from Bario, families from remote areas in Telang Usan, Lawas and Kapit will also receive the packets.
He added 13 locations will receive the food packets being airlifted from Miri.
He said the food packets will last three to four days for each family.
KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 — PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim took the opportunity to poke fun at Women and Family Development Minister Datuk Seri Rina Harun on social media over the recent uproar over a series of posters by her ministry.
On Twitter, Anwar shared several photos of himself changing a wall lamp’s bulb, with his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail seen handing him the new bulb.
Bantu Azizah ganti mentol. Tak perlu suara Doraemon. #StayHome #DudukRumah #CegahCovid19 pic.twitter.com/dm1R5Hgd2b
— Anwar Ibrahim (@anwaribrahim) April 5, 2020
“Helping Azizah replace a mentol (bulb). No need for Doraemon voice,” said the accompanying caption.
Last week the ministry released several posters on its social media accounts, with the aim of spreading messages about positive family relations while also working from home during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and extended Movement Control Order.
The posters subsequently came under fire from several women’s rights groups for being sexist, as it included advice such as for women working from home to continue grooming and dressing up as they always do when going into office.
One poster advised women who were displeased by their spouses’ actions to not nag but instead use humour and speak in a Doraemon-like voice, referring to the popular 1970s Japanese cartoon character.
Both the ministry and Rina have since apologised for sharing the posters.
A SHUTDOWN to contain the coronavirus has killed Thailand’s party scene and forced sex workers like Pim out of bars and onto desolate streets. She’s scared but desperately needs customers to pay her rent.
Red-light districts from Bangkok to Pattaya have gone quiet with night clubs and massage parlours closed and tourists blocked from entering the country.
THE coronavirus pandemic is increasing poverty in Britain, where levels are already high after a decade of austerity triggered by the global financial crisis, according to experts.
Official data shows that more than 14 million people in the UK are classed as living in poverty, or nearly one-quarter of the population.
KUALA LUMPUR: Liga Bola Sepak Malaysia (MFL) mengambil keputusan melaksanakan pengurangan gaji kakitangan antara 10 hingga 20% bermula bulan ini, sekiranya Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan (PKP) yang berakhir 14 April ini dilanjutkan ke satu tempoh baru susulan penularan Covid-19.
Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif MFL Ab Ghani Hassan dalam kenyataan hari ini memaklumkan, keputusan berkenaan dicapai hasil mesyuarat Ahli Lembaga Pengarah yang dipengerusikan Presiden Hamidin Mohd Amin, menerusi persidangan video Isnin lalu.
Ab Ghani menjelaskan keputusan tersebut terpaksa diambil sebagai langkah penjimatan, selepas pihak pengurusan mengambil kira setiap aspek dengan teliti, terutama kesan ekonomi yang melanda dunia akibat pandemik tersebut.
“MFL percaya langkah berkenaan adalah yang terbaik dalam usaha untuk terus menjaga kebajikan kakitangan, walaupun ia sesuatu yang berat untuk dilaksanakan oleh pihak pengurusan.
“MFL juga percaya semua kakitangan memahami keputusan yang diambil, dan akan terus bersama mengharungi detik mencabar ini demi bola sepak Malaysia,” kata Ab Ghani.
MFL dan Persatuan Bola Sepak Malaysia sebelum ini mengambil keputusan menangguhkan semua aktiviti bola sepak di bawah kelolaan mereka sejak 16 Mac lalu, sebagai menghormati pelaksanaan PKP dalam membendung penularan wabak Covid-19 di negara ini.
SOUTH African public healthcare workers dispersed into the buzzing streets of Johannesburg’s Yeoville neighbourhood as Africa’s worst virus-hit country rolled out mass door-to-door testing for Covid-19.
Armed with screening questionnaires and testing kits, medics and volunteers set up their testing station on the front porch of a block of flats in the gritty business neighbourhood.
