The government thinks that it is due to the lack of SOP compliance, so they're going to do something about it.

Malaysians are not scared

Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has revealed that the government is looking at harsher punishments for those who break MCO rules.

He told Malay Mail that the government is currently drafting an amendment to the Emergency Ordinance to increase the penalty.

Ismail Sabri said the move is necessary as the government feels that a lot of Malaysians are not abiding to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) set by the government.

“So I want to inform that since many still fail to abide by the SOPs, the government is amending the Emergency Ordinance to further increase the compound on individuals and companies,” he was quoted as saying.

If an individual is brought to court, the penalty will be increased even more, Ismail Sabri further added.

Heavier fines suggested

Currently, those who break the MCO rules will be fined a maximum of RM1,000, but Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador thinks that the amount is too little.

He told Malay Mail in a seperate report recently that several proposals to increase the fine for compoundable offences under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 have been tabled to the National Security Council (NSC).

IGP Abdul Hamid said for entertainment outlets, for instance, the RM1,000 fine is merely "pocket change".

“I can confirm there are many proposals on how to strengthen certain sections of the law.

“There is a proposal to increase the amount of fine but I’ll leave it to the senior minister to elaborate on that,” he was quoted as saying.